Morley, Michael, My Cat Is An Alien, Ramona Ponzini, Lee Ranaldo

Morley, Michael, My Cat Is An Alien, Ramona Ponzini, Lee Ranaldo

Live @ Sensational Fix

Starlight Furniture Company

On June 17, 2008, the exhibition Sonic Youth etc.: Sensational Fix opened at LiFE in Saint-Nazaire, France, with a focus on their multi-disciplinary activities since 1981--collaborations with visual artists, filmmakers, designers, and musicians, as well as other works selected by the band. As part of the exhibition project, My Cat Is An Alien performed on stage with their long-time collaborator Ramona Ponzini (Painting Petals On Planet Ghost, Black Magic Disco, Z'ev) singing Japanese, Michael Morley of New Zealand's free noise band Dead C, and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth. As a non-programmed live act, My Cat Is An Alien were supplied with two guitars from Sonic Youth's memorabilia wall of old guitars. No MCIAA show would be complete without sounds and beams generated by space toy guns, which they liberated from a local vintage toys warehouse (including a toy microphone for Roberto's vocals). Exhibition curator Roland Groenenboom recalls: "Michael Morley joined My Cat Is An Alien and Ramona Ponzini on stage for an improv piece. They were already way into developing [it] when, to their surprise, Lee Ranaldo picked up the guitar that Maurizio had left lying on stage when he moved on to playing percussion, [which only] made the already phenomenal sonic achievement even denser." Stills from the live footage shot by Groenenboom appear on the color insert. During the performance, Roberto shot photos with a Poloroid camera supplied by LiFE's director Christophe Wavelet--what Opalio entitles "The Sensational Fix trilogy"--which are front and back cover and labels of this LP. Side B features...