【コラム】 Gong伝説：時代・神話・サウンドと共同体

Column en 60s 70s Jazz Progressive

29 Oct 2025

1. Introduction: Musician as Scientist

Text: mmr

Theme: Gong, the “cosmic community” built by David Allen and Gilly Smith.About the myth, sound, and inheritance from the 1960s to the present day

“We were a flying teapot sailing through the revolution.” ― Daevid Allen

[Chapter 1 France in the late 1960s - Revolutionary period of exaltation and chaos] (#chapter1)
[Chapter 2 Birth and Anecdote - Anarchy Commune that Creates a Paradise] (#chapter2)
[Chapter 3 Musical DNA - Glissando guitar and chant “Space Whisper”] (#chapter3)
[Chapter 4 Radio Gnomes Trilogy - Myths and Albums] (#chapter4)
[Chapter 5 Gong as a community - life, creation, fluid members] (#chapter5)
Chapter 6 Society and Gong—the point of contact with counterculture
Chapter 7 Transformation and Inheritance——Moellan Gong and Rebirth
[Chapter 8 The world of Gong mythology—Characters, iconography, and worldview] (#chapter8)
Chapter 9 Episodes & Anecdotes
Chapter 10 Chronology and reference figures

Chapter 1 Late 1960s France - Revolutionary period of exaltation and chaos

At the end of the 1960s, Paris was a testing ground for revolution. University conflicts, street action, and the liberation of art - the enthusiasm of the “May Revolution” engulfs young people, and music, poetry, and politics become one.

Gong was born right in the middle of this.Anti-establishment, anarchy, spiritual world, commune culture.By mixing these together, Gong embodies a “community fantasy through sound.”

🎵 Recommended sources: Magick Brother (1969), Camembert Electrique (1971)

Gong’s sound was a chemical reaction between social chaos and spiritual utopian ideas.

Chapter 2 Birth and anecdote - Anarchy commune creating a paradise

In 1967, David Allen (formerly of Soft Machine) was refused re-entry to the UK and fled to France. In Paris, he met Gilli Smith, and through a series of improvisational sessions, ``Gong’’ was formed.

Many legends surround the birth of Gong, including sessions in caves and protest performances using teddy bears. Their base of activity was not just a band, but an “anarchy commune” of sound and ideology.

Year	Anecdote/Incident
1967	At the height of the Paris May Revolution, Allen travels to France and exiles
1968	“Teddy Bear Incident” - Stuffed animal thrown at police
1969	Magick Brother production and first live performance

Characters: Zero the Hero (traveler), Octave Doctor (sound scientist)

“Gong was a free ship to sail on.” - Member testimony

This “voyage” was not just a musical activity, but a live experiment.

Chapter 3 Musical DNA - Glissando guitar and chant “Space Whisper”

Gong’s sonic core is formed by two elements.

Glissando Guitar by David Allen: As the strings slide, the sound changes like a fluid.
Space Whisper by Gilly Smith: He murmurs in a low voice as if drifting through the space, enveloping the soundscape.

In addition, Didier Margrive’s saxophone and Pierre Moherlin’s percussion are added, creating a harmonious mix of jazz, rock, and poetic recitation.

🎧 Recommended listening: Flying Teapot, Angel’s Egg, You

Gong’s music created a world in the form of sound poetry'' rather thanrock + jazz.’’

Chapter 4 Radio Gnomes Trilogy - Myths and Albums

A trilogy released between 1973 and 1974. “Flying Teapot,” “Angel’s Egg,” and “You.”

These are not just albums, but mythological epics of “Planet Gong”.Taking the form of a radio broadcast, Zero the Hero and Pot Head Pixies appear, and the journey through space and consciousness is depicted.

Character	Characteristics
Zero the Hero	A traveler who travels between Earth and the Gong planet
Pot Head Pixies	Spirits of Happiness and Chaos
Octave Doctor	Scientist who manipulates sound and order

“I am your radio gnome, direct from the planet Gong…”

Gong established the concept of ``narrative sound’’ in music.

Chapter 5 Gong as a community - life, creation, fluid members

A communal lifestyle based in a lodge in the south of France. There, recording, improvisation, philosophical dialogue, vegetarianism, raising children, and writing poetry were all continuous.

Members came and went rapidly, and the sound structure was as fluid as its structure. Despite this, Gong’s “spirit” remained. This is because they were not “fixed members” but existed as a shared vision.

Gong was the ideal form of a life of music'' andplaying as if you were living it.’’

Chapter 6 Society and Gong——Intersection with counterculture

Gong was about more than music. Europe’s hippie movement, dropout culture, commune ideology, anti-nuclear demonstrations, and environmental movements. Closely linked to these, their sounds resonated as the music of “another society.”

“Music was not a weapon, but a device to expand mental freedom.”

Gong was a symbol of countercultural practice that did not separate society and art.

Chapter 7 Transformation and inheritance——Moellan-Gong and rebirth

After 1976, David Allen left. Pierre Moerlan took over, and the jazz fusion-oriented Pierre Moerlan’s Gong was born.

This innovation, which brought percussion and marimba to the fore, formed an important trend in European progressive rock in the late 1970s.

After that, derivatives such as “Gong Maison” and “Acid Mothers Gong” were born. Even after Allen passed away in 2015, Gong continues to live on as a “regenerating collective consciousness.”

🎼 Representative works: Expresso II, Downwind, Rejoice! I’m Dead!

Chapter 8 The world of Gong mythology—Characters, iconography, and worldview

Gong is a comprehensive art that integrates music, mythology, and art. Centering around the Radio Gnomes trilogy, characters, planets, languages, broadcast stations, etc. are intricately intertwined.

Below is a diagram showing its symbolic structure:

graph TD A["Zero the Hero"] --> B["Planet Gong"] B --> C["Pot Head Pixies"] B --> D["Octave Doctor"] C --> E["Flying Teapot"] D --> F["Radio Gnome"] E --> G["Listeners on Earth"] G --> A

Gong’s universe is a co-created myth, of which the listener becomes a part.

Chapter 9 Episodes & Anecdotes

1968: Confronts police with teddy bear
“Birth of sound” in a cave session
1970: Legendary live show hosted by Frank Zappa at BYG Festival
Use “Gnome language” for communication between members
“Zero’s Holy Grail” ritual created by fans (at a UK festival)

Gong moved between reality and myth, and the anecdotes themselves were part of the art.

Chapter 10 Chronology and reference figures

Year	Main events
1967	Formed in Paris.Allen Exile
1969	Magick Brother production and first live performance
1971	Camembert Electrique Announcement
1973–74	Radio Gnome Trilogy completed
1976	Pierre Moerlan’s Gong period begins
1990–2015	Allen return, reorganization live
2016–	Rejoice! I’m Dead! Announced and ongoing activities

timeline title Gong Chronology 1967 : Formation in Paris 1969 : "Magick Brother" 1971 : "Camembert Electrique" 1973 : "Flying Teapot" 1974 : "You" 1976 : Moerlan Era 1990 : Reunion 2015 : Allen's Death 2016 : Rejoice! I'm Dead!

Main discography

Year	Title	Genre/Notes	Link
1969	Magick Brother	Early = psychedelic/jazz/rock fusion	Amazon
1973	Flying Teapot	“Radio Gnome Trilogy” 1st	Amazon
1973	Angel’s Egg	2nd part of the trilogy	Amazon
1974	You	Third trilogy	Amazon
2009	2032	Revival/Mythology Review Edition	Amazon
2016	Rejoice! I’m Dead!	New chapter after the death of the founder	Amazon
2019	The Universe Also Collapses	One of the latest studio releases	Amazon
2022	Pulsing Signals	Live version (2019 recording)	Amazon

What was Gong?

Rather than a “music group,” it was another way of being in the world. And even now, at some frequency within us, Their “radio gnome” continues to broadcast quietly.