Mogo/Zuzu Records & Video began life shortly after the Summer of Love ended in 1967 as Mogo Graphics. Started by two U.S. Army buddies stationed in Korea at Recreation Compound #1 just a few miles south of the DMZ and the infamous Toko-Ri Bridge over the Im Jim River. This was a tense time of snipers, infiltrators, land mines, and rock and roll. I was one of those army buddies, and spent my tour of duty playing bass guitar for a folk-rock band. I was part of the only full-time entertainment platoon in the U.S. Army. Another duty was to help design posters for all the shows put on by the different groups: The Showmen (a variety show), The Ground Floor People (the rhythm and blues band), The Jazzmen (jazz group), and The Travelers (folk and psychedelic rock-my group). The photo on the left shows two posters we designed. They were silk screen printed by a Korean printer. (I designed the bottom poster. I can't remember the name of the guy, but he was a member of the Jazzmen.)
In 1969, the two now-ex-army buddies joined forces in San José, California, along with other ex-army buddies and several others, to form Throckmorton, the most exciting band to come out of the Central California post-Hippie days. Throckmorton played all over the bay area along with Cold Blood, It's a Beautiful Day, Elvin Bishop, and others. The band made it to the Fillmore, and at one point became Chuck Berry's backup band at a huge San José Civic Auditorium concert. Mogo Graphics was now housed in a basement in the Throckmorton band commune, just a half block from San José State University. The commune was housed in the infamous High House, once the locale for some of the early acid tests with Kesey, Leary, Garcia, and others. It later became the headquarters for the militant SDS (Students for a Democratic Society), whose major militant action in San José was kicking holes in the house's walls, which we had to repair when we moved in. Mogo Graphics once again did posters for various bands and venues around San José.
After Throckmorton split up in 1971, Mogo Graphics became the work and hobby-business of my ex-army buddy, and when we again formed a rock band in 1979, he did all the poster work until our final band together split up in 1983.
It wasn't until the internet became popular in the late 1980s that I re-invented Mogo Graphics as Mogo/Zuzu Graf/x, a technical illustration and writing and web site creation service. This lasted up until the infamous dot-com bust in 2001. Re-invented once again, it became the home-based business of self-produced CDs and DVDs, Mogo/Zuzu Records & Video.
In 2009, Mogo/Zuzu Graf/x, as well as Coog Instruments, finally passed away. Born from the ashes is Ron Cook Studios. My main purpose in life right now is to create Fine Crafts and Musical Sound Sculptures to display and sell at Arts Festivals, Craft Shows, and over the internet. I also create and sell CDs and DVDs. This old Mogo/Zuzu web site not only has info on my CDs and DVDs, but it also still has the fun links to my comic collection, pulp magazine collection, and digital and MIDI music files. It is a place for entertainment and educational enlightenment. It is a place to enjoy!
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