Announcements
ALAN BISHOP and RICHARD BISHOP Present:
THE BROTHERS UNCONNECTED
A Tribute to SUN CITY GIRLS and CHARLES GOCHERBeginning in May 2008 the founding and surviving members of Sun City Girls, Alan Bishop and Richard Bishop, are embarking on a tour of the US and Canada called The Brothers Unconnected: A tribute to Sun City Girls and Charles Gocher.
The tour begins in Seattle on Sunday, May 18 at The Triple Door and will continue across North America through early July. With this tour, Alan and Rick make good on their solemn vow to publicly honor Charlie, his memory, and his immense talent. Sun City Girls will no longer exist as a recording or performing entity and this tour also serves as a tribute to the legacy of the group.
Most dates will feature an opening 40 minute film of Charles Gocher's video works entitled The Handsome Stranger, which is equal parts demented, brilliant, hilarious, and inventive. This will be followed by two acoustic sets of Alan and Rick playing selected songs from the impossibly voluminous catalog of Sun City Girls material created during their 27 year history together, including several tracks written by and/or originally performed by Gocher.
For the latest info about tour dates, visit SunCityGirls.com.
With deep regret, we must announce that Charles Gocher passed away on February 19th, 2007 in Seattle from a long battle with cancer at the age of 54. He is survived by the two of us who adopted him as a brother 25 years ago and his many friends around the world. He will be missed more than most could ever know. Our thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement during the past three, very difficult years. Many of you were not aware that Charles was ill and that's because he wanted it that way. Details of a memorial in his honor will be announced soon.
— Alan and Richard Bishop (Sun City Girls)
Our sincerest thanks for the many letters, messages, posts, and tributes all of you have sent to us this past week in support after the passing of Charlie. There were simply too many of them for us to even begin to respond to personally.
We have decided to hold a private memorial in Seattle for close friends only to celebrate his legacy. At a later date, when we can collect our thoughts to properly honor him, we will pay tribute to Charles at a public venue by screening films and displaying some of his drawings and photographs, and possibly perform some of his songs.
As many of you have suspected, Sun City Girls will no longer exist as a performing entity. Nor will any new recording projects be created utilizing the name Sun City Girls. There are many unreleased recordings and videos that will surface when time permits to release them.
— Alan and Richard Bishop (Sun City Girls)
Testament
Official Links
- Sun City Girls web site
- "Invisible Tempos of the Vanishing Assassin" by Alan Bishop
(Tribute article: Part 1 and Part 2)
Perfect Sound Forever, April/May, 2008 - Sir Richard Bishop web site
- Charlie's last gig, with Sun City Girls: Jan. 25, 2007, Club Transmediale Festival, Berlin
(See also Articles, below)
Semi-Official Links
- MySpace: Charles Gocher: Created by an old friend, and includes an art/photo slide show and more. "This website was created to honor my dearest friend and a friend to all. Any art/writings/stories originating from Charlie will be posted up and appreciated. I will be adding writings/poems from him soon as well. This is also a meeting place for like-minded people. Welcome."
Articles, Blog Posts, and Writings
- MySpace: Sun City Girls (unofficial but sanctioned)
(Includes tribute comments by visitors.) - fragments (blog), Climax Golden Twins, Feb. 20, 2007
"the handsome stranger" (photo) - Word of Mouth message board, Mimicry Records, Feb. 20, 2007
"Charles Gocher 1952-2007 RIP" by various posters - Lovely Water Parade, Feb. 20, 2007
"Charles Gocher, RIP" by Mark Sullo
(Includes original live photos.) - Oaxacan blog via MySpace, Feb. 21, 2007
"Charles Gocher, Jr. RIP" by Derek - Beware of the Blog, WFMU-FM (Jersey City, NJ), Feb. 21, 2007
"Charles Gocher of the Sun City Girls" by Brian Turner - Blastitude Dailies, Feb. 21, 2007
"Feb. 21, 2007 (Fourth Day of Verdun)"
(Scoll down from top to read.) - Mugu Brainpan, Feb. 21, 2007
"Good-bye, Charles. Blessed be." by Spencer Sundell - Line Out: The Stranger's Music Blog (Seattle), Feb. 21, 2007
"RIP, Charles Gocher of Sun City Girls" by Dave Segal
(Includes tribute comments by readers.) - Post No Bills (blog), Chicago Reader, Feb. 21, 2007
"Sun City Girls drummer Charles Gocher dead at 54" by Peter Margasak - Supereverywhere, Feb. 21, 2007
"R.I.P. Charles Gocher" by John Alderman - Obscure Sound, Feb. 21, 2007
"Charles Gocher: 1953-2007" by Mike Mineo - Tiny Mix Tapes, Feb. 21, 2007
"Sun City Girls Charles Gocher Passes Away at 54" by S. Kobak - Read Doug's Mind, Feb. 22, 2007
"In memoriam" by Doug Horne - The Stranger (Seattle), Feb. 27, 2007
"Bang the Drum, Holy" by Dave Segal - Mugu Brainpan, Mar. 2, 2007
"Farewell Sun City Girls, 1981-2007. 26 Years of X+Y=Fuck You." by Spencer Sundell - Seattle Times, Mar. 3, 2007
"Jester of jazz guerrilla theater will be missed" by Paul de Barros - fragments (blog), Climax Golden Twins, Mar. 3, 2007
"gocher looms large" (photo) - DISK/Club Transmediale web site, Berlin, Mar. 13, 2007
"In Memoriam: Sun City Girls' Charles Gocher"
(Includes links to German-language articles in Die Zeit and Die Tageszeitung.) - Perfect Sound Forever, April/May, 2008
"Invisible Tempos of the Vanishing Assassin" by Alan Bishop
(Tribute article: Part 1 and Part 2)
A/V Media Online
- Photos: Final gig by Charles, with Sun City Girls at Club Transmediale festival, Berlin, Jan. 25, 2007; by Marco Microbi Reckmann (Berlin).
(Protected under German and international copyright laws. Contact & clearances.) - Music: "Making Believe", from Famous Songs from Days-Gone-By by The New Session People (Amarillo, 1997)
- Music: "Parting the Sea of Tranquility", from Pint Sized Spartacus by Charles Gocher (Gravelvoice, 1997)
- Video: excerpt from Cloaven Theater (VHS, Sun City Girls, 1994/2004). Via YouTube.
- Video: Charlie performs a rendition of "I Protect You From Me" from Horse Cock Phepner by Sun City Girls (Placebo, 1987). Via YouTube.
- Video: Sun City Girls @ The Sun Club (from The Halcyon Days of Symmetry, VHS, Sun City Girls, 2004). Sun City Girls live at the infamous Sun Club in Tempe, AZ circa late 1980s. A portion of the song "Apna Desh" followed by a Gocher drum clinic. Via YouTube.
- Video: "Mama's Milk (too dry)" (acoustic version). Rare footage of Charles playing guitar. Recorded 1992. Via YouTube.
- Video: "Blue West Headquarters" (excerpt from Myths and Legends of the Blue West, VHS, Sun City Girls, 2004). Filmed at SCG headquarters by Hisham Mayet. Via YouTube.
- Radio: Charles Gocher Tribute program
What's This Called? hosted by Ricardo Wang; Feb. 24, 2007; KPSU (Portland, OR) - Radio: "Farewell to the Sun City Girls" (playlist)
Commercial Suicide; Sun. Mar. 4, 2007; KOOP (Austin, TX)
Archival
- Seattle Weekly, April 14, 2004
"Hiding in Plain Sight" by Mike McGonigal - Perfect Sound Forever, May 1999
"Laundry Is Such Bad Karma: Glimpes Into the World of the Sun City Girls" by Derek Monypeny