Buttfinger January 19, 2006
*Name: Buttfinger
*Are there any additional names used to describe this project: Tommy Buttfigga, b-figga, cuttfinger
*Do you use a pseudonym? Yes, Rev. Tommy Birdscheidt
*Members: it's just me, 1 lonely dude.
*Tape manipulations, digital deconstructions or turntable creations: All of the above, but if I have to pick one I'd say "turntable manipulations."
It started with a dual cassette deck my parents gave me as a gift. I begged for that tape deck because I wanted to make mix tapes using my existing cassettes for sharing with friends. It didn't take long for me to realize this cheap tape deck had a really precise pause edit button that allowed me to cut and paste beautifully. As a kid in the mid-1980's, I recorded lots of radio and TV fragments to cassette. I created lots of cut and paste tapes for my friends. One of my first successful pause-edit creations was a collage that consisted of buzzers and bells from an episode of the TV show The Family Feud. When I played the collage piece for my friends they loved it. I was inspired to continue.
As I got older I grew interested in breakdancing and rap culture. My dual cassette recorder had a built-in record player, so naturally I started teaching myself how to scratch. I was never any good at it, but when I started to get interested in Punk and DIY I realized being good was not necessary, so I just kept with it. This Cut-n-Scratch-n-Paste eventually got branded with the ridiculously juvenile name "Buttfinger" and it stuck.
Some of the more recent creations have been manipulated or refined digitally, but the Cut-n-Scratch-n-Paste sound is still in effect. Actually, it's not just sound-- there are now several videos. I have most of them collected on a self-released DVD-R.
*Is there a story behind your name? I wish I had a better story for you here, but the truth is I was sitting down at work one day eating a candy bar. I had a pair of scissors and some transparent tape. I was bored.
*Location: Most recently based in Richmond, Virginia, previously based in Farmville, Virginia.
*Original Location: I was born in Hopewell, Virginia. All of these places are in Central Virginia, in the Richmond area.
*What is your creative/artistic background: Other than what I've already described, I have worked with photocopy, photography, field recordings, digital art. I am part of the radio-based collective Broadcastatic and the sound recording and performance group Ting Ting Jahe.
*History: I began making my tape mix/collages around 1987.
*Born: Hopewell, VA, December 1969
*Motivations: I love to chop up media and I don't mind if I make a mess.
*Philosophy: Record. Cut. Scratch. Paste. Pause. Play. Repeat.
*How would you like to be remembered: "Tommy was a pretty nice guy" would be good enough for me.
*Web address: http://www.broadcastatic.org/buttfinger
