Week Eleven: SOUND | Wicked Witch, George Brigman

In the unusually sweltering summer of 2011 in Boone, NC, I worked as a track attendant at Fun N’ Wheels, the High Country’s premiere tetanus-addled go-kart track and tourist trap that, judging by the plush Izzy doll in the claw machine, hadn’t been updated (or likely inspected) since 1996. The wages were low, the days were slow and I was way into it– a mostly pleasant haze of gasoline fumes and ennui. Shifts were mostly spent kicking back in one of the cars, eating gas station hot dogs and thumbing through something like a Camus novel between dozey bouts of navel-gazing as we awaited customers. I don’t recall much of the work-work, but did occasionally putter around the track to pass the time or feed rubber to a birthday party of youngins. Much to the dismay of the two frat brothers named Curtis that I worked with, I hardwired an aux cable to the loudspeaker in the pit, hoping to inoculate the track with a hand-selected soundtrack of appropriate deep cuts. These are a few of the scuzzy selections from those illusory, simpler summer days that I can hardly believe happened. Free form, leather clad cosmic funk from Wicked Witch (1985) and the lone, outsider bedroom ripper from 18-year-old George Brigman (1975). —DT

Wicked Witch – Wicked Witch (the whole album is amazing, but this mystery track at 41:40 particularly slaps)

George Brigman – t.s. This track deviates from the typical Brigman brown acid crunch, but I vibe with it.