Bio-morph – experiments in simultaneous biography
No. 8: Bryan greEno
Bryan greEno is a self-proclaimed “non-musician”, experimental artist and experimental politician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for playing keyboards for Bryan Ferry and second fiddle for Lara Giddings. He left Roxy Music in 1973 due to musical differences, and the Labor cabinet in 1996 due to legal differences.
Bryan was born in 1948 but made his first remarkable comeback by being born again in 1957. As a young man he appeared to be consumed with self-loathing, but after consulting specialists and undergoing exhaustive testing it was revealed that it was the Greens, not greEno, that he despised.
In 1975, greEno developed Oblique Strategies, a deck of cards containing random possibilities for artistic progression. Selection from the deck would result in decisions based on chance rather than subjective rationality. Other collaborative experiments with cards included happy families with Ta Ann, snap with the CEOs of the forestry industry, and poker with the Crown law office.
greEno began exploring bold new concepts in both art and law. He pioneered “ambient” music – soundscapes intended to be non-intrusive and to defy attention. His work with ambient government deals was less successful. His 2006 collaboration with the Tasmanian Compliance Corporation – part-owned by former Labor ministers – proved unpopular both with critics and the Director of Public Prosecutions. As a consequence, Bryan began dabbling with blues material, with particular emphasis on prison songs. This was duly abandoned when two juries failed to reach a conclusion concerning the deals.
In 2008, greEno staged his second remarkable comeback when he joined surf band David Bartlett and the Line in the Sand. In 2010 they became part of the supergroup Uneasy Alliance. When lead singer Bartlett pulled out in 2011, Bryan became deputy to new front person Lara Giddings. At this point the combo dropped all their original material and reverted to a cover band, renaming themselves The Liberal Party Experience. They have only recently returned to trying new ideas.
Tensions built in Uneasy Alliance in February 2012, when greEno embarked on a solo tour of Asia promoting his album “Taking Tiger Economy (by Sycophancy)”. Duly, fellow band member Nick McKim also threatened to go solo. Surprisingly, greEno was supported on the tour by Will Hodgman from boyband Willi Vanilla (who was controversially disgraced when it was discovered he was miming to Eric Abetz).
Renowned for successful partnerships with such disparate artists as Devo, U2 and David (O’)Byrne, greEno threw himself into negotiations to broker a peace deal between green groups and the forestry industry: Governments and Organisations Debating Over Timber. The GODOT Agreement is expected any day now.
Bryan greEno is still hopeful of getting his pack of Oblique Strategies back from the board of Forestry Tasmania.
