Remembering the Red King

In alchemical ideology, the Red King represents the masculine – fire, the sun, sulfur. He is active and volatile. In his quest for a stabilizing, balancing energy he seeks the White Queen. She is represented by water, the moon, mercury, receptive and fixed. Together they unite in the chemical marriage, combining their energies to create something greater than the individual parts themselves. Sol and luna. Light and dark. The two polarities, dancing their eternal dance. Attraction and repulsion. Forever striving for balance amidst the chaos.

But this is not about alchemy. There is another Red King in modern times, a richly talented artist named Johann Bran Cleereman who called the Northwest home for many years.

Johann left this earthly realm this week, suddenly and unexpectedly, in an accident in Cambodia where he has lived for the last few years, making his delicious absinthe varietals under the moniker Syn Absinthe (that’s him at the end of the video). His passing has affected me more than I might have imagined. While I did not have the chance to know him well as a friend, I did have the opportunity to see his work and perform alongside him on a few occasions, and wanted to share my thoughts and remembrances of him. He touched me and so many others deeply, and changed me profoundly as an artist.

I first heard Johann’s music in 2007 when in search of accompaniment for my company The Cabiri‘s annual mythological dessert theater cabaret. Materia Prima is eight minutes and 19 seconds of hauntingly beautiful, darkly enchanting piano and synth that hypnotizes and weaves auditory mystery so adeptly. It was perfect for our work, and we continued to use Johann’s music in our shows for the next several years including our performances of Tales of 13 Witches in 2008 and 2014, in which his track Somniferum became the theme song for our light-walkers, the Benandanti, and the streghe they battled every show. Very few composers write the kind of music that resonates so beautifully with our work. I cannot express how deliciously macabre it is to dance to Johann’s music.

In 2009, Johann appeared as a special guest at the 10-year anniversary show for The Cabiri. We invited artists whose work was especially meaningful to collaborate with us in a large, free outdoor performance in Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park. Johann drove up from Portland and put together an elaborate, exquisitely-costumed and performed set to accompany our outdoor presentation of the Benandanti piece we so loved.

I remember the smell of his handmade leather accoutrements, his carefully prepared props, his exceptional compartment, his voice. He was fascinating, captivating, and centered, even among the chaos of a city park on a sunny spring day. Johann was unwavering in his commitment to character onstage. He was fearless and fully immersed, a psychopomp from the aether, just visiting to give us a glimpse into his beautiful darkness, draped in leather and smelling of earth, ash, and resin.

In autumn 2009, Johann invited me to perform in a show with him at the Columbia City Theatre in Seattle. I donned my fire fingers and favorite bellydance attire and dove into the sonic abyss with the Red King for an evening. In classic Johann form, he began the evening by distributing test tubes of his home made absinthe to the audience to set the mood. What followed was a cacophony of fire, smoke, sound, and performance that is nearly impossible to describe. Part ritual, part performance art, all darkly haunting, beautiful, powerful, and passionately given, like this 2011 performance at Black Circle Fest in Portland.

Johann, your impact on me as a performing artist and ritual theater practitioner was profound. As I step into the dimly lit theater at the end of this month to bring life to a myriad of characters including ghosts, a drowning soul, and a bloodthirsty countess at our 10th annual Halloween show For Life Eternal, I will be thinking of you. We are dedicating this show to you, a fitting tribute to an artist who inspired us so much. Whatever afterlife you have found yourself in, I hope you found your White Queen. And I hope there are green fairies and tropical paradises galore. You will live on in our hearts, spirits, and souls always. Audi ignis vocem!

Photos: Denny Trimble, Ian Lauder.