A Man with Everything Against Him

Patrick Miller, leader of underground ensemble Minimal Man, was born in Glendale, California, on 2 January 1952. He studied art at Sonoma State University, where he concentrated chiefly on silk-screening. In 1979 he moved to San Francisco & began working on experimental musick & film. Minimal Man began as a vehicle to produce soundtracks for his films. Miller also began to collaborate with a wide variety of punk, new wave & industrial musicians, including Tuxedomoon. By October Minimal Man was performing at the legendary Deaf Club & other venues around the city. As the musick blossomed, Miller became less interested in film & more interested in the music itself.

Minimal Man cut two albums of dark industrial punk rock (The Shroud Of… &  Safari ) while in San Francisco. The debut Minimal Man album The Shroud Of... was originally released by Berkeley label Subterranean Records in 1981, when the core band was a trio made up of: Miller – vocals, keyboards, & tape manipulation; Andrew Baumer – bass & saxophone & Lliam Hart (Pansy Division) - drums. Minimal Man became one of a select handful of influential groups from this era to bridge punk & industrial music. They mixed punk aggression with tape-loops & atmospheric electronics, creating a dissonant, unsettling sound described at the time as ‘antimusic’. Although usually classified as industrial punk, Minimal Mam’a musick contained elements of cold wave, art rock, post-punk, new wave, avant-garde, experimental electronics & noise.

Although the foundation of the band was Miller, Baumer, & Hart, Miller wanted the group to be more of a musical collective, so their debut record featured contributions from a myriad of artists: Hitoshi Sasaki; Stephen Wymore (Pink Section); Stefano Paolillo; Michael Belfer (Sleepers, Tuxedomoon); Steven Brown (Tuxedomoon); Michael Fox (Code of Honor) & Gary Miles. However, only their debut & Slave Lullabyes (featured here) would showcase such an array of collaborators.

Miller relocated to Europe in 1985 after the dismal response to the band here in America, settling in Brussels alongside fellow SF expats Tuxedomoon. While there, the band released four albums: Sex With God; Slave Lullabyes; Hunger is All She has Ever Known;  & Pure.

In the 1990's Miller returned to America, settling first in New York, then back to California, working as a set dresser in the movie business. He stayed in that line of work & never recorded any further music. He died at his home in Eagle Rock, California on 14th December 2003 from Hepatitis C.

 Minimal Man – Slave Lullayes, Fundamental SAVE 11, 1986. 

decryption code in comments

Side One –

Trains

Heaven Lies

Far Away

War at Nite

The Light

Noose Gets Tight

Side Two –

I Wish

Rue du Cinema

Voice of Vacaville

Fun!

Enjoy,

NØ