The music exists to preserve the memory of P. Noklooianioo.
Some call him a pirate; some, a mystic. Some say he was a monk; others,
a necromancer. Details are sketchy, but it's probably best to think of
him (or her) as a human who sought the truth and played a mean
balalaika*.
Allegedly born in Asia during the 19th century, in a place about half
way between Moscow and Peking, he yearned for the sea and made his way
to the coast where he became a merchant seaman and sailed around the
world soaking up as much learning as he could.
The story, that he fathered five sons, one on each of the continents
plus one in Australia, and seven daughters, one on each of the seven
seas, is surely mere romantic conjecture. Given the significance of
twelve it is easy to see why this story has become so popular.
The idea that he studied with shamans (or is it shamen) from all the
'primitive' tribes of the world is also pure speculation.
What I do know about Noklooianioo is his beliefs.
He believed that ignorance is a sin and it is the duty of every man,
woman and child to seek the truth. He believed that the truth is
knowable and is often expressed secretly. A rough translation would be
something like:
.."Even the most false fabric cannot conceal
The Truths, its waft and weft reveal."
He believed that truth has to be discovered for oneself and that nobody
can do it for you (..and you'll have to take his word for that!).
Luckily we have our heart and our gut; two organs in the
body that can help the seeker discern the difference between truth and
falsehood.
Whether he was a monk or mystic, as a consequence of his ideas about
truth, Noklooianioo rejected any following, seeing it as a sign of
submission. He believed submission to the 'unity of existence' was the
only thing worth submitting to and that one should definitely, on no
account, ever submit to one's own madness.
He did, however, draw music down from the ether with a small band of
like minded people. Noklooianioo described the process as being like
'fishing, although I always put them back'.
His esoteric jam sessions attracted some controversy. It has been
suggested that the bizarre nature of the sounds he produced was the
result of his channeling the spirit of a long dead Chinese
monk-musician, Yeu Zho, who by all accounts was an awful player. Others
have claimed that Noklooianioo was actually channeling music from the
future that the world was as yet unready to embrace.
I hope to add some of my own music inspired by this remarkable man's
beliefs in the near future, pending some additions from my
Noklooianooian drum associate.
*perhaps it wasn't a balalaika; history doesn't record exactly what
instrument he played or whether his musical stylings were instrumental
or vocal.
..
