davis80smusic, UC Davis, Davis California, California, rock, music, Alternate Learning, the Loud Family, Scott Miller, Gil Ray, Shelley LaFreniere, Suzi Ziegler, Gui Gassuan, Donnette Thayer, Fred Juhos, Dave Gill, Nancy Becker, Michael Irwin, Mitch Easter, Michael Quercio, Joe Becker, Photo Robert, Robert Toren, San Francisco, Sacramento, California, Blaze of Glory, Pointed Accounts of People You Know, Distortion, Real Nighttime, Big Shot Chronicles, Lolita Nation, 2 Steps From the Middle Ages, Tinkers to Evers to Chance, Samurai Recording Studio, rats, computer languages, art, art rock, creativity, True West, the Twinkeys, Donnie Jupiter, Don Marquez, Thin White Rope, Lazy Boys, Kevin Staydohar, Steve Wynn, Russ Tolman, Sean O'Brien, Guy Kyser, the Suspects, the Meantime, KDVS, college radio, design, art, creativity, words
Music
Game Theory, Alternate Learning, Loud Family, True West, Thin White Rope, The Suspects, The Twinkeys, Russ Tolman, Steve Wynn, Aimee Mann, Iggy Pop, Alex Chilton, The Boxtops, The Hollies, The Shondells, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, The Beatles
Movies
2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, anything Kubrick
Television
Star Trek, Twilight Zone
Books
Ulysses, Finnegan's Wake
Heroes
Alex Chilton, James Joyce, TS Eliot, Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, The Doors, Chuck Berry, Brian Eno
About me: I was Scott Miller's rock band from ~1982-1990 (between Alternate Learning and The Loud Family). My records were produced by Scott, one EP with Michael Quercio (Three O'Clock), and four LPs with Mitch Easter (Let's Active/early REM producer).
I had ~13 members over the years. The San Francisco 5-member line-up (Scott, Shelley LaFreniere/keyboards, Gil Ray/drums, Donnette Thayer/guitar, Gui Gassuan/bass) is remembered by most fans as the quintessential Game Theory: they recorded Lolita Nation and 2-Steps From The Middle Ages. The previous 4-member line-up (Miller, LaFreniere, Ray, Ziegler) recorded The Big Shot Chronicles. Earlier Davis lineups (Miller, Becker, Juhos, Gill/Irwin) recorded 2 EPs (Pointed Accounts of People You Know & Distortion) and 2 LPS (Blaze of Glory & Real Nighttime).
This is an unofficial fan site created by Game Theory photographer 'Photo' Robert Toren, partially to flesh out the history of the 1980s Davis, California music subculture (davis80smusic.com & myspace/davis80smusic) and partially because a band as good as Game Theory deserves its own damn page.
Who I'd like to meet: Chardonnay Mississippi 1988
The World's Easiest Job -SF I-BEAM 1987
Recording Inverness 1990
I once went to a Monks of Doom show, sporting my GT t-shirt. During the set, Victor's bass string popped and had to take the time out to change it. Jonathan Segel spots my t from the stage and we have a 5 minute conversation in front of everyone just how great Game Theory is.
Tolman Comes Alive On KDVS: A Two Hour Retrospective covering 80s Davis Music, True West, and more. Archived at: http://www.kdvs.org/shows/view/show_id/61
everyone should listen to Game Theory, one of the most creative and inventive band of all times...timeless...dare I say even the drum sound? :-) Love you guys! Remi
Thanks for adding us! Love Game Theory - especially Two Steps from the Middle Ages and Lolita Nation - although Big Shot Chronicles has some really great moments.
Robert, the last comment should have been from British Racing Green. We (I) are (am) grateful for the add no matter who we (I) are (am). Have we confused you yet? Artie Fisk is a secret member, undercover and/or sub rosa, if you will, of British Racing Green. Artie's not on the lam or anything, he's just got a very strange sense of humor. Lives in his own world, he does. But it's OK, as Steven Wright said, since "they know (him) there."
Thank you Robert, for adding us. Game Theory was my all-time favorite band when they existed, and I can still remember how I used to marvel not just at the music, but at the classy way the band was presented in terms of photography, graphic design, etc. Game Theory were really a separate breed from all the other bands of that era, and still shine brightly. Was "Carol and Alison" really played at your wedding? Can't even imagine what that might've been like...
Thank You Robert for adding me as a friend, and for all the fantastic work you have done for this astonishing band. Without you, all of us music-starved Brits would never get to see this wonderful band in concert. Bless you and the mighty Game Theory.
