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Title: Tuli Kupferberg (1923–2010) Author: Anonymous Date: Winter 2010–2011 Language: en Topics: culture, music, obituary, poetry, subversion Source: Communicating Vessels, Issue 22, Fall-Winter, 2010–2011, page 16 Notes: Scanned from print original.
Tuli Kupferberg is gone. We always had an appreciation for his sense of
humor, as expressed in his band The Fugs and his cartoons. He died at
the age of 86 in Manhattan.
The Fugs exemplified a certain time and place. They formed in 1964, and
frequently played at Vietnam War protest rallies, and had a knack for
the “Theatre of the Absurd”. They never took themselves too seriously,
which allowed them to have a good time playing music.
Tuli’s comics were on the crude side of things — like the lyrics that
were written for various songs by The Fugs — in many ways. Even so, they
still make me laugh.
Tuli’s understanding of poetic forms and the structure of music was
impressive. Kupferberg drew on his Eastern European and Jewish family
background to aid his creativity. At various times he sent us his
parasongs. Here Kupferberg took old Jewish songs, made a parody of them
and kept the traditional melody. He also made parasongs of selective
contemporary tunes.
Tuli shared our love for Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat. He produced a
wonderful rendition of it in song form.
Along with occasional short notes, cartoons, parasongs and financial
contributions, Kupferberg also, at one point, sent us a copy of his book
entitled Teach Yourself Fucking. It is a collection of his cartoons.
With the book he included a note declaring that we could use anything he
sent our way. He didn’t want us to include his name as source credit
because he was “already listed as a subversive on too many government
lists”.
Kupferberg was one of the last bohemians, in the best sense of the term.
The life he lived was a reflection of his ideas. His spirit and sense of
humor and creativity will be missed.
So long, Tuli.
The following is Tuli’s poetic masterpiece, “Morning, Morning”. It is
from the second album of The Fugs. Put to music, this is one of the most
hauntingly magical songs I have ever listened to.
Morning morning
Feel so lonesome in the morning
Morning morning
Morning brings me grief
Sunshine sunshine
Sunshine laughs upon my face
& the glory of the growing
Puts me in my rotting place
Evening evening
Feel so lonesome in the evening
Evening evening
Evening brings me grief
Moonshine moonshine
Moonshine drugs the hills with grace
& the secret of the shining
Seeks to break my simple face
Nighttime nighttime
Kills the blood upon my cheek
Nighttime nighttime
Does not bring me to relief
Starshine starshine
Feel so loving in the starshine
Starshine starshine
Darling kiss me as I weep