Thanks to all!

Thanks to all. You have all been so wonderful!

I look forward to seeing some of you at the fundraiser and Art show!...

all the best!

and stay strong.

-Noah Gould

Marc on Sunday 7/11

Here is a couple of photos I took on Sunday 7/11. Marc is doing great and will be out of the hospital soon.

How this works

A small number of close friends and family have been designated "authors" for this blog, meaning they can post here. The public is able to read and comment on posts, but in order to write a post you'll need to be invited.

If you would like to express some thoughts please email us by clicking here. Include your name and your relationship with Marc (friend, family, fellow artist, musician, fan, etc.) and an automated invitation will be sent to your email. Follow the instructions on the email.

Also, if you are considering visiting Marc at Valley Medical, please call ahead and ask if he is able to receive a visit as he may be undergoing procedures. The phone number is (408) 885-6666. Visiting hours are from 12:00 to 8:00 PM everyday.

Thank you for your love, healing thoughts and support.

Meeting Marc

I first met Marc in the fall of 1976 in Santa Cruz. We were introduced by another artist, Anders, who rented me studio space in an art-deco flat above a used record store. He called it "Rubberbandland" because it was also used as rehearsal space for a fusion band he jammed with called The Rubberband. Because the space was being used more and more as an art studio than for playing music, we decided to coin Rubberbandland as 'an elastic alliance of artists' to accommodate a wider array of creative collaborations.

The first art show of any consequence was one that Marc produced called "Post-All Art" or Postal Art or Mail-All-Art. The premise was to use the postal system as a medium. Mail artists typically exchange ephemera in the form of illustrated letters, zines, rubberstamped, illustrated envelopes, art trading cards, postcards, faux postage, three-dimensional objects or naked mail, which was Marc's preference. In the tradition of Dadaism, the show was a snub of gallery art, juried shows, and the general exclusivity of establishment art. The only rule was that work submitted had to be stamped; no package or envelope could conceal it. Pieces began to arrive in the form of a book (a page mailed per day), painted gourds, a melted baby doll head, cardboard box dioramas, and paintings using actual postage as the subject matter. The post office began to get suspicious. One day a postal worker quietly sneaked upstairs to find out what was going on. Marc and I were taking a break, burning some sweet local agriculture (if you know what I mean), when we heard a knock. Seeing his uniform, we quickly sucked in as he said, "Sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering if you guys had any rolling papers to spare?" We were caught completely off guard. All we could manage was to shake our heads no. He said, "That's too bad because I have some pot for you." Then he pulled out this cast iron pot from behind his back with official USPS stamps taped to the bottom next to the address. Inside, painted in white letters was "Some pot for you." The show created quite a lot of local controversy giving Rubberbandland its oddball curiosity as a refuge for renegade creative types.

Marc's interest was (and still is) in anything underground and unusual. The next event I remember we participated in was coordinated by a like-minded photographer, Gary Ruble. It was called Power Flick #15, an art happening held on the edge of the Big Sur coast. It's a story that really needs a blog itself. A group of brave but crazy creative-types were solicited to run around slippery mountains of coastal rock in the dead of night,  carrying flashlights, torches and strobe lights to help with filming ethereal landscape time-exposures. The location and experience inspired Marc to paint surrealistic, visionary themes which identified his early work.

Around 1978, Marc moved to the Aptos, CA  hills to live among some friends on a former 11 acre chicken ranch. He converted an old barn into his art studio which enabled him to  work without distraction. As Rubberbandland was phasing out, a new group emerged as The Aptosians. By adding home made instruments, play toys, and found-object percussion to the typical rock & roll guitar, bass and drum set, it was less structured. In fact, structure was highly discouraged. All you needed was a sense of rhythm, intuition, and a desire to abandon inhibitions and preconceptions of what music is supposed to sound like.

Throughout the 34 years I've known Marc, he is one of the few creative practitioners who truly deserves the title of artist. He's taken an ambitious effort at being true to his vision.

If you haven't had the pleasure of knowing Marc, there's an opportunity to meet him, his work and his friends at a benefit art reception in Santa Cruz on August 6th. Hope to see you there.

Update

I visited Marc Saturday night just as visiting hours were closing. Fortunately a nurse let me in because Andy Wolpert and his wife were already visiting. He was moved from the intensive care ward down the hall to a shared room on same ward. There was concern about this move being too soon, but the staff said they needed to free up his private room for more critical patients. When Marc was airlifted to emergency he had to wait 6 hours for a room in intensive care, so he understands why it's needed.

Andy brought his guitar and was serenading us with blues licks as we talked. Part of Marc's right arm bandages are now removed, and he is finished with skin grafts which is a good sign. He's handling pain much better and can walk around independently.

Marc is very appreciative of all the love, support, and also the great food being brought. If you are going to visit him it's a good idea to call beforehand and find out if he's available and if bringing food is OK.