Rock band Negativland give away ashes of founding member Don Joyce with new album

As if 2016 couldn't get any weirder, a rock band are giving away the ashes of their deceased founding member along with their new album. 

That's right - when you buy The Chopping Channel by experimental band Negativland, it'll come with a plastic bag containing two grams of the cremated remains of founder member Don Joyce, who died last year.

In a message on Boing Boing, they said: "In keeping with the album’s theme, and while supplies last, each mail order copy of this new project comes with two very unique extra items: two grams of the actual cremains, or ashes, of deceased Negativland member Don Joyce, and one of Don’s handmade audio tape loop 'carts' used in the creation of Over The Edge and Negativland live performances between 1981 and 2015."

The surviving band members insist "this is not a hoax" and have "decided to take the Chopping Channel concept to its logical conclusion by 'productizing' an actual band member." Yeesh. 

"It is also a celebration of the degree to which no idea in art was ever off-limits to Don," They added, "and offers a literal piece of him, and of his audio art, for the listener to re-purpose and re-use. We are pretty sure he would have wanted it this way."

San Francisco band Negativland was founded in the late 1970s and The Chopping Channel marks their 14th studio album. In 1991 they were sued by U2 for their EP, also called U2, for its misleading artwork and unauthorised sampling. Rock and roll!  

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Article Image: Negativland