SINCE UNSUNG
Since the inception of this blog I have received innumerable e-mails with specific questions about David Schoffman’s life. I must admit, I’m a bit envious of his allure.
Many of the inquiries are silly, like, “What does he look like in pajamas?” or “Is it true that his back is covered with pastures of white hair?” Some of the queries are beyond my area of expertise, like, “When is his birthday?” or “Does he use oil or acrylic gesso?”
But certain questions come up time and time again, so I’ll begin to address those that seem to be on many people’s minds.
Dahlia Danton from Los Angeles was apparently one of David’s students at UCLA. She wondered if there was any truth to the rumor that at one time David was a member of a punk rock band.
Well Dahlia, the real story goes as follows: In 1979 David lived in Dublin and dabbled in music, particularly drumming. He was particularly taken with the Takhas, a central Asia percussion instrument made from bamboo and llama hides and sounds like the dropping of cans. Through friends he met Kevin Daley, one of the original members of the Saucerspoons. (This was long before the ‘Spoons’ recorded their “Live in Bethlehem” album). One night in a pub in Doolin, Schoffman scrawled on a beer napkin the lyrics to “Tongued By Philomel,” which was recorded by the Saucerspoons in 1984. The Spoons performed it on “Vin Geller’s Top Pops,”and the song rose to number 38 on the Billboard charts.
He never wrote another song but of late he has been struggling on a contemporary rendering of Kol Nidre, the Jewish prayer for rain.
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