It’s been a few years since I last wrote an update on the many influences of Eden Ahbez in contemporary pop culture and since that time a number of new projects and mentions of the composer have emerged. The first of these is a full-blown ode by former Wall of Voodoo frontman Stan Ridgeway (as…
Follow the progress of the Eden Ahbez documentary, As the Wind, with this behind the scenes series. Part one of three is linked here: Vimeo link:
“Divine Melody” is a recording that Ahbez made in 1971 and had released on Elefunt Records (backed with the song “Richard Milhous”). Then, in 1982, Elefunt re-released it as a flexi-disc. Dave De La Vega, the engineer of the record (and label owner of the indie Elefunt) recently came across a small stash of them and…
Erik Davis, author of the book Techgnosis: Magic, Myth, and Mysticism in the Age of Information, recently interviewed yours truly (Brian Chidester) for the Progressive Radio Network about the making of the new Eden Ahbez compilation, Wild Boy, on Bear Family Records. The show is called Expanding Mind and the episode (from December 8, 2016)…
The last time I spoke to author Gordon Kennedy, his book Children of the Sun was out of print. To date, it remains the authoritative text on the California Nature Boys and the transference of alternative culture from Germany to the deserts and shores of California during the early 20th century. Recently, Kennedy’s book was reissued.…
Following the recent use of Eden Ahbez’s “Full Moon” in the FX series Fargo, there has been a wave of interest in the song and the album it originally came from: Eden’s Island. Of special interest for us here are the new covers of “Full Moon” on YouTube. The first I noticed was a straight poetry…
If you’ve bid recently at eBay on an original 1960 Del-Fi pressing of Eden’s Island, then you probably noticed its final price-tag hovering right around two-hundred bucks. And if that’s too rich for your blood, then here’s some good news: Captain High Records just reissued it to 180 gram vinyl. One of the nice things about this…
At this point, it is difficult to say when the well will run dry. Every month, it seems, I come across another Eden Ahbez record, lead-sheet, or reel-to-reel tape that nearly slipped through the cracks of time. “Song of the Stranger,” by Kuldip Singh, is the latest though doubtful the last. It was released as the…
It’s been a little dry for news around here lately… So I am happy to announce a new book—titled Bohemian Highways: Art & Culture Abide Then Divide Along the California Coast (Guardian Stewardship Editions)—which features a 20-page chapter penned yours truly (Brian Chidester) on Eden Ahbez’s lost sheet music. The book will be available through…
It’s been a few months since poet Rod McKuen (1933-2015) passed away and it seems only fitting that the Eden’s Island Blog pay tribute to his influence on the world of spoken word recordings, of which Eden Ahbez also partook. A few days ago, I typed in a search box the words “rod mckuen” and “eden ahbez,” and…
EDEN’S ISLAND 