David Ferguson (impresario)

David Ferguson
OccupationPromoter
WebsiteCD Presents

David Ferguson was an American international outsider-culture impresario, activist, music producer and concert promoter. Over his career, most of which has been spent on the West Coast, he worked with musical acts such as the Avengers,[1][2][3] John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten),[4][5] Billy Bragg,[6][7] Iggy Pop,[3][5] Bad Brains,[8] Black Flag,[8] and Butthole Surfers[9] and visual artists Vaughn Bode,[10] Jean-Michel Basquiat,[3] and Barry McGee.[3] Ferguson worked with multi-discipline artists such as avant-garde musician and spoken-word artist Lydia Lunch and the psychedelic drag queen performance group the Cockettes.[2][3]

The San Francisco Chronicle referred to Ferguson as the "godfather of the unorthodox", adding that Ferguson "...not only thinks outside the box — he crushes it, dances on top of it, reinvents it and calls it whatever he likes. He has spent his life making trouble."[1] The East Bay Express wrote, "David Ferguson's life story reads like an encyclopedia of the underground."[2]

Ferguson founded and headed the Institute for Unpopular Culture, a San Francisco-based arts organization. Through IFUC, Ferguson has maintained his involvement in anti-war protests, an activism which dates back to his student days at the University of Miami in the 1960s.[11][12] Ferguson died unexpectedly after a brief illness on July 24, 2015 at the age of 69, in San Francisco, California[citation needed].

  1. ^ a b Martine, Lord (2002-03-29). "Ferguson finds unconventional fits him just right". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  2. ^ a b c Kalem, Stefanie (April 16, 2003). "Chamber Punk". East Bay Express. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  3. ^ a b c d e Lawrence, Ella (December 27, 2006). "In Pen and Ink". SF Weekly. Archived from the original on 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  4. ^ Wechsler, Shoshana (August 1980). "Public Image: The Emperor's New Clothes, Part II". Damage Fanzine. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  5. ^ a b Jarrell, Joe (2004-09-26). "Putting Punk In Place -- Among the Classics". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications Inc. pp. PK–45. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
  6. ^ Schindehette, Susan. A Simple Punk-Folk-Rock Protester, British Billy Bragg Makes Waves Onstage, Not Off People Magazine. July 29, 1985. Retrieved on 2009-08-04
  7. ^ "MOG is Moving". Mog.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NYU was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wax Vol 2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Vaughn Bode Cartoon Concert, "Cheech Wizard Bites the Dust," National Lampoon, Feb., 1975, Vol. 1, No. 59, pg. 92. Retrieved on 2009-07-30
  11. ^ Cartoon David, University of Miami Yearbook, IBIS, 1968, p. 92
  12. ^ The Miami Hurricane, August 9, 1968. p. 25.