Biography
Artists emerging from the punk explosion of the late 1970s, along with parallel movements then forming, frequently slipped from notice when their sounds resisted simple categorization. Californian Patrick Miller, performing as Minimal Man, illustrated this pattern through an ’80s discography that ranged across white noise and serene ambient passages on multiple labels. Born in Glendale in 1952 and initially trained in art and design, Miller relocated to San Francisco in the late ’70s, immersing himself in film and music. Through the Subterranean label he connected with Tuxedomoon members and other associates; under the Minimal Man persona—described by Miller as a figure who “everything against him…rather than fixing a problem the correct way, he would make up his own delusions to get by”—he delivered performances one critic termed “antimusic,” built from aggressive keyboards, shouted vocals, and tapes that positioned him as a solo counterpart to Throbbing Gristle. Those early shows were documented on the 1980 live single “He Who Falls”/“She Was a Visitor.”
For the debut album The Shroud Of the project operated essentially as a trio, Miller favoring a rotating cast over fixed personnel; he was joined by Andrew Baumer on flute, sax, and bass and drummer Liliam Hart, supplemented by additional guests. A second self-released single, “Two Little Skeletons”/“Tired Death,” followed in 1983, while 1984 brought the somewhat more structured sophomore album Safari, now featuring guitarist Blaise Smith and drummer John Serell alongside Miller and Baumer. Shortly afterward Miller followed Tuxedomoon’s example and settled in Europe, where all subsequent Minimal Man recordings were made. The first of these, the stark Sex with God, appeared on Dossier in 1985 with assistance from Blaise Smith and Kristin Oppenheim; an excerpted EP titled Minimal Man surfaced later that year on Fundamental. Miller next aligned with Brussels-based Play It Again Sam, which issued Slave Lullabyes in 1986, drawing on Tuxedomoon’s Peter Principle and Luc Van Lieshout among its contributors. The Mock Honeymoon EP arrived in 1987, again featuring Principle and Van Lieshout, while 1988 yielded two final albums: Hunger Is All She’s Ever Known, continuing the partnership with Principle, Van Lieshout, and keyboardist/drummer Ludo Camberlin, and Pure on the LD label, a reworking of Miller’s late-’70s San Francisco material augmented by Van Lieshout and guitarist Gerry Vergult.
Miller returned to the United States in the early ’90s, confronting personal struggles including drug abuse; he stepped back from music to concentrate on visual art and eventually resumed residence in Southern California, working as a set dresser in Hollywood. After developing hepatitis C, he died in December 2003 and is survived by family and friends. In 2004 the LTM label’s Boutique imprint reissued The Shroud Of on CD for the first time, hinting at possible broader reissues of Miller’s distinctive catalog.
For the debut album The Shroud Of the project operated essentially as a trio, Miller favoring a rotating cast over fixed personnel; he was joined by Andrew Baumer on flute, sax, and bass and drummer Liliam Hart, supplemented by additional guests. A second self-released single, “Two Little Skeletons”/“Tired Death,” followed in 1983, while 1984 brought the somewhat more structured sophomore album Safari, now featuring guitarist Blaise Smith and drummer John Serell alongside Miller and Baumer. Shortly afterward Miller followed Tuxedomoon’s example and settled in Europe, where all subsequent Minimal Man recordings were made. The first of these, the stark Sex with God, appeared on Dossier in 1985 with assistance from Blaise Smith and Kristin Oppenheim; an excerpted EP titled Minimal Man surfaced later that year on Fundamental. Miller next aligned with Brussels-based Play It Again Sam, which issued Slave Lullabyes in 1986, drawing on Tuxedomoon’s Peter Principle and Luc Van Lieshout among its contributors. The Mock Honeymoon EP arrived in 1987, again featuring Principle and Van Lieshout, while 1988 yielded two final albums: Hunger Is All She’s Ever Known, continuing the partnership with Principle, Van Lieshout, and keyboardist/drummer Ludo Camberlin, and Pure on the LD label, a reworking of Miller’s late-’70s San Francisco material augmented by Van Lieshout and guitarist Gerry Vergult.
Miller returned to the United States in the early ’90s, confronting personal struggles including drug abuse; he stepped back from music to concentrate on visual art and eventually resumed residence in Southern California, working as a set dresser in Hollywood. After developing hepatitis C, he died in December 2003 and is survived by family and friends. In 2004 the LTM label’s Boutique imprint reissued The Shroud Of on CD for the first time, hinting at possible broader reissues of Miller’s distinctive catalog.
Albums
