Formidable, n'est-ce pas ? . . . Maybe, but that, as they say, was THAT for this unique collection of Magically Maverick Misfits and Manic Musical Maestros. Cross-Channel cultural relations, ever fragile at the best of times, were soon once more strained to breaking point as a result of Chio's spontaneous and unthinking disaffiliation from the accepted protocols of international diplomacy. They were never in truth to recover, hence the annual Gallic cheer which follows "Royaume Uni - nil points", and why Welsh singers seldom participate.

You never knew this ?

You were never supposed to know about it . . but now the truth can be told !

Later to be utterly ostracised from the 'approved' cultural mainstream and rendered 'Personae Non Gratae' due to their various philosophical, socio-political, metaphysical, anti-dietary and quasi-religious proclamations, the four original members of MUTOC-TROASON were all innovators in their own particular fields of artistic eccentricity. All four were, and here the term is used as an understatement, bizarre, as we shall explore later. You could say that they were 'Biz-artists' to a man !

That MUTOC-TROASON and their work have largely been ignored due to state censorship and suppression from 1922 onwards is further proof, if proof were needed, that Frère Grand (ably supported by his sons, bastards, nephews and sundry shifty acolytes) has been alive and well for a very long time.

Of course, legendary MUTOC leader Louis D'Cadnov was himself already in the vanguard of the fight for social reform, justice and true freedom of expression, but his quest for universal emancipation was, if not completely derailed, then seriously side-tracked at that juncture by the interventionary self interest of international capitalist cartels. So great was the furore that it caused irregular oscillations even within the counter-cultural movement, relegating D'Cadnov to the role of 'Yesterday's Man'. That he has since devoted his life to furthering the cause in dark basements and far-flung lands for many decades speaks volumes for his steadfastness and his stubbornness. He is a 20th Century Enigma, a true Aesthete, an Artiste and a symbol of indefatigable integrity, sullied only by his latter-day descent into more and more eccentric behaviour due to the ravages of Father Time and his allegedly excessive intake of dairy produce, to which he has a rare and, as yet, baffling allergy (allegedly). He eschews the notion of celebrity, and has always been a staunch believer in direct action.

Banishment from the mainstream robbed MUTOC-TROASON of their rightful place in the music and modern art pantheons. This shameful state of affairs continued unchecked until the recent shattering disclosures about that secretive brotherhood known as 'Les Frères de Quelqu'un', a cadre of powerful and influential monetarist clerics and their machiavellian secret agents, dedicated to the absolute preservation of dogma, and thus the means of domination of the laity. The resulting furore surrounding the full extent of their evil machinations, (the latest being the European Passports for South American Footballers scam), has brought about a massive upsurge in both popular and academic interest. The resultant World-Wide-Web-fuelled obsession has itself sparked the now fashionable daytime downmarket satellite TV preoccupation with research into long-forgotten acts of censorship and skulduggery, and the unearthing of records, texts and manuscripts still extant pertaining to many of those works so censored, principally those of the old 'New Radicals' who predicted The Depression and the rise of Fascism. This, in turn, led to the discovery of the sad but glorious truth about the contributions of MUTOC-TROASON during the early part of the 20th Century, and the price they paid for daring to embrace non-conformity as their Raison d'Être. So, who were those guys ?

Leader Louis D'Cadnov had witnessed his younger brother, Liam, being stung by a swarm of hornets at the age of seven whilst following their uncle's rag and bone cart. His twin obsessions from then onwards were to make use of discarded electric utensils and materials upon which he would beat, into which he would blow and with which he would perform ambi-dextrous body piercings, flailings and rubbings whilst frequently screeching at the top of his voice in much the same way as he had heard his sibling react to being stung. It has been argued that the sado-masochistic Louis had also been stung, but only with jealousy. This was to prove to be perpetual.

He also made frequent use of the screeching of a kitten, which he kept under his right foot at most of the group's performances, and to which he would apply spasmodic pressure. No-one ever knew why, as he refused to enter into dialogue about any of his particular art forms, saying only, "It is my duty. It is my destiny. It is my penance !" In later years he was to switch his allegiance to large canines.

Liam D'Cadnov had simply settled for deliberately hitting anything that moved, be it animal, vegetable or mineral, until he either tired of it or it moved no more. He also used to carefully lick all traces of blood from his brother's body whenever the skin had been broken. This was by way of symbolic reverse-recompense towards Louis, to remind him of the time he had refused to suck out the poison from Liam's interior buttock area when a viper had surprised him during an emergency outdoor defecation in the Pyrenées. (Louis had, instead, hacked out the infected area with a low-grade Vichy imitation Swiss Army Knife, which accounted for Liam's subsequent limp and pallor, as he almost bled to death.) The residual venom had led to frequent seizures, the imminence of which he later learned to utilise to greatly enhance his ability to create dramatic crescendos of sublime percussive depth and velocity, which would end abruptly with the sudden onset of the rigor, throwing the performance into pandemonium. In truth it was Liam, more than Louis, who was responsible for the quintessential Mutoc trademark, elemental arrhythmia, (whose value is only now being harnessed by modern medicine to cure piles via random laser pulse).

Liam was also prone to fits of uncontrollable laughter, often alternating with black rage, probably due to his obsession with the occult. This, the most public of his many less attractive traits, led to him failing to receive his rightful degree of critical acclaim as a genius, which he undoubtedly was, especially as he had been pronounced clinically dead at the ages of seven, nine, thirteen and every subsequent year of his life. Consequently no insurer would entertain his proposal.

Little is really known about Pino Chio, because much of what he is recorded as saying was lies, half-truths, exaggeration, imaginings, paranoia, delusion, sarcasm, downright mischief or simply immature attention-seeking, as has already been demonstrated. When, as often happened, he failed to attract the level of attention he perceived to be his due, he would often sit and sulk close to Liam, (but not adjacent to him). At such times they would mutter petulant oaths to each other and perform strange synchronised fidgetings, chain-smoking and drinking mysterious strong, dark Hibernian potions, which can have done nothing for their subsequent performance. His energetic, if somewhat erratic, virtuosity on lower register instruments, notably baritone tuba, double bassoon, trombaphone and colonic sphinc-trumpet, confirm his status as the only sonic profundo performer to rival that legendary Free French Farter, 'Le Petomane' - (which individual was recently reputed to be his non-Mutoc alter ego !) - Sometimes he got so low that they called him 'The Mole'.

Pino never took the vocal spotlight, being precluded from this due to being born with a deformed tongue, which was attached by a membrane to one side of his mouth. To redress this state of affairs, he appointed himself 'Mutoc Chronicler' and it is his rambling jottings, having survived almost intact, which form the bedrock upon which much of the recently researched MUTOC-TROASON history is based. However, his reputation for fanciful exaggeration and an economy with the truth quite naturally cast a great shadow of doubt over the worth of much of his output, as academics have been swift to remind us. Leaving that aside, nothing should detract from what our ears tell us to be the work of a man possessed, albeit chiefly by problems associated with chronic abdominal dysfunction.

The remaining member, Serge Kexx, dedicated his entire life to being a Freedom Fighter and All Around 'Jongleur', being well-versed in several disciplines and traditions. He first met and subsequently began 'jongl-ing' with Louis at an early age. It is said that he 'jongl-ed' all over Europe in search of his Holy Grail, and was often shabbily treated, even betrayed at times, by those he helped along the way. A devoutly cosmic Communist, he often fell foul of Le Système, which tended to want to deprive him of all of his 'jongl-ing' trophies almost as soon as he received them. Being an indefatigably lifelong optimist, he took it upon himself to encourage and enrol young people into his brainchild, L'Académie des Jongleurs, into which he poured countless hours of effort for many years, and most of his vast personal fortune.

Kexx's downfall was absinthe and burdock, for which he developed an over fondness, and which adversely affected his performance faculties at pivotal moments during his career, depriving him of his 'jongl-ing' prowess at those very times when leading Marxist-Leninist Impresarios were looking to launch him as leader of their youth movement. Despite these setbacks, he continued undeterred until the renewal of his acquaintance with Louis became the catalyst for the birth of MUTOC-TROASON. Vocally, his throat-warbling technique is without equal, as also is his unique castrato voice in its range, and he is equally singular in his long-practised ability to conjure up extemporaneous lyrical masterpieces, often in blank verse.

(After Mutoc disbanded he gained further notoriety with his controversial disqualification from the Final of the 1927 World Jigsaw Championships in Bangkok when his transvestite / lady-boy opponent lodged an objection to his breach of etiquette in constantly shouting, "It's gettin' there, Bonny Lad !" What could not be challenged, however, was that he was sartorially, without question, in a class of his own. Taking comfort from this, he was in later years to open his own international chain of clothing outlets, favoured by generations of young militants of every persuasion, and now revered throughout the world for the brand label which bears his name.

__________________

Last year saw the much publicised formation of 'The Sons of Mutoc', a dedicated band of agnostic resurrectionists whose simple manifesto is:

It is thanks to their tireless efforts, and those of an anonymous gypsy woman whose family guarded the manuscripts and recordings through three generations of persecution, that the REAL fathers of 20th Century Musical and Cultural Radicalism can now be properly identified . . . and our debt to them acknowledged. That Louis D'Cadnov himself has survived, not only to receive such belated critical and artistic approval, widespread exoneration and redemption of his reputation, but also to witness and experience such a renaissance of his and his comrades' early work . . . is little short of unbelievable.

" MUTOC-TROASON - Les Oeuvres Grandes ".

Alors, Sacrebleu ! ! - That's ALL it says ! Just a couple of dozen words and a list of tracks to describe what is, arguably, THE most influential album of all time !

In keeping with Mutoc tradition, there is often no need to talk . . just to DO. And this is what they do . . or rather did do ! - (Follow the links then just come < Back for further information on each track.)

As part of the album launch, the recently formed 'Sons of Mutoc Tribute Band' will shortly embark on a World Tour, during which they intend to perform every item from the entire MUTOC-TROASON repertoire at least once. Watch the press for details . . .