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Richard Barker 1961-1990 Requiem For A Lost Talent Reprinted from Common Ground Magazine An artist in the truest sense of the word, whether working as a writer, poet, painter, or musician, Barker approached each form with purity and an undaunted sense of conviction. Within the Lewistown area's underground art community Barker was legendary. Over the last decade his work and manner of presenting himself greatly influenced many artists and the people who follow them. Even those who did not find his style appealing could not deny that there was something special going on with this man and his art.  The Ron Bois marked the beginning of Barker's long collaboration with guitarist David Baron. Members of the Ron Bois could barely play their instruments, but they performed with such dynamic abandon that they made a lasting impression on all those in attendance. Over the next five years Barker formed various short lived bands that rarely made public appearances. The bands featured a variety of musicians, but an anchor of continuity was always maintained by the inclusion of Baron, who helped forge Barker's dramatic song writing style. Each of these bands contributed a few original tunes, which each successive band would reshape and evolve. Soon Barker had collected a large repertoire of music and it seemed as if every young musician had a hand in writing one or two of the compositions. It wasn't until 1987 that Barker truly hit his musical stride. At that time, he and Baron joined with Ronnie Aurand, Rick Dumm, and Brad McCaffery to form The Sex Kings From Outer Space. The Sex Kings injected a dangerously gleeful barrage of raw energy into the local music scene. Their first performance was at Shirley's Bar in Lewistown. The stage was lit by two tiny red floodlights, and the band played through a small antiquated public address system, but the explosive energy on stage threw the audience into a near riotous frenzy. Barker's goal was not to present predictable, generic entertainment. With each performance he attempted to shake people up, to attack the placid status quo of pop music, and to recapture primal energies that had been the origin of rock music. While much of pop music tends to reflect teeny bopper cuteness, or the hollow sentiments of yuppie romanticism, Barker's songwriting expressed the desires, frustrations, and angers of teen angst and innocence lost. Often the music was symbolically rebellious, or crossed the line to be downright offensive. But it always maintained a bare emotional honesty. The Sex Kings lasted only one year, but in that time definitely made their mark on the local music scene. |
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Perhaps Barker's most memorable moment as a musician
came in 1989 with a band called Otis Vanilla and Sex
Machine. (The name is an allusion to white soul via Otis
Redding, as well as a tribute to Barker's estranged father
whose name was Otis.) With Sex Machine, Barker and Baron
complemented their styles with the atmospheric dissonance
of guitarist Chuck Smith, and the aggressive Mertz/Whiteman
bass and drum team which once fueled the local band Friction. With this line up Baron's guitar playing reached its pinnacle, and Barker was at the height of his confidence. Sex Machine made the most of Barker's collection of songs, structuring them concisely and focusing the song's inherent energy. Although performing with a high level of intensity, Sex Machine controlled the energy, enabling the band to harness the musical peaks and valleys, and lend Barker's music a greater emotional depth. |
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I recently refreshed my memory by watching a videotape of Sex Machine's
last performance, which took place at Lewistown's Chestnut Street Hotel.
The show began with a frenetic instrumental titled 'Foreplay.' As the song
came to an end, Barker swaggered onto the stage and spray painted the word 'sex'
on the wall behind the band in giant orange letters. From there the band
broke into a night of bluesy punk and powerful funk. Throughout the evening Barker taunted the audience, trying to draw them into the performance. For the show's conclusion the band played a cover tune called 'Pigs In Zen.' During the song Barker rolled and crawled over the floor while the crowd pelted him with beer cans and trash. The guitarists staggered about as if in a daze, and the drummer slowly bashed his equipment into the ground. For an encore, and the last song Sex Machine would ever play, they presented an unrehearsed and twisted version of the classic rock cliche 'Louie Louie.' The song ended with an impromptu rise in tempo which evolved into frantic thrash metal. It seemed a fitting end for the band, because turning traditional elements of rock and roll into something new was one of the hallmarks of their style. What most impressed me about Barker was his emotional intensity. Within his abstract paintings he could explain what every patch of color and textured streak represented. His poetry openly bared his innermost secrets. His lyrical insights into human nature often rang frightenly true. In the his year Barker had become involved in other projects. He made his acting debut in an experimental student film titled 'White Noise.' There was talk of a recording project, and plans to do a poetry reading at Penn State University. His artistic development was progressive. In many ways he was only beginning to gain control of his talents. His lyrics and poetry were maturing rapidly often reflecting a search for spiritual meaning. It is unfortunate that very little of his music or past work has been preserved, but it is most unfortunate that the future potential of such a talented artist will never be revealed.
Click below to see a video of Rick performing with his band Otis Vanilla & Sex Machine To see a video of a documentary about Rick titled Heart Beats Fire click below  To purchase a DVD of "Heart Beats Fire" click here Click here to return |