It's nearly an hour before midnight at R&R Grille in downtown Chapel Hill, NC., and Geough is looking nervous. It's the first real sultry night in May, and the air reeks with the shadow of the day's heat; but still, given this, Geough is sweating profusely. He keeps ordering these well drinks called "Leg Spreaders," and before each one he looks at me and raises it in a mock toast. "Leg Spreaders!" he says. The first time, I thought it was a joke, and I laughed politely, which only seemed to exacerbate his nervousness. It's starting to feel more and more like an unsettling ritual which I cannot understand. Geough keeps looking over his shoulder uncomfortably. He removes his wide-brim Atlanta Braves hat which he keeps insisting that he had signed by Tom Glavine. His hair is close-cropped, gelled, with peroxide tips. What I initially thought was a mild stutter is actually a persistent dry heave.
The subject is clearly uncomfortable with the proposed interview, or perhaps with his surroundings, and we begin the interview on this note:
Us Weekly: You were arrested in August of 2013, is that correct?
Geough: Yes, I was one of the accused in Google Blogspot's highly public suit against the former Buncombe County commune, Fran Francisco.
U.W.: This was the commune which began as an internet community of sorts?
Geough: You could say that. A few friends and I kept a semi-regular blog. It was a great impetus for doing a little writing in our spare time, plus it kept a bunch of us in touch with each other. We had a few disagreements with our hosts at Google: in July of that year we received a cease and desist letter about potential copyright infringement, etc. A few tut-tuts about some doctored nudies of Chris Christie. But we resolved those issues, and it seemed like the blog was going to be sustained indefinitely through our persistent, unhurried attentions.
U.W.: This was a loose organization of bloggers as late as July of 2013? But how could...
Geough: Various catalysts brought certain situations to a head that month, I don't think any of us could have accounted for all the variables. (Pause) Leg spreaders! (Pause) I had been having several conversations with contributors about the purpose of the blog, about the persistent anxiety that what you're doing might digress into a narcissistic stunt. Or that you might end up with a narcissistic stunt no matter your intentions. This was right before we heard about the Teen Choice Award nominations, and I think that really went to our heads a bit.
U.W.: ....
Geough: Then Pat released his monograph on Freikoerperkultur. Eric bought a new dog.
U.W.: A new dog?
Geough: Yeah, it was a Boston Terrier.
U.W.: I'm sorry, can I read you just a sample of the charges brought against you by Google Blogspot and the State of North Carolina?
Geough: It's not gonna be news to me man, but, like, do you, you know?
U.W.: Fifty-seven charges of indecent exposure. Conspiracy to grow and distribute cannabis. Tax evasion. Wire and mail fraud. Fraud and misrepresentation. Human trafficking and forced labor.
Geough: Yeah. It was a crazy month.
U.W.: You violated just over a quarter of the N.C. General Police Regulations on the books.
Geough: There aren't that many.
U.W.: Including pine-straw theft and illegal gambling on games of beach-bingo.
Geough: That charge was spurious. Can I go to the bathroom?
U.W.: ...
Geough left the premises without closing his tab, leaving me to pick up nearly $100 in Leg Spreaders. Two weeks later he sent me an incoherent apology letter on "recycled paper" (corrugated cardboard), and this mix.
Mix 4 (clicky):
- "The Moog and Me" - Dick Hyman, Moog: The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman, COMMAND, COMMAND (1969)
- "Lambaya Puf De" - Baris Manco, Ben Bilirim, YAVUS ASOCAL (1993)
- "Haircuts Now!" - Towne Dandies, My First Stampede, S/R (2013)
- "Freundschaft" - Plus Instruments, Februari - April '81, KREMLIN (1981)
- "A New Radiance Springing Forth From Inside the Light" - Haino/Ambarchi/O'Rourke, Now While It's Still Warm Let Us Pour In All The Mystery, BLACK TRUFFLE (2013)
- "End of Capstan Bars" - The Swifter, S/T, THE WORMHOLE (2012)
- "Little Molly's Dream" - Michael Chapman, Trainsong: Guitar Compositions 1967-2010, TOMPKINS SQUARE (2011)
