uncat|September 2006}}
Whether or not there is, or ever was, a working band called the Curable Interns is questionable. Apparently the “Curable Interns” name refers to various groups of musicians recruited “as needed” by avant garde guitarist Kenneth Johnston for recording and performing purposes during the 1980s in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. The style of music is mostly instrumental and ranges from traditional acoustic guitar blues to very atonal explorations obviously inspired by the work of artists like The Residents. There are several privately released recordings mostly from tapes of live performances credited to The Curable Interns although most are very poorly recorded. Nevertheless, material from these recordings has received airplay since 2002 mostly in Europe, including a “mini-special” on the music of Kenneth Johnston broadcast on Radio Centraal from Belgium in summer 2005. In the 1980s Kenneth Johnston developed a solo act which he performed mostly at regional art galleries. The performances centered around the use of “prepared” guitars to produce ambient music and atmospheric sound effects. (See also Brian Eno, Fred Frith, Derek Bailey). These were instruments – some homemade – that were mechanically modified in some way to NOT sound like a guitar. Rather than rely on electronic devices to alter the sound of an electric guitar, “preparations” such as weaving metal nails between the strings, using a plastic coathanger as a bow, or using extra pickups along the neck of the instrument were used to create exotic sounds. See also Prepared guitar
In 2006 Johnston recorded a cd of his music under the name The High Pink Clouds. The music, much less abrasive than the Curable Interns, and for the most part using conventional guitar tecniques instead of prepared guitar is described as "pink cotton candy like clouds of music floating in the upper atmosphere." Tracks like The Australian Girl and We Are the High Pink Clouds have received a modest amount of airplay mostly on west coast college and public radio stations. A performing ensemble of this project exists that consists of Brian Johnston(Wolf System, Peckernut) on drums, Jeff "Panacan" Walker on bass, vocals, and tuvan-stle throat singing, and Johnston on guitar and synthesizer. While the studio recorded cd owes a lot to ambient/art-rockers BrianEno, Roxy Music, Velvet Underground for its sound, the performing "jazz trio" is much harder edged, with echoes of early King Crimson, Gong, and Frank Zappa.
Recommended recording:
A Texas Travel Guide: The Best of Kenneth Johnston and The Curable Interns Vol. 2
The High Pink Clouds by The High Pink Clouds

Website (external link):
[1092]Curable Interns
[1093] High Pink Clouds