Devil Doll

THIS IS A SITE RUN BY A DEVOTED DEVIL DOLL FAN AND IS IN NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM RELATED TO MR. DOCTOR OR WILLIAM TIMMER.
1987
MARCH: The sect of the Devil Doll begins first rehearsals under the guidance of Mr. Doctor. Some of the members are recruited through an advertisement with the heading: A MAN IS THE LESS LIKELY TO BECOME GREAT THE MORE HE IS DOMINATED BY REASON: FEW CAN ACHIEVE GREATNESS -AND NONE IN ART-IF THEY ARE NOT DOMINATED BY ILLUSION.
APRIL-JUNE: Originally two different line-ups operate under the name Devil Doll. One in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia), the other in Venice, Italy. JULY-DECEMBER: Mr. Doctor introduces in the live set a lengthy composition titled THE MARK OF THE BEAST. Devil Doll enter Tivoli Studios in Ljubljana to record it: the young sound engineer Jurij Toni, whose work for Laibach had gained a certain reputation, sits behind the mixing desk in one of the recording sessions. Instantly shocked by Mr. Doctor's creation ("a full immersion into the labyrinth of the mind", be will describe it) Jurij Toni will work with Devil Doll in the following 10 years.
1988
FEBRUARY: One copy of THE MARK OF THE BEAST is pressed and housed in a cover hand painted by Mr. Doctor. The record has never been repressed. MARCH-JULY:Rehearsals begin for a new Devil Doll project called THE GIRL WHO WAS... DEATH, inspired by Patrick McGoohan's esoteric British Television series "The Prisoner".
SEPTEMBER: The Ljubljana section of Devil Doll (with some help from the Venice section) enter Tivoli Studios to record their first official album.
NOVEMBER: Hurdy Gurdy Records is created in Venice by early fans. Name of the company and logo are chosen by Mr. Doctor Himself. Mr. Doctor requires that 10 copies of every Devil Doll album must be pressed in a special velvet box with hand made inserts. This edition - exclusive to group members- will be repeated for every subsequent Devil Doll release. DECEMBER 22nd: First live performance of THE GIRL WHO WAS... DEATH takes place at the KUD FRANCE PREEREN Theatre in Ljubljana. Cassette tapes of the album are distributed to the audience.
1989
MARCH 4th: 500 copies of THE GIRL WHO WAS... DEATH are pressed: Devil Doll gives second live performance of the album. At the show 150 copies of THE GIRL WHO WAS... DEATH LP are distributed throughout the ~ audience. Every copy has a different insert prepared by Mr. Doctor, some written with His own blood. The remaining 350 copies are taken by Mr. Doctor and destroyed. The record will be re-issued 5 years later by the Devil Doll fan Club: only the surviving 150 copies contain both the Intro and Outro segments of the original recording (the Intro being Devil Doll's version of the Prisoner Theme, the Outro an orchestral piece accompanied by Mr. Doctor's dosing narrative).
APRIL-JULY: Rehearsals and live debut of what seems to be the next Devil Doll album, tentatively titled THE BLACK HOLES OF THE MIND, a 45 minute Mr. Doctor composition incorporating esoteric quotations and subliminal messages.
AUGUST 18th: Mr. Doctor, accompanied by members of Devil Doll, performs his own interpretations of ~ 4 compositions by German expressionist composer Hanns Eisler. The show takes place at the Koala Restauracija in front of an astonished audience: it is recorded by Jurij Toni and scheduled for release on vinyl as MR. DOCTOR SINGS HANNS EISLER. Only test pressings emerge: the record is never released.
SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER: Rehearsals and first live performance of a 60 minute Mr, Doctor composition entitled ELIOGABALUS, inspired by an Antonin Artaud work. A group of nine Devil Doll fans form the Devil Doll Fan Club in Ljubljana.
DECEMBER: Devil Doll enter Tivoli Studios with Jurij Toni to record new album. Hurdy Gurdy's budget limitations force Mr. Doctor to edit THE BLACK HOLES OF THE MIND (subsequently retitled MR. DOCTOR) and ELIOGABALUS in order to include both compositions on a single vinyl release. Only the Venice section -augmented by Bor Zuljan's guitar on Mr. Doctor- is used.
1990
FEBRUARY/MARCH: a first pressing of ELIOGABALUS is rejected by Mr. Doctor who requires slight remixes and remastering. Test pressings of the rejected pressing circulate among fans.
MAY: First vinyl pressing of ELIOGABALUS with special die-cut "theatre" cover in an edition of 50 numbered copies. Pictured in the stalls of the theatre are some of the declared influences and inspirations of Mr. Doctor. JULY: Hurdy Gurdy reissues ELIOGABALUS on vinyl using the same artwork, but without original die-cut cover and insert. Simultaneously the Devil Doll Fan Club releases its own alternative vinyl pressing in an edition of 900 copies with a completely different gatefold cover. SEPTEMBER: ELIOGABALUS is issued in CD format by Hurdy Gurdy. The Devil Doll Fan Club simultaneously releases its own CD pressing in an edition of 900 copies with a different booklet.
1991
JANUARY-MAY: The political tension rapidly mounts to uncontrollable levels in Yugoslavia. Slovenia is invaded by Belgrade troops. The headquarters for the Devil Doll Fan Club are moved to Venice, Italy. Francesco Carta, who had previously worked in the HANNS EISLER withdrawn album, is chosen by Mr. Doctor as Devil Doll's new piano player. JUNE-NOVEMBER: Three live performances by Devil Doll introduce excerpts from the forthcoming album SACRILEGIUM. Following independence of Slovenia, Mr. Doctor joins the two Devil Doll musical groups into one. The line-up is comprised of Sasha Olenjuk (violin), Bor Zuljan (guitar), Davor Klaric (keyboards), Roberto Dani (drums) and Francesco Carta (piano).
DECEMBER: Devil Doll enter Tivoli Studios to record SACRILEGIUM: for the first time Jurij Toni is credited also as co-producer. By the end of the year members of the Devil Doll Fan Club number over 1.000 from 17 countries.
1992
MARCH 4th: Devil Doll perform SACRILEGIUM at the Trnovo Church in Ljubljana. The concert incorporates segments of the film THE SACRILEGE OF FATAL ARMS, written and directed by Mr. Doctor.
MARCH 8th: Excerpts from the performance are broadcast by Slovene National Television, along with a heavily censored introduction by Mr. Doctor. Following the censorship Mr. Doctor will refuse to be interviewed ever since.
,br MAY: Release of SACRILEGIUM by Hurdy Gurdy, CD format only. The Devil Doll Fan Club releases a vinyl edition of 900 numbered copies featuring a gatefold cover designed by Mr. Doctor and Adriana Marac.
JUNE-DECEMBER: Mr. Doctor continues work on THE SACRILEGE OF FATAL ARMS film. First screening takes place on New Year's Eve in Ljubljana to a selected audience.
1993
JANUARY: Fan Club only release of soundtrack for THE SACRILEGE OF FATAL ARMS, over 70 minutes in Iength, CD format only, produced in an edition of 900 copies, sold in 72 hours. A double LP pressing announced, but never released, even if some test pressing in proof sleeve exist.
MARCH: Roberto Dani quits Devil Doll. The most talented Slovenian drummer, the young Roman Ratej, joins.
MAY: Devil Doll Fan CIub reissues THE GIRL WHO WAS.... DEATH on vinyl. Mr. Doctor gives permission only to a limited repressing of 500 copies with original gatefold cover, but omitting original Intro and Outro. Devil Doll rehearse a new composition from Mr. Doctor tentatively entitled THE DAY OF WRATH - DIES IRAE. JULY: Devil Doll enter Tivoli Studios in Ljubljana to record new album. Major fire breaks out in the studio as Mr. Doctor and Jurij Toni are mixing the album; both are able to escape (Mr. Doctor unharmed, while Jurij Toni enters hospital for several days). The studio is completely destroyed: all tapes perish in the fire. Police investigations are unable to confirm or deny suspicions of terrorist action as cause.
AUGUST-NOVEMBER: Rumours of Devil Doll splitting are not confirmed, nor denied. After the Tivoli Studios fire Mr. Doctor refuses even to talk about a re-recording. DECEMBER: Devil Doll Fan Club in conjunction with Hurdy Gurdy release THE GIRL WHO WAS... DEATH in CD format for the first time. The original Intro is included (the Outro is again missing). The final epitaph on the "cursed album" DIES IRAE seems to be written as Mr. Doctor asks Hurdy Gurdy to release for the musicians involved, 20 copies of a luxurious book with all the sheet music and a cassette tape with the music -mostly yet unmixed and without vocals- recorded a few days before the fire on a DAT cassette. The pressing bears an official Hurdy Gurdy Records Catalogue Number (HG-9).
1994
JANUARY: After many months without any contact with the outer world Mr. Doctor accepts to keep a University Course organised through the Slovenian Film Museum. For over two years His improvised speeches and performances -advertised as RETROVIZOR- take place every thursday in the Slovenian Film Museum and/or National Cinematheque greeted by ecstatic response by audiences. At the same time Mr. Doctor accept to write some enlightening critical essays for the film magazine Ekran.
JUNE-JULY: Devil Doll make several live appearances (unannounced) for the first time in over a year. DIES IRAE is performed by the group and it is greeted by enthusiastic reviews. A new Mr. Doctor's lengthy composition, THE CARNIVAL OF SOULS (still unreleased), is also performed.
AUGUST: Agreement is reached between Devil Doll/Hurdy Gurdy and Renaissance Records to provide for the US. CD release of all four Devil Doll albums. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER: Mr. Doctor finally agrees to re-record DIES IRAE. Rehearsals and some recordings take place in various studios in Ljubljana. DECEMBER: The church organ parts are recorded by Michel Fantini Jesurum on the massive organ of the Monte Berico Basilica, near Vicenza, Italy. 1995
JANUARY: Akademik Studios are chosen and re-recordings of DIES IRAE officially start. The line-up -Mr. Doctor (v), Francesco Carta (piano), Sasha Olenjuk (violin), Roman Ratey (drums), Bor Zuljan (guitar), Davor Klaric (keyboards) and Jan Hace (bass) - is augmented by the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra whose leader and first violin is Sasha Olenjuk.
MARCH: Mr. Doctor hears the Croatian soprano Norina Radovan and ask her to record with Devil Doll.. An unforgettable duet take place a few days later at the Tivoli Studios. APRIL: Recording of INCUBUS, a nightmarish insert in the middle of DIES IRAE takes place. Mr. Doctor decides to record also a second INCUBUS He created choosing which one to include only at the last moment. This is the reason why the lyrics to this section are not included in the CD booklet or in the long playing cover.
MAY-JULY: Mixing of DIES IRAE.
AUGUST: Mr. Doctor is still unhappy with the sound of the "Grand Finale" and requires further orchestral recordings: He writes a great new guitar solo for Bor Zuljan and asks also Norina Radovan to re-enter the studio to record the newly written vocal line that doses the album. On September 10th mixing is completed.
SEPTEMBER 2Oth: Preview of DIES IRAE for a selected audience of fans, journalists and musicians. Mr. Doctor is present only "spiritually". OCTOBER-DECEMBER: Devil Doll record THE DAY OF WRATH, soundtrack to Mr. Doctor's second experimental movie.
1996
JANUARY: Recording of THE DAY OF WRATH is completed.
FEBRUARY: DIES IRAE released in CD format by Hurdy Gurdy Records. The Devil Doll Fan Club releases 350 copies in vinyl (gatefold cover and 180 grams highest quality vinyl), while Mr. Doctor requires 25 copies in a special gimmix cover.
MARCH: Mixing and filming of THE DAY OF WRATH is completed.
MAY 22nd: Unannounced premiere of THE DAY OF WRATH movie in Ljubljana to a selected audience.
SEPTEMBER: Mr. Doctor writes with Francesco Carta an orchestral score to Jean Epstein's 1928 silent masterpiece THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER. The score is yet unreleased on record.
OCTOBER-DECEMBER: Mr. Doctor and Francesco Carta create the Devil Doll Chamber Orchestra to perform THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER soundtrack: the ensemble includes piano, string quartet and percussions. 1997
JANUARY: The Devil Doll Fan CIub obtains permission by Mr. Doctor to release on THE DAY OF WRATH soundtrack on CD in a special package to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Devil Doll. The record is scheduled for autumn '97 release. FEBRUARY-MAY: Mr. Doctor is asked to write a book on Bernard Herrmann, whose George Harvey Bone alter-ego had been the main inspiration behind DIES IRAE and THE DAY OF WRATH. He accepts. The book -that analyses in detail all Herrmann's workk and sees also the collaboration of Devil Doll's Francesco Carta - is completed in may and it will be published in june by the Slovenian Cinematheque in conjunction with the Slovenian Ministry of Culture.
2004
MAY-JULY: W.Timmer from www.devildoll.nl starts a mailing action for fans to write a letter to Mr.Doctor asking for permission to release a new Devil Doll album. From all over the world people respond. All the letters were bond to a book and with a leather cover. The book contains 1266 pages. The Devil Doll Fan Club/Hurdy Gurdy helped and brought the book to the press/printer, all was done in a good collaboration between them and W.Timmer. The book is entiteld: "A Thousand Letters to Mr.Doctor".
2005
February:Mr.Doctor gives a first response to the book and sends W.Timmer from www.devildoll.nl a gift.