Crime & Safety
Death of Musician Damian Bisciglia Ruled a Suicide
For many years before his death, he was known for his involvement in the experimental music community.
Damian Alfred Bisciglia of Northridge, a musician whose body was found near Oakwood Memorial Park last week, committed suicide, a coroner’s spokesman said.
Bisciglia died on Dec. 11, three days before his 53rd birthday, after placing plastic bags over his head and stabbing himself in the chest, said Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter.
Bisciglia's body was found on a trail in a dog park adjacent to Oakwood Memorial Park in the 9800 block of Andora Avenue in Chatsworth, said Det. Richard Moakley with the Los Angeles Police Department's Devonshire Station.
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Police responded to the scene around 8 a.m.
In a comment posted on a previous Northridge-Chatsworth Patch story about Bisciglia's death, a man named Don Lewis said Bisciglia was “an internationally known musician in the experimental music community. One of the bands he was in is called Points of Friction. His limited edition works are much sought after.”
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Lewis did not respond to emails seeking further comment.
A man who answered a call to Bisciglia's residence declined to comment.
According to information found through Web searches, Points of Friction formed in January 1981. The Miraroglu Music Sales site had this description of the band's music: "Their process-oriented artistry invokes apparitions of the ear, with multi-dimensional sonic textures that span from quirky, seductive lullabies to revolting, sensual assaults."
The band released "Sackcloth and Ashes" in 1984. The recording was described as "the unorthodox exploration of keyboards, guitars, toy instruments, the assemblage of field recordings, noise improvisations and tape loops [that] tantalize the senses with arousing emotive power. The opus title track is a compendium of improvisational soundings and field recordings that include a chorus of squeaky swings, a cat's purring, snapping shrimp, a diseased lung and cacophony on a yard sale card rack."
Under the alias "Agog," Bisciglia recorded various sounds on the album "Final Myth Of The Jesus Underwear" from March through December 1988.
After a 20-year hiatus, Points of Friction reformed in June 2004 and recorded "afterlife dna finger-painting." A press release for the recording listed Bisciglia as playing "metal sculptures, psaltry, birdcage, digital piano, sampler, electronics, etc."
