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'Lieutenant Murnau' was a pioneering musical project from Vittore Baroni (Italy) operating in the field of "plagiarism", known in Italy as an obscure act it became a cult afterwards. When he first got involved in Mail-Art around 1977, artists like Genesis P. Orridge (1), Richard H. Kirk (2), Monte Cazazza (3) and Nigel Ayers (4) were among Baroni's early contacts. He began to be involved in what at that time was called the "tape network", with his own audio experiments. After a few years of experiments in sound-poetry he began with his project 'Lieutenant Murnau' in 1980. His experiments as 'Lieutenant Murnau' were much more ironical then the industrial music which had at that time its evolution since the mid seventies.

It was a little step beyond industrial, Baroni was mostly interested in that area of audio collage which in a few years took the name of "plunderphonics" or "plagiarism". He did not want to play a single note or instrument but to recycle and transform the record releases of other musicians to create new sounds. His sleeping room was his studio where he created his music with the help of only a few tape decks, old record players, prepared vinyl records, tape loops made on a old Geloso reel-to-reel tape recorder, some toy instruments, … he created his music.

''Lt. Murnau is an audio-project started in early 1980 with the production of leaflets, badges and other items, creating a non-existent 'cult' group. Later a small xeroxed magazine and a performance on 21st September '80 by a Murnau-masked figure helped to add to the confusion. . . . All the titles on this cassette are made by 'alternative' playing of Beatles and Residents albums . . . You will hear distorted loops, 'treated' records with glue, scotch tape or scratched vinyl, excerpts from Italian soundtracks of Beatles films, Beatles covers, an Italian cover of 'I left my heart...', a recurring hint to the Residents interest in creative ethnology, etc.'' Lieutenant Murnau. (n.d.). [from leaflet enclosed with copies of first 'Lieutenant Murnau' releases]. Italy.

The 'Lieutenant Murnau' project intended to be more of a demonstration that anybody could be a musician, just like anybody can be a Mail-artist. That is why Baroni proposed 'Lieutenant Murnau' as a "multiple name", a name which anybody was free to use to produce his/her own recycled music. Multiple names deny the identity of the artist who use the name, with as aim to focus on a certain topic of the project. The 'Lieutenant Murnau' project wanted to explore and comment on the cult of personality in music. Baroni did get the name and image of 'Lieutenant Murnau' from a photograph of film director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (1888 - 1931) who served as lieutenant combat pilot in the German army during World War One. His portrait has been reproduced on posters of fake concerts, leaflets, zines, badges, … providing a virtual identity to anybody who joined the project. Hundreds of life-size masks with the portrait of 'Lieutenant Murnau' were also printed, which people could wear. The leaflets sent out into the Network invited his correspondents to join the project: "Anyone may become part of the Lt. Murnau group by sending proposals for new audio treatment techniques or actual recordings to be recycled and/or used in future apparitions . . . ". And even before Baroni had released any music from 'Lieutenant Murnau' the project started to receive reviews, fan letters and invitations from record labels. The invitation to join the project was picked up by several musicians from Belgium, Germany, France, … who took over the name 'Lieutenant Murnau' and produced their own version of his music, mostly on cassettes.

But the project had a deliberate short life-span and it ended completely in 1984. Baroni's contribution to the project resulted in one 7" EP vinyl record, some 8 or 10 cassette releases and between 30 or 40 contributions to compilations and audiozines worldwide, beside various art objects and publications.

In 1994, Nigel Ayers from the label 'Earthly Delights' asked Baroni to assemble an anthology of 'Lieutenant Murnau' music for a retrospective CD. Baroni asked the two other members of 'Le Forbici di Manitù', a musical group which he was part of at the time and which he joined in 1992, if they could help him with this retrospective CD. Finally in 1999 the CD was released by Nigel Ayers as Le Forbici di Manitù Play & Remix Lieutenant Murnau.

"Fall 1999. The tribute/anthology about the mysterious Lt. Murnau is finally completed and Le Forbici di Manitù are very proud about what they feel is their most complete musical statement yet. It is as varied, beautiful, and, at times, utterly unbearable as any memorable record worth its reputation. Exotic soundtrack music, expressionist radio dramas, power electronic ballads, wild sampling, grooves and stolen voices, fake funk, barren landscapes, pop debris... you name it, in the 74 minutes of the record you have it. And don't forget to properly program your CD-player to reassemble and hear the complete "Do the Murnau" dance-anthem." Rioux's Records [WWW page]. http://www.riouxs.com/

(1) Orridge, Genesis P. (England): Performance artist and founding member of the industrial band 'Throbbing Gristle'.

(2) Kirk, Richard H. (England): Founder of proto-industrial group 'Cabaret Voltaire', he was also marginally involved in the Mail-Art Network in the late seventies, now recording under his own name and various others (Sandoz, etc.).

(3) Monte Cazazza (U.S.A.): Collaborator of early 'Throbbing Gristle' and recording artist under his own name for 'Industrial Records', later he created other musical projects, like 'The Atom Smashers', also prankster and performance artist, was involved in early Mail-Art 'Bay Area Dada' activities (he was on the cover of a issue of Anna Banana's Vile magazine).

(4) Ayers, Nigel (U.S.A.): Founder in the early eighties of industrial band 'Nocturnal Emissions' and of 'Sterile Records', was involved in the tape network and also in Mail-Art as occasional participant.

Related Topics:
[01] Baroni, Vittore
[02] Plagiarism
[03] Orridge, Genesis P.
[04] Tape network
[05] Industrial culture
[06] Audio collage
[07] Zine
[08] Multiple name
[09] Identity
[10] Audiozine
[11] Performance
[12] Pranks
[13] Bay Area Dada

References:
[01] (V. Baroni, personal interview, November, 2002)
[02] De Decker, G. (2001). [Interview with Vittore Baroni] [WWW page]. URL http://www.sztuka-fabryka.be/ 
[03] Janssen, R. (1995). [Interview with Vittore Baroni]. TAM Mail-Interview Project [WWW page]. URL http://www.iuoma.org/ 
[04] Lieutenant Murnau. (n.d.). [from leaflet enclosed with copies of first 'Lieutenant Murnau' releases]. Italy.
[05] Opdyke J., D. (2000). [Interview with Nigel Ayers]. Nigel Ayers: Nocturnal Emissions Interview [WWW page]. http://www.spiderbytes.com/ambientrance/intayers.htm 
[06] Lt. Murnau (n.d.). Lt. Murnau [WWW page]. http://www.thing.de/projekte/7:9%23/lt_murnau_index.html 
[07] Rioux's Records [WWW page]. http://www.riouxs.com/ 
[08] Le Forbici di Manitù. (1999). [from leaflet enclosed] Le Forbici di Manitù Play & Remix Lieutenant Murnau. [CD]. Portland, U.S.A.: Soleilmoon/Earthly Delights.

Discography:
[01] Le Forbici di Manitù. (1999). Le Forbici di Manitù Play & Remix Lieutenant Murnau. [CD]. Portland, U.S.A.: Soleilmoon/Earthly Delights.

Date last update: 26 December 2002