I was born as Rudolf Friedrich Bliem in Graz, where my father worked at the opera house as the head of stage art. My mother had not yet taken up her profession as preschool teacher. After a brief spell in Switzerland we moved to Australia when I was 4 years old, and where I subsequently grew up. Motivated by my father´s work I began to practice the skills of drawing and painting at an early age and in my later teens had intended on enrolling in art school. Having learnt to play the classic guitar, and in the wake of the folk movement, I co-founded a folk-type Austrian music group. This resulted in 3 years of intense, but successful work, with 5 singles, an LP and good press attention, before I left the group in late 1972.
At this time I gained an interest in the connection between music and art , and soon discovered that in pursuance of this subject matter I required a university education in physics, engineering and the natural sciences. And, given what I had seen with my father and Rudolf Macek, I was also convinced that I would surely not have time for such a study once I had committed myself to a livelihood as a freelance artist. So, despite my early intentions, I chose, first, to study natural sciences and engineering at a Viennese university, and to continue with non-formal art training. This would allow me to me the freedom to seek the training and allot the time as I saw fit. I finally completed my art training in the studio of the artist, Rudolf Macek, who was a graduate from the Prager Academy of Fine Arts and a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, and had established a notable career in Australia, before moving to Austria.
I was already exhibiting in a small gallery in Währing, Vienna, before moving to England in 1981, where I soon found regular work as a science illustrator, cartoonist for several journals. The increasing demand for this work provided a steady income and livelihood. I had also married and had a child, so additional income was still needed, which I found at a biotech start-up in Cambridge, UK. After a few months there, I was able to win a very lucrative project for the company. In return they freed me from my regular obligations within the company to pursue my art work. I exhibited in and around Cambridge and in 1984 held a successful exhibition on Science Art, titled "Art in vivo", at the Cambridge Central Library, which was the central venue for public exhibitions.
In 1988 I was offered work in the US, which I had projected for a period of 3 years. This interim opportunity evolved into a lengthy stay in science, engineering and academia, before again returing to art once again and continue, as well as I could, where I had left off.
Since then I have been fortunate in finding interest in my work, leading to some very interesting projects and exhibitions.
After 4 years of learning guitar, the harmonica and the "Saw" (yes, I mean saw as in tool), I joined two fellas in Vienna, who had just coined the name for a duo, the Misthaufen. The saw is an instrument derived from the mechanical saw, in that it has an extra large, but somewhat thinner blade. It is brought to vibrate using a violin bow and can produce sounds a little akin to electronic music, but nicer ;).
Thus the new group was started off with a folk-like application of guitars, greek bouzouki and the saw, creating a memorable sound that led to early success between 1969 through 1972. I left the group late 1972 to concentrate on art, as I had the intention of taking up art school.
The selection of press articles and records below offer a brief testimony to those early days as a musician.