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Oliv Hashalom Dr. Gizmo

Harvey Rosenenbeg, (he dubbed himself "Dr Gizmo) who died July 16, 2001, was born on the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. I was born on the day the Germans marched on Poland. Though that's not really important, Harvey saw great brotherhood in it. In way-back time, both of us were taken with the Futterman amplifier, a mono output transformer-less amp that was a cult-object back in the late 1950's early Sixties. Julius Futterman who the man who developed the design and custom- built the amps one pair at a time mostly to match up with eletcrostaic speakers usually the KLH model nines. When Futterman died, Rosenenbeg, obtained the rights to the design, and made a living manufacturing and selling them, mainly to overseas audiophiles. Always on the lookout for a marketing ploy, he created a club and published ( in hard copy, I still have one hanging around my files )

The Quad Owners Newsletter, to which I contributed. Typically, he wanted to beat the drums for Quad loudspeakers in order to sell Futterman amplifiers. I believe, if memory serves, that he proud of that little misdirection.

We dropped out of touch for a while, and then suddenly we were both writing for Positive Feedback. While Harvey was dubbed "Techno-Shaman of Coolosity," I was dubbed, "His Dudeliness & The Poogosity" Amazingly I found (through late night telephone conversations, that we had something like a similar view of things audio related. Harvey was a kind of Dadaist' who liked to shock the conventionally minded (vide, wearing kilts to the Consumer Electronics Show); I was more uptight and took a more literary Posture. Harvey was my teacher, in a way, who by example showed me it was okay to be whoever you are. Who'd've thunk it? They say you never know who your enlightener might be.

Harvey believed guys were essentially tribal, and things they were into could best be dealt with tribally. So, just as bikerheads get off driving hundreds of miles to show each other their new magnetos, audioheads will travel great distances to show each other their newest pick-up arms, or better, the wiring harness for their new pick-up arms or best yet – their new solid silver, Teflon insulated, cartridge pin-clips! Harvey understood the "gathering of the tribal" element of that. You had to go to a High-End Audio Show with your semi-sacred stuff in your pocket, "Hey, did you see the stuff Gizmo's got on him. Check it out" There he'd be the hall, "The Giz" with a small tribe of acolytes, shocking their sensibilities, teaching, being an audio Shaman. He taught that the male brain was designed to get one to bliss, just as the Buddha - taught.

He taught that audio could get you to a pretty high state if you created it with respect. Who could disagree? Of coarse, some folks thought he was a charlatan.

I saw him on a spiritual journey. His Dadaistic technique ( some as weirdness ) threw most folks off the track. He presented himself not as a priest but as a clown in a funny hat. He was audio's secret weapon, a "Techno - Shaman." Dr. Gizmo If you didn't know Harvey, and you'd like to catch the flavor of his essence, see his website www.metagizmo.com for the relationship between the Zen of motorcycles, the Zen of audio, and the Zen of a naked jogging lady. As they say, "He was an original."

Oliv Hashalom

Rest in peace, Harvey.

MAX DUDIOUS

www.theabsolutesound.com/