Ed Zed got sick in the wrong country. Instead of convalescing in a taxpayer-funded universal system, the British expat had to endure the indignity of our red-taped patchwork of horseshit. Oh, sweet irony! And by endure I mean that he pretty much avoided it entirely, deciding instead to convalesce in the comfort of his own bed and prescribing his own home remedies, like beer, and more beer. You know what they say – cheap lager and some dance music a day keep the doctor away!
That’s when the fever dreams started, of course. Ed, delirious, found himself dressed in a white gown in a hospital bed somewhere in NYC. The walls began to close in around him, and his breathing became labored. His wife, Varrick, with whom he plays in electro-punk duo The Casual Sexists, was there, and she handed him his sunglasses with a sly grin. Ed affixed them to his face and magically beheld his gear: drums, synthesizers, laptop, all waiting for him. He smiled, energized, and he and Varrick began bouncing around the bed tossing pillows and sheets everywhere. A crazily claustrophobic electronic soundtrack, beats pulsing like EKG machines, fueled their revelry, and they glanced over at doppelgangers of themselves dressed as doctors, complete with oversized comedy stethoscopes and head mirrors, playing the instruments. The music was at once a reflection of Ed’s suffering as well as his remedy. He could feel it bolstering his immune system with each passing second.
Ed awoke in his own bed, feeling much better. Was it all a dream? In his hand was a fancy hand-made, self-released cassette in an edition of 20. Ed smiled. He’d never even taken off his shades.
More about: Shop-Soiled, The Casual Sexists
