Gong Dreaming: From Soft Machine To The Birth Of Gong
by Daevid Allen

One-of-a-kind recollections

Part One of Daevid Allen’s idiosyncratic autobiography, originally published on a subscription-only basis by the Gong Appreciation Society, sold�out promptly and has been unavailable ever since. Now, with interest in Gong regenerated by their recent convention at Amsterdam’s Melkweg, and with Allen’s founder membership of Soft Machine examined by Graham Bennett in the authoritative work on the band, Out-Bloody-Rageous, these memoirs can no enjoy mainstream publication at last.

Gong are an individualistic collation of characters and influences, chemicals and events. Presented in what can only be described as a collage of photographs, symbols, articles, poems and side-notes, it’s like an issue of International Times crossed with an intimate diary. Allen’s recollections of literary figures such as William Burroughs and Robert Graves are mixed with his association with Hendrix, his bitter departure from Soft Machine and the convoluted creation of Gong. Disjointed and devoid of any semblance of standard autobiography, it’s not an easy read, but it’s entertaining and informative, though best nibbled in small chunks.

If you want to get all the facts and figures on Soft Machine, Bennett is your man. But if you want some insight into one of the creative brains behind them, then Allen’s work is a frustrating, yet rewarding, view of the times.

ISBN 0946719829

Reviewed by Ian Abrahams
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