Kramer

Kramer of Bongwater
14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas, 2019

To continue where I left off (The Woman in the Band) now to Ann Magnuson and Kramer. Together they formed Bongwater in 1986, started a relation (while his estranged wife was pregnant, hence the baby in the painting) in 1991 and disbanded when the two broke up in 1992. Kramer got back together with his wife then, and Magnuson sued Kramer for breach of contract. I recently wondered how it had happened that I never listened to Bongwater until only recently. Whereas Ann Magnuson is a fairly new addition to the Top 100, Kramer was part of many past Top 100 entries. Shockabilly featured several times, while he was also in Half Japanese, recorded with the Butthole Surfers, and was the producer of many more (most notably Daniel Johnston.) Shockabilly was a trio consisting of Kramer, Eugene Chadbourne, and David Licht, who also part of Bongwater. Kramer is Mark Kramer (born Stephen Michael Bonner in 1958). He used the single name Kramer throughout his career. (I wonder if Kramer in the hugely popular TV sitcom series Seinfeld was inspired by the musician Kramer.)