Philemon Arthur And The Dung

Philemon Arthur and the Dung is a progg group from Scania, Sweden. The band consists of two unidentified males known by the pseudonyms "Philemon Arthur" and "The Dung"; the band members' identities and whereabouts are known only by a select few representatives of their record label, Silence. Shrouded in mystery, the group elected to remain anonymous to avoid affecting the residents of their small town. Ever since the group attained cult status in part due to their unique brand of homegrown, low fidelity music, there have been numerous unconfirmed hypotheses regarding their identities. "Philemon Arthur" and "The Dung", next-door neighbors, first began playing music together in 1962. At this time, they were known as The Popbeams, "Philemon Arthur" would play an accordion, or an old guitar he had borrowed but never returned, while "The Dung" would accompany him on a custom-built drum kit composed of household items. Eventually, the group came to be known as "The Dung"; during a jam session in 1968, the two began singing the impromptu "Philemon Arthur", and decided to combine the two names together. All of their music was recorded between 1968 and 1972, on two different lo-fi tape recorders owned by "Philemon Arthur", who is credited with writing all of their released songs. The primarily guitar- and accordion-oriented songs were typically accompanied by percussion performed on all manner of household items, such as pots, pans, cookie jars, and a radiator. Lead vocals were performed both by "Philemon Arthur" and "The Dung". At the end of the 1960s, they sent a tape of their recordings to, among others, the radio program Bandet går (a Swedish term for "recording in progress"), which gained them some exposure, and caught the attention of the record label Silence, who signed them to a contract. In 1971, they recorded and released the self-titled debut album Philemon Arthur And The Dung on Silence. Despite not being a sales success (apart from already convinced fans), the album went on to win the award for "Best Group Production" at the 1972 Grammis Awards, the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards; this unprecedented turn of events caused a momentary collapse in the established music industry of Sweden, in effect causing the Grammis Awards to be put on indefinite hiatus. Fifteen years later, in a strange coincidence with the resurgence of the Grammis Awards in 1987, Silence released Skisser över 1914 års badmössor (Sketches of the Showercaps of 1914), a cassette tape containing 24 songs recorded in 1972. Philemon Arthur and the Dung had previously expressed dislike towards the relatively high sound quality of their first album, and went so far as to claim to have lost the feel and sound of what they were trying to accomplish; as a result, the songs on this tape were recorded using another sound system set-up, featuring what they called "real Philemon distortion". At the time of its release, they claimed to not having played together for many years. The cassette tape was released sealed inside a tin can which required the usage of a can opener to open. In 1991, Philemon Arthur and the Dung forwarded a demo tape by bob hund, fans of the group, to their record label, resulting in a recording contract for the band. In 1992, Silence released Musikens Historia Del 1 och 2 (The History of Music, Parts 1 and 2), a compilation consisting of the entirety of Philemon Arthur and the Dung, and select songs from Skisser över 1914 års badmössor. On the back of the CD cover was provided an alternate track listing, the purpose of which remains unknown. In 2002, Silence released Får jag spy i ditt paraply? (May I Vomit in Your Umbrella?), advertised as "The Very Pest Of" Philemon Arthur and the Dung. The album consisted of previously unreleased songs, along with the songs from Skisser över 1914 års badmössor which were not included on Musikens historia del 1 och 2. In 2010, the documentary Orkestern uten ansikte (The Orchestra Without a Face) premiered; originally, the film's purpose was to ascertain the identities and whereabouts of Philemon Arthur and the Dung; however, out of respect for the artists' wish to remain anonymous, the film's focus shifted to the band's history and how they affected the Swedish music industry. Many groups, particularly fellow progg artists, have cited Philemon Arthur and the Dung as an influence. Their lyrical content ranged from complete nonsense, to obscenities, to social commentary about hunting, the expenditure of natural resources, sadism, and more. Over 40 years later, they are considered pioneers and icons of Swedish progressive music, and remain mysterious cult heroes of Swedish music. On the opposite end of the spectrum, they still have some detractors who blame them for the partial collapse of the musical establishment. The only confirmed photo of the group features the duo wearing masks; art and liner notes for their releases often feature images of youths, whose full faces are usually obscured in one way or another, which are believed to depict "Philemon Arthur" and "The Dung"; an example of this is the front cover for Får jag spy i ditt paraply, which depict two young boys in costumes, whose faces are obscured by the band logo. The front and back covers of Philemon Arthur and the Dung (and by extent, Musikens historia del 1 och 2, which re-uses the same artwork) also features drawings of two young boys. Many hypotheses regarding their true identities have been made, a prevalent one being that they are Mikael Wiehe and Thomas Wiehe, who would also become influential figures in progressive music. They are also believed to have been members of fellow progg groups Risken finns or Träd, Gräs och Stenar.