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OOOPS! Where were we? Soooooooo Sorry for the long time it’s taken us to get this website updated! There were many boring technical difficulties involved in re-invigorating this site, with webhosts and other arcane entities behaving in the most flighty manner. But also Kristian Hoffman felt little sense of urgency, because he really felt a time for the website to make a comeback full-force was when his new album “Fop” was completed.  Then when all was done, a label was secured: Kayo Stereophonic. Kayo wanted a lavish package, so Kristian set about designing a full color 28 age color booklet for the digipak cover. But Kayo’s release calendar imposed yet another pause before a window could be ascertained and a specific date for ‘Fop”’s release could be confirmed. But now “Fop” is ready in all its glory to be unveiled on September 28, 2010, and Kristian is planning a series of “Record Release Parties” to celebrate that. Already talk is underway with Joe McGinty, mastermind and musical director of NYC’s “Loser’s Lounge”, to engineer a fabulously “Fop-pish” evening in Manhattan in early October. Other release parties are being planned in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and possibly Austin. WHAT ELSE? Which is not to say Kristian has been idle in all this downtime. Far from it. Brookledge Follies! Through the somewhat divine intervention of Rob “Possum Dixon” Zabrecky , who, since becoming Silverlake’s lone post-punk breakout rock star, chucked all of that to become a headlining Magician at Los Angeles’ legendary Magic Castle, Kristian was invited to be the house pianist and musical director at the Brookledge Follies and Spooktacular which is a monthly extravaganza of fabulous dancing girls, comedy routines, world famous magicians, and outlandish musicians. Set in a magnificent Hancock Park-adjacent 20’s mansion, in an auditorium built in the 30’s specifically as an intimate setting for legends like Orson Welles to perfect their legerdermain, and run buy the three generation cabal of gorgeous blonde bombshells, the Larsens, this was a private club where the shows became so legendary and the artists performing there so stellar that they had to expand into a new space – the current Magic Castle in Hollywood. But the original auditorium went dark for many years, until Erika Larsen, along with Rob Zabrecky and film director Jeremy Kasten decided to start producing these NEW Follies on the Brookledge Stage. The Brookledge Follies seems to be the completely logical and even more extravagant successor to the New Wave Vaudeville Show in NYC where Kristian was also the musical director and where he met Klaus Nomi and Ann Magnuson. Once settled into Brookledge, Kristian quickly conscripted Ann, his dear friend Abby Travis, Prince Poppycock, True Blood’s Todd Lowe, and newfound collaborator Timur Bekbosunov to become part of the eccentric musical fabric of this crazed monthly variety act spectacular. So far the project is ongoing, and the shows ever more packed. Kristian, vamping on the parlour grand throughout the evening, provides the introductory theme music, incidental music, and accompaniment to Rob Zabrecky and other Magicians, and has also provided twinkle-fingered accompaniment for Liberty Larsen as she sang various 30’s classics, and Ian “You Turn me On “Whitcomb , as Ian ransacked his encyclopediac knowledge of turn-of-the-century ditties and dipsomaniac originals. Kristian also completed 3 videos to promote the upcoming album FOP, to be posted on the net as the release date nears. “Out of The Habit” was directed by Sandra Powers and stars Kristian's friend Timur as "Lust", “Hey Little Jesus” was directed by Steve Moramarco and stars Kristian's friend Prince Poppycock as Jesus(!), And “Ready or Not” was directed by Jeremy Kasten in the theater at Brookledge itself, and stars Rob Zabrecky as...well...Kristian! Prince Poppycock! During this time Kristian also began working on studio recordings with sudden and deserving "America's Got Talent" sensation, Prince Poppycock, giving some compositional input into Poppycock’s theme song “I Pop For Poppycock”; helping Poppycock record two Hoffman originals from the Mumps era “Fatal Charm” and “I Like To Be Clean”; and also helping to arrange and record a heretofore unrecorded Hoffman original, “Miracle”. The utterly fantabulous Poppycock has played “I Like To be Clean” and “Fatal Charm” to live audiences across the country, and debuted “Miracle” at Brookledge. Timur Bekbosunov Kristian was introduced to Timur at a Klaus Nomi tribute (where else?) and since then Kristian and Timur have quickly become fast friends and collaborators, even appearing in a very brief audition on “America’s Got Talent” (incredible coincidence that both opera singers Kristian is currently working with were on that bizarre show!) where Timur sang Kristian’s song “Total Eclipse” to the utter befuddlement of the panel of judges, with the exception of Sharon Osbourne who gave some encouragement. But Timur and his amazing backing band the Dime Museum were not fazed in the least, thinking of it more as a lark into America’s cookie-cutter corporate underbelly than a competition, and making fun of the experience in a rapturously received standing ovation performance of the same song and others in Timur’s catalog as part of the award winning ALOUD Series. The band quickly set about recording a full album of material to be called “Timur and the Dime Museum: The Collection" , with five Kristian Hoffman originals included in the roster. Timur covered two new Hoffman songs, “That’s Something New” and “Anarchy of Love”, as well as recording his interpretation of “Total Eclipse”, and a cover of “Lite of the World” from Hoffman’s solo CD "Earthquake Weather" , and “What I meant To Say”, from Hoffman’s earliest solo CD, “I Don’t Love My Guru Anymore”. ANDREW SANDOVAL Kristian also returned once more to Spain with his longtime friend, and fellow Luxuriamusic DJ and musical collaborator Andrew Sandoval (who plays and sings all over the “Fop” recordings) where their first tour in support of Andrew’s Hanky Panky release "The Best of Andrew", had been so successful three years earlier. Kristian provided a piano counterpoint to Andrew’s “Unplugged” acoustic guitar versions of his many lilting, emotive originals as they opened for the Honeybus' original member and cult figure in his own right Colin Hare in destinations like Bilbao, Zargosa and Madrid. Hanky Panky’s co-founder and host extraordinaire Ińaki Orbezua made Andrew, Kristian and Colin feel most at home as he shepherded them through the many delights that Spain had to offer (like 500 year-old fishing villages and other landmarks), and a rousing closing night party with an encore during which all the band members of both bands and the entire audience sang an energetic (and somehwhat drunken)version of the Honeybus classic“ I Can't Let Maggie Go”. Ths rousing capper had the audience handwaving and swooning. Even the fact that people are allowed to smoke indoors in that savage country, and that by the end of the evening the dance floor was a literal field of cigarette butts, could not contain the exultation. Andrew DJ’d a dance party afterward, playing scads of his favorite obscure sixties 45s that he'd brought from California, most with surprisingly hefty fuzzbass arrangements making the revelers jump and shout. These 45s (and perhaps some free Scotch) inspired Kristian, with typical gender-leaping aplomb, to somehow persuade every (VERY straight!) member of Colin’s band to "dance" with him (i.e.leap about abstractly, but intimately), although there were quite a few latenight blackmail pictures of Kristian writhing on the floor in positons that wouldn’t be called “dancing” in polite society, unless you were referring to some neanderthal snake-worship ritual. So all and all, between mastering, mixing and designing his latest album; forging new musical relationships with Timur, Prince Poppycock, Rob Zabrecky, Sandra Powers, Jeremy Kasten,Irene, Liberty, and Erika Larsen and the Magic Castle, making three music videos, doing sound design and program logos for two of Justin Tanner's plays -Voice Lessons", and "Procreation", continuing his weekly Luxurimusic Radio show "Pepperland Spicerack", and completing a fantastic tour with longtime friend Andrew, it's been a busy year! But the September 28 release of "FOP" promises to make Kristian even busier!  Happy New Year! Just a brief New Year's note to let everyone know that not only has Kristian completely finished recording his new 17 song album, "FOP" (it is in the final mixing stages, in the capable hands of long time Kristian Kollaborator, Earle Mankey) but he has also begun recording several songs for a yet-to-be-named project with gorgeous and gifted glorious songbird Debby Boone! 2009 promises to be a very MUSICAL year! WHAT'S HAPPENING? As you may have guessed, doing a Magnum Opus on the level of Kristian's new CD Album "Fop" is time comsuming and filled with unexpected delays. But things are still on track as recording continues, despite Kristian's many recent gigs with El Vez (Bloomington! Monterey! Seattle!), Abby Travis (Knoxville! Atlanta! L.A. Gay Pride!) and Steve Moramarco's ever luvin' Abe Lincoln Story (All over the Los Angeles Smog Basin: Live on KXLU, Spaceland, Downtown L.A. Artwalk, MR. T's Bowl!) and even La Diva Extraordinaire Ann Magnuson at the LACE Black Tie benefit (with the fantastic Phranc!) This week, Kristian will be recording the fantastically complex and imaginative string arrangements of Jeff Bruner, composer of many soundtracks and commercials, and not least importantly, a Santa Barbara High School Alumnus and former member of Grant Loud's amazing swing band Cocktail (along with Mumps' first guitarist, genius David Collert). Jeff has written arrangements for the re-imaginings of two Swinging Madison's favorite crowd pleasers: "Hey Little Jesus (Get Out Of That Hole) " a song which netted the Swinging Madisons TWO (count 'em) live appearances at CBGBs on the 700 Club as (and we proudly quote) "The Devil's Music", and "Mediocre Dream" - a song the title of which still rings painfully true after all these years. The arrangements will be performed by an all girl quartet led by the illustrious and redoubtable Emily Wright, and the contrabass will be bowed by Kristian's regular RAWK bass player, one Mr. William Bongiovanni, who has since become a member of the Pasadena Symphony! Kristian is also looking forward to vocal sessions with Andrew Sandoval, and a flute session with Candypant's own amazing Lisa Jenio. THE OFFICIAL KRISTIAN HOFFMAN WEBSITE CONTACT/MAILING LIST ISSUES FINALLY CORRECTED! If you care to check out Kristian's Mailing List Page, you will find that a criminal oversight has FINALLY been corrected! You will now be linked directly to Kristian's Official MySpace Page, where you can write directly to Kristian, and check on his most recent blogs, etc. Lengthy Diary entries will still be posted here on the Official Site, but brief observations of whim and fancy will most likely be posted on the MySpace page. You can also link directly from the MySpace pageto many of Kristian's friends, AND you can link directly to iTunes and CDBaby to buy ALL of Kristian's Music!!! Also, be sure to visit Mumps Official MySpace Page, where new pictures are constantly being posted, and news of future re-issues will be posted as it comes in, AND where you can link directly to iTunes or CDBaby to buy all of the Mumps' fantastic canon. KRISTIAN HOFFMAN RADIO INTERVIEW ARCHIVED AND AVAILABLE FOR LISTENING PLEASURE! On April 28, Queer Music Heritage expert broadcast an interview with Kristian from his home base of KPFT 90.1 FM in Houston Texas. I know, I know - who knew that the declared home state of the most evil man in the woprld would also be host to an archive of such, um... Liberal?...thenthibility! But J.D. Doyle is nothing if not an expert and a completist, so he not only hosted the most extensive (and well researched!) Kristian Hoffman radio interview ever, but he also archived it Here! - so you can revisit it at will, in audio or text format, and you can browse around his site and find interviews with all sorts of other fantastic notables, like Kristian's long time friend and inspiration Phranc Folksinger. ON THE RADIO FRONT - KRISTIAN APPROACHES THE TWO YEAR MARK AS A DJ ON LUXURIAMUSIC RADIO Kristian has been doing his show consisting mostly of lite psych, twee psych, orchestrated psych, nerd psych, corporate psych and peculiar psych circa 1966 - 72 for almost TWO YEARS now! It's called Pepperland Spicerack, and is broadcast (live!) weekly on streaming station LUXURIAMUSIC.COM every Sunday from noon until 2:00 P.M. PST, touring commitments allowing. You can check out Kristian's DJ profile here! Every week, you can hear Kristian fumble with mixers and faders and occasionally start playing the wrong side of scratchy 45s from his extensive if unkempt collection. This show allows kristian to indulge his fondness for groups like The Geranium Pond, the Blossom Toes, and the Almond Lettuce, to say nothing of the immortal Templeton Twins. "A day without the Templeton Twins is like chaparral without arson!" quoth KH - but he's really only joking, firebugs! Luxuriamusic boasts a wonderful array of record-obsessed DJs , several of whom are Kristian's close friends: Andrew Sandoval; Steve Stanley from The Now People; Howie Pyro from Kristian's CBGB mates The Blessed, and later Danzig and D-Generation - and so many more! The basic format on the default virtual jukebox is loungecore/novelty/tropicalia, but when a live DJ is playing you can expect to hear crazy music that will have you scratching your head and going "Whaaaaa" even as your mind leaves your body to float away on an aural bed of technicolor ether! So Listen up, kids! Keep up with all the Luxuriamusic news and special events on their Official MySpace Page! RECORDING CONTINUES APACE Kristian has been busy in the studio all through January and February. After doing the basic tracks for his new 17(!) song album, an opus to be called simply "FOP", at Earle Mankey's fantastic studio, he has moved into the Hollywood studio of long time musical cohort, pro-tools expert, current official Bangle and all around rock muse, Abby Travis, to track the scrillions of overdubs for what he proudly promises to be, in a jubilant tone that implies no irony or winking and nudging, "my most pompous bombastic overproduced record ever!" Abby is the engineer and magic worker, making everything happen with yet another of her shockingly proficient skills. Dave Bongionvanni has been a regular on white hot Glam Ronson-esque guitar stylings, and banjo! Other stellar studio guests so far have included the golden voiced and flaxen haired Kristi Callan, and the outstanding and lovely songwriter Carolyn Edwards on all sorts of crazy backing vocals, and session man and pop maestro extraordinaire Probyn Gregory on trumpet, trombone, French Horn and, er, banjo! Probyn is not only a current member of The Brian Wilson Band, the Wondermints, and The Now People, but also plays with all sorts of kooks from the Mello Cads to um....well, Kristian! A trip to NYC to have MAJOR orchestrations DRIPPING with pretension is in the planning stages, with logistical help already secured from the unbelievably gifted founder of the notorious Loser's Lounge, Joe McGinty, Kristian's recent cocktail hour guest in Los Angeles. BOOK AND MOVIE MADNESS Kristian is also extensively quoted in the new Velvet Hammer Burlesque hardvover volume, filled with scads of fantastic gorgeous pix of the VHB's most luscious ladies. Warning! Kristian had NEITHER photo approval NOR quote approval - the entire volume was all edited together by inscrutable publishers of German extraction. So although Kristian beams with pride at his long term association with this heady cultural institution, please don't blame him for the facts that: A. This book contains one of the most unflattering, dour and wrinkly pictures of Kristian EVER! And... B. The quotes were taken from Kristian's diaries, which had oodles of fabulously gossipy tell-all remarks about the VHB cast and crew. But the German editors saw fit to include at least one lengthy quotation that has absolutely NOTHING to do with VHB! Wah? Well, obviously - you're not supposed to actually READ this picture book! Just ogle and slaver as God intended! So please, order it today! CINEMATICALLY YOURS Also, Kristian's long-time classic composition, "Scarecrow", which is his fan-favorite duet with Rufus Wainwright, has been earmarked to be featured in the new coming-of-age movie "Tru Loved" by award winning director Stewart Wade. Further music is provided by pop maestro Rick Jensen of "Jensen Bell" who brought Kristian into the project, and wrote the catchy theme song for the film. NEW PICKS! Kristian has long been intimidated by his own inability to stem his own exhausting verbosity. Thus he has approached adding new "Picks" to his "Picks" page with trepidation - a spasm of listening pleasure suddenly feels like a deadline for a soul numbing term paper! So to save you the irksome skimming, and to save him the hunt and peck typing marathon, he's simply posting a slew of recent acquisitions that he loves - and hopes you will too! For your impulse shopping pleasure, Visit KH's Picks Page today! LASTLY: Just because this main website is NOT updated everyday, doesn't mean that there aren't crazy activities happening in Kristian's life! Think of this as Kristian's corporate headquarters, where everything will sooner or later be documented in the massive archives, and you can do your "Kristian based research" to your hearts content! But for daily injections of Kristiana Arcana, be sure to keep up with Kristian's regularly posted rants and raves, foibles and misadventures, and contact him personally on HIS Official MySpace Page.  He Knows If You've Been Bad or Good! Photo By Rocky Schenck "Sometimes we're slow" Department - we never posted it at the time, but in an interview with ReGen Magazine in November 2006, Kristian's long time collaborator Abby Travis sang Kristian's praises in no uncertain terms, and we've FINALLY put up a link to the article on the Press Page. So scroll on down, and read all about it! Speaking of reading all about it, you can enjoy the myriad comments and delightful controversy inspired by Kristian's many recent mini-blog entries (three this week!) on the Blog page of his Official MySpace Page. While you're there, you can enjoy a seasonal posting of the 4-track demo of his Xmas Perennial song "Christmas Time Is Coming (So Get Out Of The Way)". You can also simply visit our own vintage Official Kristian Hoffman Website Christmas Page (Circa 2004) with an EXTRA X-mas Travesty of a song by simply clicking Here! PLUS: See a fun EVEN EARLIER period Xmas Card from the Mumps, and several newly posted photos and flyers, plus new fan comments, on Mumps Official Myspace Page ! It's official! Kristian is in the studio recording his NEW solo CD! Four basic tracks for the EIGHTEEN TRACK CD have already been completed with Dan Joeright of the Rentals on drums, plus Kristian's stalwart Rock Gods, David and William Bongiovanni. This week Kristian goes back to Earle Mankey's fabulous studio to lay down six more tracks with regular rock God Drummer (and Non Credo auteur/artiste) Mr. Joseph Berardi. PLUS: Kristian's legendary CBGBs era punk pop band, MUMPS, are now official members of MYSPACE, with loads of photos, a bio, gaggles of new friends, easy access to various Mumps, and a super easy iTunes link to purchase individual songs! Please visit Mumps Official Myspace Page everyday! Or you can just press the iTunes button directly below, and go shopping now!  ..
 Kristian Hoffman downloads are easier to buy than ever, now that you can get them directly from his Kristian Hoffman Myspace Page. Buy some today!
 Klaus Nomi Tribute (Click for details) in Italy - you should all go! They're going to be showing The Nomi Song and having a big Klaus Nomi dance party afterwards, and there will be an exhhibit of Klaus-related memoriabilia. But the best part of it is that they made an open call for submissions by various artists and fans for covers and remixes of Klaus Nomi songs, which you won't actually have to travel to Italy to enjoy. The call has resulted in amazing stuff like this wildly original version of Kristian's seminal composition "Total Eclipse" that sounds like a DNA recombination of the genes of Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, and Nico, by Austrian aesthete and songster Christian Rainer! Just click on his name and listen. Nomi lives!
Also, check out the Los Angeles Times coverage of the Long Gone John going away party at Spaceland. Long Gone John, who championed the Mumps with the release of "How I Saved The World" on his wonderful label, Sympathy For The Record Industry, is moving to a wooded island somewhere in the Pacifc Northwest - so loads of his friends showed up and gave him a poignant but fun-tastic farewell. Kristian sang with Candypants and is quoted, ever so briefly, in the article.
ANCIENT HISTORY - BUT STILL FASCINATING? otherwise known as what's not new anymore |