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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did William Davenport film? Daven-port.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Problemist (band))
William Davenport
Born1960 (age 65–66)
Evansville, Indiana, United States
OccupationsMusician, filmmaker, publisher, writer, teacher, autism activist
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentsSynthesizer, guitar, bass vocals
Years active1980s-present
LabelsAnother Room Public Hearings, Sordide Sentimental Records

William Davenport (born 1960, Evansville, Indiana) is a documentary filmmaker, musician, publisher, writer, teacher and autism activist. He is best known for his documentary films about autism,[1] his work as the publisher of Unsound magazine, and as the founding member of the experimental/noise band Problemist.[2]

Film

[edit]

In 2011 Davenport directed the feature documentary Too Sane for This World. This film, which features an introduction by Dr. Temple Grandin, explores the challenges, gifts and unique perspectives of 12 adults on the autism spectrum. The film features an array of autistic adults who share experiences such as autistic fatigue, social and academic challenges in school, and the relief of receiving a diagnosis.[3]

In 2013, Davenport directed the feature documentary Citizen Autistic. The history of civil rights in America has been marked by the hard-won progress of one category after another of oppressed and marginalized citizens who stand up and demand recognition, respect, and equal access to the benefits of modern society. William Davenport's film Citizen Autistic brings us an inside look at the front lines of the autistic civil rights movement, showcasing autistic activists and self-advocates on the front lines of this struggle for inclusion, and freedom from persecution. Featuring notable figures such as Ari Ne'eman, co-founder and former president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), and Landon Bryce, of thAutcast.com, this documentary details what the emerging neurodiversity movement is up against, from the torturous electroshock "treatment" that takes place at the Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts, to the history of dehumanizing and alarmist marketing campaigns of the nonprofit Autism Speaks. Promoting a philosophy of neurological variation as simply another aspect of human diversity, these tireless activists embody the call of the disability rights movement: "Nothing About Us, Without Us."[4][5]

In 2013, Davenport directed a music video for the band Array, which features Robyn Steward and Mark Tinley, who are both on the autism spectrum. The video, "Spacecadet," was released on World Autism Day 2013.[6] In 2014, Davenport released the short documentary, Conquering Heights. In 2015, Davenport completed a series of documentary films that explore the world of experimental and noise music titled Unsound Redux. Continuing his interest in experimental music Davenport completed two documentaries in 2018: Media About Media about Media: The Negativland Story and Hunting Lodge: The Story of Two Nomad Souls.[6]

Activism

[edit]

In addition to producing documentary films, Davenport is also active in the international autism community. Davenport was a member of the San Francisco Marin Autism Taskforce. From 2007 to 2011, Davenport was the executive director of the non-profit organization Autism Social Connection; it was there that he developed his practice of teaching filmmaking to adults, teens and children on the autism spectrum.[7][8] He has worked extensively with the San Francisco Bay Area autism organization Autism, Asperger's Coalition for Education, Networking and Development,[9] and the Washington, D.C.–based organization ASAN.[10][4] In the United Kingdom, Davenport has collaborated with C.R.A.E. (Centre for Research in Autism and Education) and the charity – Ambitious about Autism – on free screenings of his films followed by panel discussions.[11][12] Davenport presently is the executive director of Autism House, a Eugene, Oregon-based non-profit organization.

Publishing

[edit]

Unsound was a magazine published in San Francisco by William Davenport, Tamara L. and Chris Rankin. There were eight issues published between 1983 and 1986. Unsound was one of the earlier US-based publications that covered the industrial/noise/punk/experimental underground.[13] The first issue of Unsound in September 1983 came about as a reaction against separatism, in which 'a select few become the only creative sources that are recognized.' Unsound focused on the harder edge of experimental art and music – the edge that most consider subversive. Artists/groups covered included Negativland, Glenn Branca, Ellen Zweig, Einsturzende Neubauten, Karen Finley, Boyd Rice (NON), Minimal Man, Sonic Youth, Whitehouse, Psychic TV, and Leslie Thornton.

Unsound also functioned as a networking tool where information was listed and exchanged on radio, publications, distribution, mail art, tape and record reviews, and more.[14] The issues also included interviews with Blixa Bargeld of Einsturzende Neubauten, Remko Scha, Michael Gira/Swans, Genesis P-Orridge, John Balance & Peter Christopherson/Coil, and Kronos Quartet.[15]

Music

[edit]

Davenport grew up in Southern California where he played in various punk bands in the mid-seventies and began experimenting with synthesizers and tape manipulation.[16] Founded in 1980, Problemist was an assortment of musicians led by William Davenport. His first solo tape experiments were "Flat Child" and "Revolutionary Sex", both self-released. Davenport then began a three-year collaboration with Christopher Rankin of Sabot. In 1982, they released "Pop Religion is Love," and in 1983, "What is to be-Gun" on the Another Room Public Hearings label. The band then signed to Sordide Sentimental Records of France and released "Nine Times Sanity." Problemist continued to release recordings and appears on numerous compilations throughout the 80's. Known for their complex lyrics and wailing vocals, they continued live performances throughout the 1980s, some of which were chronicled in the audio release Problemist Live, 1981-1985. Davenport stopped performing and recording in 1990.[17]

Davenport created soundtracks primarily for the video artist Steve Fagin ("Virtual Play: The Double Direct Monkey Wrench in Black's Machinery," 1984), "The Amazing Voyage of Gustave Flaubert and Raymond Roussel" (1986) and "The Machine that Killed Bad People" (1990).

Discography

[edit]
Problemist
Flat ChildCassetteSelf-Released1980
ExampleCassetteSelf-Released1981
Pop Religion Is LoveCassetteA.R.P.H. Tapes1982
What Is To Be GunCassetteA.R.P.H. Tapes1983
9 Times SanityLP, Album, LtdSordide Sentimental1984
After SanityCassetteLadd/Frith1985
N-e-e-d-yCassetteDie Ind1986
Problemist Live,CassetteCause & Effect1987
Problemist also appeared on 17 compilations from 1983-1989[18]

Filmography

[edit]
Too Sane for This World63 minutes2011
Citizen Autistic68 minutes2013
Conquering Heights30 minutes2014
Great American Cassette Masters120 minutes2015
The New Punks96 minutes2015
Ziners56 minutes2015
The People's Music48 minutes2015
Media About Media about Media: The Negativland Story120 minutes2018
Hunting Lodge: The Story of Two Nomad Souls90 minutes2018

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Show#216 Interview with Director of Too Sane For This World William Davenport". Autism Radio. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "Prob_int.html". O-art.org. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
  3. ↑ "Too Sane For This World (2011) Movie Review from". Eyeforfilm.co.uk. 2014-04-01. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
  4. 1 2 "Northwest Film Forum :: Calendar :: Citizen Autistic". Nwfilmforum.org. 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
  5. ↑ "William Davenport". ThAutcast.com. Archived from the original on 2015-04-08. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
  6. 1 2 "William Davenport - IMDB". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  7. ↑ "Peer Socialization for Children, Teens and Adults on the Autism Spectrum" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Peer Socialization for Children, Teens and Adults on the Autism Spectrum". Php.com. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
  9. ↑ "AASCEND". Aascend.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  10. ↑ [dead link]
  11. ↑ "CRAE — Citizen Autistic: "We just want to have our voice". Crae.ioe.ac.uk. 2014-04-06. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
  12. ↑ "Discussion Panel following a screening of Citizen Autistic at The Institute of Education, London". YouTube.com. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
  13. ↑ "Notes From Underground". Smallprintpress.blogspot.com. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  14. ↑ "UnsoundAd.HTML". Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  15. ↑ "UnsoundAd.html". O-art.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Wiring Dept. 1985 "San Francisco Underground 85" "PROBLEMIST an interview with William Davenport, by Eric Cope, originally published in Wiring Dept., Issue #3
  17. ↑ (Wiring Dept. 1985 "San Francisco Underground 85" "PROBLEMIST an interview with William Davenport, by Eric Cope, originally published in Wiring Dept., Issue #3
  18. ↑ "Problemist Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
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