tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196072962024-03-13T16:18:04.545+00:00Fergus Kelly field recording | soundscape composition | invented instruments | improvisation | painting | drawingFergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-63186411850645438792023-05-05T00:00:00.002+01:002023-05-05T00:00:00.138+01:00New solo album<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My latest album, <a href="https://www.roomtemperature.org/p/rtcd20-fergus-kelly-swarm-logic.html"><b>Swarm Logic</b></a>, has just been released.</span> <span style="font-family: arial;">It is available via <a href="https://roomtemperature.bandcamp.com/album/swarm-logic">Bandcamp</a> in digital form, and in a <i>very</i> limited physical edition of <b>25 only</b>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5_v6UTI4UswYzbfJgL9Nz1Darq4od1pi8wfEwixksER0O2glRDA5xWsuymoWvuVJzQiOZxANlh3FMP7pVlUZhLlp8IqDW9y3ijJ37yTsEo0oAIYgmbiHmEt5KdLnSXUB7Oav1U6SKeHqD1vz16lNvx0DTvD0hbVNqSFlcFWJFsQlQfcm1Xo/s2880/RTCD20D-front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2858" data-original-width="2880" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5_v6UTI4UswYzbfJgL9Nz1Darq4od1pi8wfEwixksER0O2glRDA5xWsuymoWvuVJzQiOZxANlh3FMP7pVlUZhLlp8IqDW9y3ijJ37yTsEo0oAIYgmbiHmEt5KdLnSXUB7Oav1U6SKeHqD1vz16lNvx0DTvD0hbVNqSFlcFWJFsQlQfcm1Xo/w400-h398/RTCD20D-front.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4-gdkSCKOdypUKqMpOK5udd1Kkr_A3WOEuyc17ZYT7PmXxVfSPQKGa3SQdSnRSfe68rqki9wMcsDTsu5WLsRGrJrFqqvh-Yxfed5FGr3sy4a2m7g39Ys-xhbNh9KlnQ_UUuR2oDrpgebH0lgjxkYp4dWfU69R1YXnovr7JbMiPBG79bBzJI/s2880/RTCD20D-back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2858" data-original-width="2880" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4-gdkSCKOdypUKqMpOK5udd1Kkr_A3WOEuyc17ZYT7PmXxVfSPQKGa3SQdSnRSfe68rqki9wMcsDTsu5WLsRGrJrFqqvh-Yxfed5FGr3sy4a2m7g39Ys-xhbNh9KlnQ_UUuR2oDrpgebH0lgjxkYp4dWfU69R1YXnovr7JbMiPBG79bBzJI/w400-h398/RTCD20D-back.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><p></p>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-72848718359880592092023-04-30T15:58:00.003+01:002023-04-30T16:03:25.423+01:00Collaborative album on Fort Evil Fruit<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgniA3QdKPG8DvmzijqqUfhzlCnJJ06FfyxDf3_smFf8K6lyctfxDubMk_X1s2EkNAg9K2dIBq7M90y3NZQJhmdziHBPRNeZVdIX_eMNqT0k7XX2NrbMeykKZW8kEi0ovyRgZF5vftOHi-DRHUmHFPvt5MgU9S-prc6-EzSJcdkdWauHay5qgk/s5472/Magnetic%20North-original%20photo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgniA3QdKPG8DvmzijqqUfhzlCnJJ06FfyxDf3_smFf8K6lyctfxDubMk_X1s2EkNAg9K2dIBq7M90y3NZQJhmdziHBPRNeZVdIX_eMNqT0k7XX2NrbMeykKZW8kEi0ovyRgZF5vftOHi-DRHUmHFPvt5MgU9S-prc6-EzSJcdkdWauHay5qgk/w640-h426/Magnetic%20North-original%20photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;">An album with David Lacey, <i>Magnetic North</i>, was recently released by Irish cassette label <a href="https://fortevilfruit.bandcamp.com/album/magnetic-north">Fort Evil Fruit</a></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Fergus Kelly</b>: bowed bass, bowed cymbals, no-input mixer, bowed
steel rods, found metals, electro-magnetic
recordings, bowed car suspension springs, aeolian harp, spinning
top, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gamelan Kjai Jati Roso, </span></span></span>bowed singing bowl, mic/speaker feedback, whirly,
Bow Gamelan Ensemble pyrophones (from Kelly’s recording of ‘<i>In
C And Air</i>’, ICA, London, 6.8.86 – used with kind permission),
<br />
composition and mix.
<br />
<br />
<b>David Lacey</b>: snare, gongs.
<br />
<br />
Composed in Dublin 2022 - 2023.
<br />
<br />
Photo by Fergus Kelly. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"From <span></span>Fergus Kelly, I reviewed various works over the years. He's a percussion player, creating his own instruments and working with electronics. He has recorded with Max Eastley, Mark Wastell and Bruno Duplant and now has a new recording with David Lacey, also a percussionist and someone whose work is reviewed occasionally in Vital Weekly. Kelly and Lacey worked together before (see Vital Weekly 1010). </span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They have a single piece here, 41'14" long, and spread out over the two sides of the cassette. Kelly plays a variety of instruments, "bowed bass, bowed cymbals, no-input mixer, bowed steel rods, found metals, Gamelan Kjai Jati Roso, electro-magnetic recordings, bowed car suspension springs, aeolian harp, spinning top, bowed singing bowl, mic/speaker feedback, whirly, Bow Gamelan Ensemble pyrophones" while Lacey plays the snare and gongs. </span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The snare roll is the primary feature of the music, as it is heard throughout this piece, swelling and fading but a presence nonetheless. Kelly uses that adds his blend of percussion and electronics, which effectively makes the various movements this piece goes through. These rolls indicate the start of multiple sections in each new section, so Kelly rearranges his set-up and plays his dark material into this. </span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></div></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't think this is a gathering of two persons in one room, recording it all in one take, but rather meticulous, mixing various parts. Lots of sustaining sounds from the gong, but also from the uses of bows upon snares, cymbals and gong. Moody and dark music, an excellent work that keeps moving, like the snare rolls, rocking back and forth. Quite intense music, certainly at a loud volume, but it makes the immersion complete." </span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Frans de Waard, <i>Vital Weekly </i><br /></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-1587860685429235112022-12-15T20:37:00.001+00:002022-12-15T20:38:27.485+00:00New album<p> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">My latest album, <a href="https://www.roomtemperature.org/p/rtcd19-fergus-kelly-bunker-emissions.html">Bunker Emissions</a> has just been released. It is available via <a href="https://roomtemperature.bandcamp.com/album/bunker-emissions">Bandcamp</a> in digital form only.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-UvdkbmKoipWwNIohH9jS_CC9YoxGWDFmpltIMfozMPGCZt_OXlMoasbFVRDpeSDYhumwHALAxp6grDtaGTfASE9K5s3hi89XZ3Oj4wHPaWFTinIyOW7-yJAbCAbIwUSveMg__Cid5Uhasn0AuPgmab7JcdjnNxfCRdfkeZJK_9eE4h4U60/s2934/RTCD19-5%20front.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2811" data-original-width="2934" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-UvdkbmKoipWwNIohH9jS_CC9YoxGWDFmpltIMfozMPGCZt_OXlMoasbFVRDpeSDYhumwHALAxp6grDtaGTfASE9K5s3hi89XZ3Oj4wHPaWFTinIyOW7-yJAbCAbIwUSveMg__Cid5Uhasn0AuPgmab7JcdjnNxfCRdfkeZJK_9eE4h4U60/w400-h384/RTCD19-5%20front.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaIMjDSlVqhvOBgvllTzma-574a0bg3OmAqHGSj3eJDpUapsMUujL2VtrFkFcrZ9UFGlOkvS4vbweRsjfzIQWvyOGxg0Jf3bxZKrOBYqdwd1qcqPJo-jeKxYRoGcFaUJMT0WQWQ8245JNXbBE4y0aYpL29kUd8YnosxzR_A3M0OLzhGoePPM/s2925/RTCD19-5%20back.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2811" data-original-width="2925" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaIMjDSlVqhvOBgvllTzma-574a0bg3OmAqHGSj3eJDpUapsMUujL2VtrFkFcrZ9UFGlOkvS4vbweRsjfzIQWvyOGxg0Jf3bxZKrOBYqdwd1qcqPJo-jeKxYRoGcFaUJMT0WQWQ8245JNXbBE4y0aYpL29kUd8YnosxzR_A3M0OLzhGoePPM/w400-h385/RTCD19-5%20back.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-61972049214099290532022-05-02T17:17:00.002+01:002022-05-02T17:54:47.178+01:00Book of drawings<p><span style="font-size: large;">Room Temperature is very proud to announce its first printed publication in the form of a 36 page book of recent drawings, <i><a href="https://www.roomtemperature.org/p/rtb1-fergus-kelly-imaginary-geographies.html">Imaginary Geographies</a> </i>in a limited edition of 50 only.<i> </i>This is a collection of 10 drawings made between 2019 and 2021. The book contains a 4,000 word essay, <i>Metallic Blue Turned Red With Rust </i>(only available in printed form) and 20 archive photos of Dublin in the 90s.</span></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdaVZswf0xVvkg2X2pBhiw-r35BriDWDDPYnOwsycVAhaBcBIwviMLw0fd7jGSjClvgtdigWoT1i2-5M_vzaSyUzFFwHgADgmNs-byI3NXo3Jwgjor2DDetiiS5mbUHLQyoLmgo09WPg9Zz2YphNQPB98YL2Al2S4OPxsoLfheJm7nWGzqu8/s4032/20220414_144657.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdaVZswf0xVvkg2X2pBhiw-r35BriDWDDPYnOwsycVAhaBcBIwviMLw0fd7jGSjClvgtdigWoT1i2-5M_vzaSyUzFFwHgADgmNs-byI3NXo3Jwgjor2DDetiiS5mbUHLQyoLmgo09WPg9Zz2YphNQPB98YL2Al2S4OPxsoLfheJm7nWGzqu8/w640-h360/20220414_144657.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-21867434043534469552021-10-30T09:32:00.000+01:002021-10-30T09:32:41.149+01:00Everybody Hears The Hum At 3am<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HlD_LsCOkZg/YX0CDxrPnXI/AAAAAAAACyU/INnAgiGd5Oc6nk1RSjUxYQL9G90_luZ2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/78-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1869" data-original-width="2048" height="584" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HlD_LsCOkZg/YX0CDxrPnXI/AAAAAAAACyU/INnAgiGd5Oc6nk1RSjUxYQL9G90_luZ2gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h584/78-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I recently wrote an essay for A Sound Map Of Dunloaghaire, <a href="http://www.dunlaoghairesoundmap.com/sound-journal.html"><i>Everybody Hears The Hum At 3am - Sound Marks, Memory Prompts and Possible Futures</i></a>, <span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto">reflecting on the sonic landmarks and associated memories of my younger days.</span></span></span></p>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-32266458924938003592021-06-21T00:42:00.004+01:002021-06-21T00:42:49.530+01:00New album<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">My latest album, <a href="https://www.roomtemperature.org/p/rtcd18-fergus-kelly-plate-spinning.html">Plate Spinning</a>, has just been released. It is available via <a href="https://roomtemperature.bandcamp.com/album/plate-spinning">Bandcamp</a> in digital form, and in a <i>very</i> limited physical edition of <b>25 only</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ihvTo_OzQJU/YM-S3jKQMxI/AAAAAAAACus/b7PhIIQd3OoSyQJrNd7fQ1XmsMv4gmjAgCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/RTCD18-front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1964" data-original-width="2048" height="384" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ihvTo_OzQJU/YM-S3jKQMxI/AAAAAAAACus/b7PhIIQd3OoSyQJrNd7fQ1XmsMv4gmjAgCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h384/RTCD18-front.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jJzSm5o3Lek/YM-h08-s42I/AAAAAAAACwo/ENKwBqCvFSI-OJGLpFalXIrPWnoSDXv8QCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/RTCD18%2Bback-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2017" data-original-width="2048" height="394" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jJzSm5o3Lek/YM-h08-s42I/AAAAAAAACwo/ENKwBqCvFSI-OJGLpFalXIrPWnoSDXv8QCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h394/RTCD18%2Bback-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-88344783116064162862021-02-27T11:41:00.003+00:002021-02-27T21:27:32.659+00:00Dirty Blue Cheeseburger<div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iGmBSCvyu28/YDovWX5lmJI/AAAAAAAACro/7yQcM1jqlWwD0B915FDHCbvVlvcZTsjkACLcBGAsYHQ/s595/PPP-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="595" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iGmBSCvyu28/YDovWX5lmJI/AAAAAAAACro/7yQcM1jqlWwD0B915FDHCbvVlvcZTsjkACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h424/PPP-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div>I've put together a playlist of all the 139 song fragments used in my recent post-punk tribute, <a href="https://www.roomtemperature.org/p/post-punk.html">Dirt Behind The Daydream</a>. It was fun putting the piece together (lots of work too, of course - best part of a month in total). Only a fraction of the over 1500 edits were used in the final piece. Some only about a second long.. I think I did manage to capture that post-punk spirit of experimentation and DIY.</div><br /><br />Like the other tributes, some unintentionally uncanny moments: after The Fall's Mark E. Smith says "Friday.." early in the piece, I realised that the Associates song just before it was called <i>Tell Me Easter's On Friday</i>... The Fall track is called <i>Gramme Friday</i>. Various melodies from different songs coalescing in surprisingly tuneful ways.. especially when a moment of Joy Division's <i>24 Hours</i> is superimposed with The Fall's <i>Kicker Conspiracy</i> - Hooky's bass harmonising with Hanley's ! Hugo Burnham's muscular, inventive drumming on Gang Of Four's <i>Cheeseburger</i> accompanied by Captain Beefheart's <i>Dirty Blue Gene</i> is another favourite among too many to mention.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_hEPT0rsigk/YDomi9ZoYZI/AAAAAAAACrA/6v9Cp2EluQ0_JrQvLjuKpqoM-ftvsfSUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DBTD%2Bnotes-1%2Bcopy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1876" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_hEPT0rsigk/YDomi9ZoYZI/AAAAAAAACrA/6v9Cp2EluQ0_JrQvLjuKpqoM-ftvsfSUgCLcBGAsYHQ/w293-h320/DBTD%2Bnotes-1%2Bcopy.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Initial notes/ideas Nov/Dec 2020</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MYryHQDCvw8/YDonbBpuFvI/AAAAAAAACrI/zcyZLY4yvo8jDotmDecFkbhvWEbgcVwOACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DBTD%2Bnotes-2%2Bcopy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1386" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MYryHQDCvw8/YDonbBpuFvI/AAAAAAAACrI/zcyZLY4yvo8jDotmDecFkbhvWEbgcVwOACLcBGAsYHQ/w271-h400/DBTD%2Bnotes-2%2Bcopy.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Edit list with working title, <i>Post-Punk Pearls, </i>Jan 2021<i>.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>PLAYLIST:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><div><b>23 Skidoo</b>:</div></b><br /><i>Porno Bass<br />Mary's Operation<br />Vegas El Bandito<br />Quiet Pillage<br />Last Words</i><br /><br /><b>A Certain Ratio</b>:<br /><br /><i>Abracadubra<br />Waterline</i><br /><br /><b>Associates</b>:<br /><br /><i>Kitchen Person<br />Tell Me Easter's On Friday<br />The Associate</i><br /><br /><b>Au Pairs</b>:<br /><br /><i>Set Up<br />Pretty Boys<br />Headache For Michelle<br />Love Song<br />Unfinished Business<br /></i><br /><b>Black Uhuru</b>:<br /><br /><i>Shine Eye Gal</i><br /><br /><b>Buzzcocks</b>:<br /><br /><i>No Reply<br />Nothing Left</i><br /><br /><b>Captain Beefheart</b>:<br /><br /><i>Dirty Blue Gene<br />Best Batch Yet<br />Run Paint Run Run<br />Sue Egypt<br />Hot Head<br />Sheriff Of Hong Kong<br /></i><br /><b>Cabaret Voltaire</b>:<br /><br /><i>Silent Command<br />A Thousand Ways<br />Red Mask<br />Touch Of Evil<br />Jazz The Glass<br />Landslide<br /></i><br /><b>Clash</b>:<br /><br /><i>Janie Jones<br />Career Opportunities</i><br /><br /><b>DNA</b>:<br /><br /><i>Lying On The Sofa Of Life<br />32123</i><br /><br /><b>Dome</b>:<br /><br /><i>Cruel When Complete<br />Breathsteps<br />The Red Tent</i><br /><br /><b>Ian Dury</b>:<br /><br /><i>Sweet Gene Vincent<br />Blackmail Man<br />If I Was With A Woman<br />My Old Man<br />Reasons To Be Cheerful<br />Clevor Trever<br />What A Waste<br />Inbetweenies<br />Blockheads<br />Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll<br /></i><br /><b>Eyeless In Gaza</b>:<br /><br /><i>Three Kittens<br />Dreaming At Rain<br />Before You Go</i><br /><br /><br /><b>The Fall</b>:<br /><br /><i>Frightened<br />Gramme Friday<br />Music Scene<br />Live At The Witch Trials<br />Two Steps Back<br />US 80s-90s<br />Kicker Conspiracy<br /></i><br /><b>Flying Lizards</b>:<br /><br /><i>Another Story<br />Cirrus</i><br /><br /><b>Gang Of Four</b>:<br /><br /><i>Cheeseburger<br />Not Great Men<br />If I Could Keep It For Myself<br />Glass<br />Ether<br />Paralyzed<br />Anthrax</i></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Bruce Gilbert/Graham Lewis/Russell Mills:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i>Extracts from</i><b> MZUI </b><i>album</i><br /><br /><b>Joy Division</b>:<br /><br /><i>The Only Mistake<br />Atrocity Exhibition<br />Wilderness<br />Day Of The Lords<br />New Dawn Fades<br />Autosuggestion<br />Isolation<br />24 Hours<br />Disorder<br /></i><br /><b>Ludus</b>:<br /><br /><i>The Escape Artist<br />Unveil<br />Box<br />Sightseeing</i><br /><br /><b>Magazine</b>:<br /><br /><i>The Light Pours Out Of Me<br />My Tulpa<br />Feed The Enemy<br />Cut-Out Shapes<br />The Thin Air<br />Stuck<br />Because You're Frightened</i><br /><br /><b>Pere Ubu</b>:<br /><br /><i>The Modern Dance<br />Life Stinks<br />Heart Of Darkness<br />Over My Head<br />Sentimental Journey<br />Non-Alignment Pact<br /></i><br /><b>PiL</b>:<br /><br /><i>Theme<br />Bad Baby<br />Annalisa<br />The Suit</i><br /><br /><b>Pop Group</b>:<br /><br /><i>Trap<br />There Are No Spectators<br />Don't Call Me Pain<br />Don't Sell Your Dreams<br />Thief Of Fire<br />Blind Faith<br />Amnesty Report<br />She Is Beyond Good And Evil<br />How Much Longer<br /></i><br /><b>Rip, Rig & Panic</b>:<br /><br /><i>Need (De School You)<br />Those Eskimo Women Speak Frankly<br /></i><br /><b>Slits</b>:<br /><br /><i>Newtown<br />Ping Pong Affair<br />Instant Hit<br />Shoplifting</i><br /><br /><b>Steel Pulse</b>:<br /><br /><i>Handsworth Revolution</i><br /><br /><b>Stephen Mallinder</b>:<br /><br /><i>Temperature Drop</i><br /><br /><b>Talking Heads</b>:<br /><br /><i>Warning Sign<br />I Zimbra<br />Drugs<br />Stay Hungry</i><br /><br /><b>Television</b>:<br /><br /><i>Marquee Moon</i><br /><br /><b>This Heat</b>:<br /><br /><i>Triumph</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i>Horizontal Hold<br />Music Like Escaping Gas<br />Independence<br />24 Track Loop<br />Paper Hats<br />A New Kind Of Water<br /></i><br /><b>Ultravox</b>:<br /><br /><i>Saturday Night In The City Of The Dead<br />Distant Smile<br /></i><br /><b>Virgin Prunes</b>:<br /><br /><i>Sandpaper Lullaby<br />Abigail<br />Sad World<br />No Birds To Fly</i><br /><br /><b>Wire</b>:<br /><br /><i>12XU<br />Former Airline<br />Once Is Enough<br />Mercy<br />Reuters<br />Too Late</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span><div><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SQFo7xXTY44/YDosrhwO66I/AAAAAAAACrY/1JErs4rT_b4bJSb76gKbA_GKBoHoyTpmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s549/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-02-02%2Bat%2B15.40.10.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="549" height="346" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SQFo7xXTY44/YDosrhwO66I/AAAAAAAACrY/1JErs4rT_b4bJSb76gKbA_GKBoHoyTpmwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h346/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-02-02%2Bat%2B15.40.10.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">White Noise In My Old Man's White Room</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4JqkTvNez4/YDotJ2q8aVI/AAAAAAAACrg/Q9bk4z9O0pUTecxHBlgaUw76FF8c8ZWLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s911/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-02-02%2Bat%2B15.45.41.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="911" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4JqkTvNez4/YDotJ2q8aVI/AAAAAAAACrg/Q9bk4z9O0pUTecxHBlgaUw76FF8c8ZWLQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h512/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-02-02%2Bat%2B15.45.41.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It's a no-man's land in the Forbidden City</span></div><div><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p></div></div></div>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-56037349144668647842021-02-05T17:45:00.004+00:002021-02-05T17:55:56.708+00:00Dirt Behind The Daydream<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gMMQsKthDKc/YB2Fu9EFaYI/AAAAAAAACpI/nsmiislOGQw-6leE0CqleziQstCJHamaACLcBGAsYHQ/s595/PPP-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="595" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gMMQsKthDKc/YB2Fu9EFaYI/AAAAAAAACpI/nsmiislOGQw-6leE0CqleziQstCJHamaACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h424/PPP-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">It's 5.45pm, so time to reveal the fruits of my recent labours. 5.45 was the time Andy Gill once mentioned the 'red spot in the egg' which confused me (I've never seen any red spot Andy, watcha tawkin' abaht ?). I've done another <a href="https://www.roomtemperature.org/p/post-punk.html">tribute piece</a>, even though I'd kind of decided I wasn't going to do any more after spending two and a half months on the Bowie one last year. However, this one's not about any band or singers but rather an entire clutch of bands and singers in my attempt to capture the spirit of post-punk and the excitement of first hearing it as a teenager. I've built a plunderphonic pot-pourri of forensically scalpeled song segments, sliced and diced and overlaid in surprising new configurations, moving swiftly via various tempo matches and shifts and uncanny harmonies with disparate melodies. It's post-punk pinball, bouncing manically between multiple points along the '77 - '81 timeline.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-59938849794209876412020-12-23T20:49:00.001+00:002020-12-23T20:50:40.662+00:00Deeper into the archive<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Digitized slide film photos of a performance in Dunlaoghaire School of Art & Design (DLSAD, now IADT) courtyard, 12.5.86, with fellow students, Ian Conroy, Sean Kelleghan and Ken Hardy. A somewhat shambolic affair despite a few rehearsals of a sort in the basement of the derelict remains of the yet-to-be-developed 'old building' as we used to call it (a former training centre for Christian Novitiates). Rain came down at one point but didn't didn't stop play. There is a recording but it's not great quality due to wind and rain on the mic, and not particularly great playing as I remember it.</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gTq5oXgW-co/X-OrYDfuU9I/AAAAAAAACmI/xQpk0PXBWEUxblXEvqWEVV2H0bKBAy1UQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/UG-poster.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gTq5oXgW-co/X-OrYDfuU9I/AAAAAAAACmI/xQpk0PXBWEUxblXEvqWEVV2H0bKBAy1UQCLcBGAsYHQ/w452-h640/UG-poster.jpeg" width="452" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQKCU7gVQBw/X-OrjrFy5wI/AAAAAAAACmQ/46LGQi0EiKkxUoPbNxIVcq88_ez1OtDdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/UG-1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1412" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQKCU7gVQBw/X-OrjrFy5wI/AAAAAAAACmQ/46LGQi0EiKkxUoPbNxIVcq88_ez1OtDdQCLcBGAsYHQ/w442-h640/UG-1.jpeg" width="442" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H0PVuL6Clqc/X-Or8FV3hfI/AAAAAAAACnE/OVG6VtHFEiIe2vZmHWRoNg9Rida905vQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/UG-1A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1421" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H0PVuL6Clqc/X-Or8FV3hfI/AAAAAAAACnE/OVG6VtHFEiIe2vZmHWRoNg9Rida905vQgCLcBGAsYHQ/w444-h640/UG-1A.jpeg" width="444" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tuy8JY9T9Xs/X-Or8cI2evI/AAAAAAAACnI/xl-1WygenLooN3ifYXYnPfORDyZ6HAvkACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/UG-2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1395" data-original-width="2048" height="436" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tuy8JY9T9Xs/X-Or8cI2evI/AAAAAAAACnI/xl-1WygenLooN3ifYXYnPfORDyZ6HAvkACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h436/UG-2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XYXIegHcziI/X-OsCdrBkLI/AAAAAAAACnM/aoUWlzZOa3URP0MCjhx2J8FDrFT5WVzNACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/UG-3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1399" data-original-width="2048" height="438" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XYXIegHcziI/X-OsCdrBkLI/AAAAAAAACnM/aoUWlzZOa3URP0MCjhx2J8FDrFT5WVzNACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h438/UG-3.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-38vhRAKz8MY/X-OsDOtKNyI/AAAAAAAACnQ/7zC2QAYPWdIf27GXKgR1yOaQpw2-z6QWACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/UG-4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="2048" height="438" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-38vhRAKz8MY/X-OsDOtKNyI/AAAAAAAACnQ/7zC2QAYPWdIf27GXKgR1yOaQpw2-z6QWACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h438/UG-4.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f5jry3y5qTA/X-OsDopVfuI/AAAAAAAACnc/nrO0sKCrYmsy3f0IozohWLF11Pw47GwBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/UG-5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1396" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f5jry3y5qTA/X-OsDopVfuI/AAAAAAAACnc/nrO0sKCrYmsy3f0IozohWLF11Pw47GwBQCLcBGAsYHQ/w436-h640/UG-5.jpeg" width="436" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1349" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QfLmupnp1m4/X-OsLVlLIpI/AAAAAAAACns/8QQHaE9a65AvXc1S6k8VrJuX4UWDXC8ZQCLcBGAsYHQ/w422-h640/UG-8.jpeg" width="422" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-noHuh7etSlE/X-OsM3RmbYI/AAAAAAAACnw/F8foJCHzm4one_7kWJPHmUK_ud1LncY1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/UG-9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1355" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-noHuh7etSlE/X-OsM3RmbYI/AAAAAAAACnw/F8foJCHzm4one_7kWJPHmUK_ud1LncY1ACLcBGAsYHQ/w424-h640/UG-9.jpeg" width="424" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QpcEij2_n5M/X-OrjOuAvMI/AAAAAAAACmM/spUJc7XdaXw_VCPNLP2kWfBq8GQ3OX7cACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/UG-10.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QpcEij2_n5M/X-OrjOuAvMI/AAAAAAAACmM/spUJc7XdaXw_VCPNLP2kWfBq8GQ3OX7cACLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/UG-10.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rykArwRnQpY/X-OrzQBG8WI/AAAAAAAACmw/9EQm85YqWHcBcqCkUMMqZqTNH_tXZHeBACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/UG-16.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="2048" height="438" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rykArwRnQpY/X-OrzQBG8WI/AAAAAAAACmw/9EQm85YqWHcBcqCkUMMqZqTNH_tXZHeBACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h438/UG-16.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LsmsBI_Rtyk/X-Orz5CAVvI/AAAAAAAACm0/OsyjyxP0mXc3KqrCJPDCIDr4KDDWLSu1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/UG-17.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1399" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LsmsBI_Rtyk/X-Orz5CAVvI/AAAAAAAACm0/OsyjyxP0mXc3KqrCJPDCIDr4KDDWLSu1ACLcBGAsYHQ/w438-h640/UG-17.jpeg" width="438" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6El0pE-CWCc/X-Or1n73k8I/AAAAAAAACm4/Um3l8dlMxXQpeU7DqfBAQVieL-02PL0iQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/UG-18.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="2048" height="438" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6El0pE-CWCc/X-Or1n73k8I/AAAAAAAACm4/Um3l8dlMxXQpeU7DqfBAQVieL-02PL0iQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h438/UG-18.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-okNX-ZJAWzs/X-Or7RlkixI/AAAAAAAACnA/ZIqhEtfdjpA7PpDmm0Jw50-UWYKKowTVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/UG-19.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1412" data-original-width="2048" height="442" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-okNX-ZJAWzs/X-Or7RlkixI/AAAAAAAACnA/ZIqhEtfdjpA7PpDmm0Jw50-UWYKKowTVgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h442/UG-19.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Photos by Sheila Gorman</span></p>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-72615188215194546412020-11-26T20:01:00.003+00:002020-12-02T23:34:00.393+00:00Disinterred from the deep vaults<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rooting around the archive recently and gave this a spin for the first time in a very long time and was pleasantly surprised.. decent quality, and the playing ain't 'alf bad either. Improvised performance for my DLSAD (IADT) graduate show opening in 1987 with local friend and bass player Michael Mullen (who went on to play with Dublin bands </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Tension</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> and </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Wheel</b><span style="font-family: arial;">). I made these contraptions with salvaged metals that were crudely welded together. They use a mixture of hubcaps and other small metals, flat steel, oil drums, car suspension springs and beer barrels which have been sliced in half and hung from a scaffold (heard at end of performance). These were purloined under cover of darkness from a nearby watering hole and set to the next day with an angle grinder. I still have them. I had seen the </span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/55867717@N00/albums/42660" style="font-family: arial;">Bow Gamelan</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> perform with Bob Cobbing at the ICA in London the previous summer and was completely fired up on my return and wanted to explore metals in a similar manner. I was also taking a leaf or two out of the work of Test Dept., Einsturzende Neubauten, Tools You Can Trust and z'ev, whose music I found exciting and inspiring.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/936673780&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/fergus-kelly-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Fergus Kelly">Fergus Kelly</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fergus-kelly-4/dlsad-duo-17687" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="DLSAD Duo 17.6.87">DLSAD Duo 17.6.87</a></div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><br /></div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cSOY69jj1lw/X8gkIAtB8QI/AAAAAAAAClc/2eQQO0nnlAw2f7_sBIjIIdqUMzOW6v8qwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2749copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kIMzIcSwa4k/X8gKm2BjgCI/AAAAAAAAClQ/j3MbW77BaOkxJfHLFR0Z-LTi6mrI7A8oQCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/percduo-6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="2048" height="613" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kIMzIcSwa4k/X8gKm2BjgCI/AAAAAAAAClQ/j3MbW77BaOkxJfHLFR0Z-LTi6mrI7A8oQCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h613/percduo-6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H6PGXvF83KI/X8gKekZoQYI/AAAAAAAAClE/5pUlOEkVDf0XyZhlVQLLf6xiBqiO27gSgCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/percduo-14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1469" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H6PGXvF83KI/X8gKekZoQYI/AAAAAAAAClE/5pUlOEkVDf0XyZhlVQLLf6xiBqiO27gSgCPcBGAYYCw/w461-h640/percduo-14.jpg" width="461" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bBqHt6UC_GI/X8gKh74vBGI/AAAAAAAACkc/SvVtEMqFoS8gJKpdyc3lDChGw7OkhavNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/percduo-15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1357" data-original-width="2048" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bBqHt6UC_GI/X8gKh74vBGI/AAAAAAAACkc/SvVtEMqFoS8gJKpdyc3lDChGw7OkhavNwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h424/percduo-15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Photos by Sheila Gorman</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-63023835707059002712020-11-11T00:00:00.001+00:002020-11-11T00:00:13.954+00:00Another new album<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">My latest album <a href="https://www.roomtemperature.org/p/rtcd17-fergus-kelly-unsound-fictions.html"><i>Unsound Fictions</i></a>, has just been released. It is available via <a href="https://roomtemperature.bandcamp.com/album/unsound-fictions">Bandcamp</a> in digital form, and in a very limited artist's physical edition of 25 only, with unique cover and on-body artwork.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tbNgguB37ZA/X6sNOgi33KI/AAAAAAAACfo/pXccCYJEw4wiIXFGELBednjU7rcSL9QtACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/Unsound%2BFictions-front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1986" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tbNgguB37ZA/X6sNOgi33KI/AAAAAAAACfo/pXccCYJEw4wiIXFGELBednjU7rcSL9QtACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Unsound%2BFictions-front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvITk7Zz7bY/X6sNRHBpWGI/AAAAAAAACfs/FmgXyj2GZ-gz3MHtUOa5pHQmg0xVyVbiACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/Unsound%2BFictions-back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1983" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvITk7Zz7bY/X6sNRHBpWGI/AAAAAAAACfs/FmgXyj2GZ-gz3MHtUOa5pHQmg0xVyVbiACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Unsound%2BFictions-back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dMLprU-tFe4/X6sQta-QDfI/AAAAAAAACgg/3EjXmdNLvCEVFrDpkjB18Q51PwYBC9BmgCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/RTCD17%2Bpack%2Bshot-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1517" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dMLprU-tFe4/X6sQta-QDfI/AAAAAAAACgg/3EjXmdNLvCEVFrDpkjB18Q51PwYBC9BmgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/RTCD17%2Bpack%2Bshot-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yjvVD4GPWaI/X6sQsp4QUAI/AAAAAAAACgc/Xiiayy9jDwwfjJkYEQZv7_dif2eVHxTwACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/RTCD17%2Bpack%2Bshot-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1555" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yjvVD4GPWaI/X6sQsp4QUAI/AAAAAAAACgc/Xiiayy9jDwwfjJkYEQZv7_dif2eVHxTwACPcBGAYYCw/s320/RTCD17%2Bpack%2Bshot-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DBLMszSyzRk/X6sQtX_YnHI/AAAAAAAACgk/AblVaUwQo-82Mw2vQ0IlIYCCvAxODNpDACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/RTCD17%2Bpack%2Bshot-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1613" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DBLMszSyzRk/X6sQtX_YnHI/AAAAAAAACgk/AblVaUwQo-82Mw2vQ0IlIYCCvAxODNpDACPcBGAYYCw/s320/RTCD17%2Bpack%2Bshot-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-802415615421855612020-09-27T00:00:00.000+01:002020-09-27T09:04:41.557+01:00Spectral Vectors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fIE-L2fHRlg/X2_Xbq1MmoI/AAAAAAAACew/8QK1u5lUSl0XdFvVrF1eNNaEs44LXYO9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Chelsea%2BWharf.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="1024" height="259" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fIE-L2fHRlg/X2_Xbq1MmoI/AAAAAAAACew/8QK1u5lUSl0XdFvVrF1eNNaEs44LXYO9QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h259/Chelsea%2BWharf.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Chelsea Wharf, August 1986</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uRkF6rIXJqg/X2_XjcXjC9I/AAAAAAAACe0/DKKVP65XRwoYCprVfIVzX4PlfbmQ8C8-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s828/Rainham%2BMarshes.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="828" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uRkF6rIXJqg/X2_XjcXjC9I/AAAAAAAACe0/DKKVP65XRwoYCprVfIVzX4PlfbmQ8C8-ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h268/Rainham%2BMarshes.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rainham Marshes, April 2017</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div><br /></div><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/894362131&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/fergus-kelly-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Fergus Kelly">Fergus Kelly</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fergus-kelly-4/spectral-vectors" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Spectral Vectors">Spectral Vectors</a></div><br /><i><br /> </i></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i>Spectral Vectors</i> was created for <i>Come Hell Or High Water</i>, a monthly series of live events on the Thames foreshore at Poplar, organised by Anne Bean, Hayley Newman, Harriet Latham and others. It takes as its starting point the idea of ghosts of the Thames; river revenants in the form of lost sounds of previous times from the river's busier industrial past, such as ship's horns, tugboat horns, foghorns and other industrial sounds.<br /><br />Expanding on this theme, the idea of things lost/buried/hidden/removed came to mind. Documentary radio footage relating to sunken unexploded WWII ordnance and tragic drowning was combined with recent field recordings of mine made with contact mics attached to cabling beneath Millenium Bridge at St. Paul's, amplifying sounds hidden to the naked ear, when the bridge is animated by foot traffic, wind coursing through it and sun warming it.<br /><br />Hydrophone recordings also capture hidden sounds – various vessels passing, sounding thin and insubstantial as wind-up bath toys from a submarine perspective. Delving deeper, recordings made inside Greenwich foot tunnel feature; resonant metallic sounds buried beneath the river itself echo along the tunnel's length.<br /><br />Municipal greed and acts of resistance also form part of the documentary material with Bob Hoskins enlightening Barry Norman in 1982 about various development scams along the river, Malcolm MacLaren talking about the Sex Pistols' 1977 riverboat gig, and riverboat men going on strike. This footage is animated by the addition of lost ship's horns, populating the river with a lively, boisterous presence.<br /><br />My first forays into field recording began whilst on summer work in the 1980s, when I bought a secondhand recording walkman, and my first recordings were made on the Thames at Vauxhall, capturing, amongst many things on a busy summer river, the sound of a speedboat whizzing past, dopplering downriver. This can be heard later in the piece, just after Hoskins says, “...regenerating the river.. bringing it back to life..making it a playground for the wealthy.”<br /><br />The piece ends with recordings I made on a visit to Rainham Marshes in Essex in 2017, as the pace slows down and distant perspectives come into view. Sounds from the far shore can be heard, lending a widescreen feel, with the low hum of industrial barges drifting languidly past. Larks enter the frame, endlessly improvising metres above me as I sit on landfill overlooking the Thames estuary, while pigeons flap busily around the concrete barges, sounding like distant handclaps.<br /><br />These concrete barges were the site of a particularly memorable TV appearance by Bow Gamelan (on Channel 4's Alter Image in 1986), playing on and in the barges and in advancing tides (up to their necks at one point). Invoking the spirits of Paul Burwell and z'ev, whose ashes are scattered in the Thames, I improvised on a large cylindrical metal item on site near the barges. An extract from this enters low in the mix, panning back and forth across the stereo field, before quietly exiting.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cSQtQ4fFNtk" width="560"></iframe></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The main intention of my trip to the barges was to record myself improvising inside them. Traveling out from Battersea, I timed my visit at low tide. Despite this however, the exposed ground around the barges was way too treacherous to negotiate; I would've sunk up to my knees in squelchy sand. So near and yet so far...<br /><br />The piece opens with a pitch-shifted combination of older ship's horns and foghorns, which hove into view, as though summoned from the depths. These reappear to close out the piece, very low in the mix, as though already departing and quite distant; sinking back into the depths.<br /><br />In memoriam:<br /><br />Paul Burwell 1949 – 2007<br /><br />z'ev 1951 – 2017<br /><br />Many thanks to <a href="https://www.soundsurvey.org.uk/" target="_blank">Ian Rawes</a> for directing me towards freely available and immensely valuable BBC archive recordings.<br /><br />The piece is freely downloadable for transfer to other listening media.</span></div>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-58078190894504078612020-09-20T15:00:00.002+01:002020-09-20T15:05:57.534+01:00The Shining (1980)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sQh5IyKWJZ8/X2dfx0IC84I/AAAAAAAACek/t973_-aIemk7LghsLHnH6eVE_2EJ0CL4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s695/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B14.07.03.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="695" height="276" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sQh5IyKWJZ8/X2dfx0IC84I/AAAAAAAACek/t973_-aIemk7LghsLHnH6eVE_2EJ0CL4wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h276/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B14.07.03.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--S2IomB6QxI/X2dYiOxcmSI/AAAAAAAACd0/qgK6-mknpYcWcB-IlqLiKs-0XNF6ILqTACPcBGAYYCw/s560/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.52.27.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="560" height="293" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--S2IomB6QxI/X2dYiOxcmSI/AAAAAAAACd0/qgK6-mknpYcWcB-IlqLiKs-0XNF6ILqTACPcBGAYYCw/w400-h293/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.52.27.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br />It'd been quite a while since I'd seen <i>The Shining</i> on the big screen, so I went to a show in The Lighthouse last Halloween, and was surprised to find that they were showing the longer version (about a half hour longer than the 'European' version). It's also a restored version, and it does look and sound really fresh.<br /><br />With one or two exceptions, I'm really not sure what the longer edit brings. It throws the pacing later on when things are really kicking off, the rhythm falters, I found. The scene with Wendy thinking aloud about how to sort getting the Sno-Cat mobilised felt utterly superfluous.<br /><br />Another scene where she's running down the corridors brandishing the knife and encounters a seated bunch of cobwebbed skeletons just feels like something out of a different film. This is also the scene of one of the more darkly comic moments when a man in dinner attire with colossal head wound declares, "Great party, isn't it ?"</span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZoJtbHQEZkc/X2ddQ87d4bI/AAAAAAAACeM/Y42fV8JiKs8B3vCWoOQlCEGBbFwVqueRwCPcBGAYYCw/s638/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.53.09.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="638" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZoJtbHQEZkc/X2ddQ87d4bI/AAAAAAAACeM/Y42fV8JiKs8B3vCWoOQlCEGBbFwVqueRwCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h286/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.53.09.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PajFESeU-6U/X2dYkmAd7oI/AAAAAAAACeA/2BAbIhz3vV8Nry4Xbc0duBA44L9BYZa2ACPcBGAYYCw/s693/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.56.58.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="693" height="249" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PajFESeU-6U/X2dYkmAd7oI/AAAAAAAACeA/2BAbIhz3vV8Nry4Xbc0duBA44L9BYZa2ACPcBGAYYCw/w400-h249/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.56.58.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br />Another scene with Wendy prepping food with a portable TV nearby with a news item about a search for a missing woman, and approaching snow storm really don't add anything, as is also the case with Hallorann's return scenes of asking the air hostess what time they land, and ringing a station mechanic just feel completely superfluous.<br /><br />There is a scene with Wendy and Danny watching a film on TV (which isn't plugged in - this is a ghost story after all). Of course, being Kubrick, it's not just any old film, but an early 70s film called <i>Summer Of '42</i>, about a seemingly idealised memory of a sexual encounter between a teenager and an older woman, after which his life is irrevocably changed. Hints possibly at inappropriate relationships between one or other parent and Danny ?<br /><br />Also, we are into <i>Room 237</i> territory here, and forensic dissections of certain scenes hidden layers - in this case the number 42, which appears elsewhere, though you'd be hard pressed to find it, which apparently relates to 1942 and the Nazi's ant-Jewish pogrom 'Kristallnacht'. The Indian burial grounds on which the Overlook is built have been made pretty clear early on, so the idea of further references to cultural oppression seem perhaps.. a bit overdone ?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_q8pT674Fw/X2dYjuDMEVI/AAAAAAAACd0/i4950aHDCvoZukXogf6m-sUiiK_IZXS6QCPcBGAYYCw/s638/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.53.52.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="638" height="323" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_q8pT674Fw/X2dYjuDMEVI/AAAAAAAACd0/i4950aHDCvoZukXogf6m-sUiiK_IZXS6QCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h323/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.53.52.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sSO9sxtCN5I/X2ddVAm0ZxI/AAAAAAAACeY/__2Oq9LyV-cSaDvAjfWWjb9K21bo4lwIwCPcBGAYYCw/s662/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.59.27.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="526" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sSO9sxtCN5I/X2ddVAm0ZxI/AAAAAAAACeY/__2Oq9LyV-cSaDvAjfWWjb9K21bo4lwIwCPcBGAYYCw/w318-h400/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.59.27.png" width="318" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I still think 6 year old Danny Lloyd is remarkable. Apparently they were able somehow to film all his scenes without him realising he was in a horror film. He retired from acting at the age of 10 after appearing in TV film. He's now a biology professor.<br /><br />One scene in the longer version which does work for me is the doctor's visit to Danny early on, and the grim revelation of Jack's dislocation of Danny's shoulder in a drunken rage, which Wendy tries rather pathetically to pass off as "just one of those things". The doctors expression just seems to scream "He what ? He dislocated his shoulder ?? How the fuck did he manage that ?? Just what the fuck is going on here ??". Though perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this scene is the lack of any follow-up check-ups.. but then stranded incommunicado in the Overlook for 6 months is really going to work wonders for the Danny's PTSD, isn't it ? No other kids to play with, taken out of school for a ridiculous length of time..<br /><br />I really like the early scenes with Scatman Crothers (who plays Hallorann), he just oozes personality. I love the way he pronounces the word 'toast' with that slight ringing sibilance on the s. I also really like the scenes with Joe Turkel ("your money's no good here. Orders from the house"). He's so utterly deadpan and sinister, especially when lit from underneath and with the white bar light directly behind him.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1vf1TAN1TSc/X2ddZM3UdgI/AAAAAAAACec/6MrpDwk3evwPd0DtO8tHR_WyLk2E5cSkgCPcBGAYYCw/s697/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B14.05.31.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="697" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1vf1TAN1TSc/X2ddZM3UdgI/AAAAAAAACec/6MrpDwk3evwPd0DtO8tHR_WyLk2E5cSkgCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h283/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B14.05.31.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E5KsQEAIYZo/X2dYkRW7AiI/AAAAAAAACeE/KoesHlqaP2M8DVwZk8cqJLn2dJQ4XdcXACPcBGAYYCw/s638/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.55.03.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="638" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E5KsQEAIYZo/X2dYkRW7AiI/AAAAAAAACeE/KoesHlqaP2M8DVwZk8cqJLn2dJQ4XdcXACPcBGAYYCw/w400-h265/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.55.03.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br />One of my favourite scenes is with Philip Stone after he spills drinks on Jack ("I’m afraid it's Advocaat sir, it tends to stain"). I really enjoy how the conversation evolves in the bathroom as Jack thinks he's sussed him, but Grady turns the tables on him with an unsettling mixture of deference and threat ("I'm sorry to differ with you sir, but <i>you</i> are the caretaker.. you've <i>always</i> been the caretaker.."). The carefully measured way Stone paces and so clearly enunciates his lines is really chilling. Like Turkel's scenes, he's back lit by an oppressive white light. The camera looks slightly up to him, down to Jack.<br /><br />The big set piece with the tidal waves of blood still thrills, but the big driver for many of the scenes is the incredible music which hums, pulsates, rattles, scratches, roars and screams in an incredibly grim, feral manner that animates the scenes to great effect. The sense of deep unease is all pervasive, like a draught of cold air in a room. Of course Ligeti, Penderecki and Bartok didn't compose horror music, the pieces long pre-exist the film, but they are remarkably apt selections. I wonder how Penderecki and Ligeti felt about how it changed the public's perception of those pieces, which inevitably are saddled with the horror association ?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2XIqzttmf1Y/X2dYimYqb3I/AAAAAAAACd0/oInw_DAO17QDFs2p1NVDQrYgQBC-afxkgCPcBGAYYCw/s638/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.52.51.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="638" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2XIqzttmf1Y/X2dYimYqb3I/AAAAAAAACd0/oInw_DAO17QDFs2p1NVDQrYgQBC-afxkgCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h265/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.52.51.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_cziRPapbH8/X2dYkNn6AYI/AAAAAAAACeA/iuY2JlQmMEEI99K-cMGyRvs0TGcSDSaMwCPcBGAYYCw/s639/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.54.45.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="639" height="289" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_cziRPapbH8/X2dYkNn6AYI/AAAAAAAACeA/iuY2JlQmMEEI99K-cMGyRvs0TGcSDSaMwCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h289/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.54.45.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br />I was surprised to see no credit at the end for the Ray Noble piece, <i>Midnight, The Stars and You</i>, sung by Al Bowlly at the end (or the music in the Gold Room sequence) - only the classical composers and the score creators, Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind.<br /><br />A trailer for <i>The Shining</i> 'sequel' (why does it need one ?), <i>Doctor Sleep</i> put me right off any vague notion of going to see it.. way too tediously gothic and long winded. Didn't think much of the book anyway. The name <i>Doctor Sleep</i> makes me think of... Harold Shipman, as referred to in that Fall song, <i>What About Us </i>- "What about us ! Shipman !!"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vLaI2tnzLgY/X2dYjHRmRcI/AAAAAAAACd4/IcvVLk3qaIUzIVuJNbxSmhTi6HfWXwF0wCPcBGAYYCw/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.53.31.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="640" height="264" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vLaI2tnzLgY/X2dYjHRmRcI/AAAAAAAACd4/IcvVLk3qaIUzIVuJNbxSmhTi6HfWXwF0wCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h264/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-20%2Bat%2B13.53.31.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div></div>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-66378630119644386312020-09-09T00:12:00.000+01:002020-09-09T00:12:03.426+01:00New album<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My latest album </span><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.roomtemperature.org/p/rtcd16-fergus-kelly-plundered-lumber.html">Plundered Lumber</a></i><span style="font-family: arial;">, has just been released. It is available via </span><a href="https://roomtemperature.bandcamp.com/album/plundered-lumber" style="font-family: arial;">Bandcamp</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> in digital form and in a </span><i style="font-family: arial;">very </i><span style="font-family: arial;">limited physical edition of </span><b style="font-family: arial;">25 only</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> with unique on-body artwork.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tw3azJuDcX4/X1fOcKO9glI/AAAAAAAACbc/n9ZoxSCp6V4ClbKpjDoShD9sB8VYB7bxACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/Plundered%2BLumber%2Bfront.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1981" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tw3azJuDcX4/X1fOcKO9glI/AAAAAAAACbc/n9ZoxSCp6V4ClbKpjDoShD9sB8VYB7bxACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Plundered%2BLumber%2Bfront.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-37uF2ZGTE7s/X1fOa75PbWI/AAAAAAAACbY/BmeYaj8KAdMk_JNEwUr5h9cuvC-lntd5ACPcBGAYYCw/s1472/Plundered%2BLumber%2Bback%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1405" data-original-width="1472" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-37uF2ZGTE7s/X1fOa75PbWI/AAAAAAAACbY/BmeYaj8KAdMk_JNEwUr5h9cuvC-lntd5ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Plundered%2BLumber%2Bback%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lvENnyWAAP8/X1fORbXx51I/AAAAAAAACbg/F2XCL9qD480QJF7BvSj9XmXva16ASxG5gCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/RTCD16%2Bpack%2Bshot%2B1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1284" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lvENnyWAAP8/X1fORbXx51I/AAAAAAAACbg/F2XCL9qD480QJF7BvSj9XmXva16ASxG5gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/RTCD16%2Bpack%2Bshot%2B1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TLTQhatLLuM/X1fOS824G8I/AAAAAAAACbU/Y_VH4inxmU8AOes93CzF764OclhVA_WlACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/RTCD16%2Bpack%2Bshot%2B2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TLTQhatLLuM/X1fOS824G8I/AAAAAAAACbU/Y_VH4inxmU8AOes93CzF764OclhVA_WlACPcBGAYYCw/s320/RTCD16%2Bpack%2Bshot%2B2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-11352318577693180612020-09-08T12:01:00.003+01:002020-09-08T12:12:28.327+01:00The Elephant Man (1980)<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DKo-YA4ovko/X1diL_xgQ1I/AAAAAAAACZg/KmGNxajMddct8amW2qEh0MMWgNKSQhIeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s994/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.12.28.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="994" height="270" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DKo-YA4ovko/X1diL_xgQ1I/AAAAAAAACZg/KmGNxajMddct8amW2qEh0MMWgNKSQhIeQCLcBGAsYHQ/w625-h270/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.12.28.png" width="625" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LaJbq-JHlkw/X1diL9Hrg8I/AAAAAAAACZc/UKT1zZR8uh0BA7R4LC_N3KI5o7vyljpfQCPcBGAYYCw/s995/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.12.48.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="995" height="273" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LaJbq-JHlkw/X1diL9Hrg8I/AAAAAAAACZc/UKT1zZR8uh0BA7R4LC_N3KI5o7vyljpfQCPcBGAYYCw/w625-h273/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.12.48.png" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I never fail to be very moved by this wonderful film - the casting, performances, production design and cinematography are pitch-perfect. Everyone feels exactly right for their roles. <br />It was Lynch's first proper mainstream film with someone else's script, and his first after <i>Eraserhead</i>. Lynch speaks glowingly of Mel Brooks' support for the film and relates an incident where his heart sunk when he realised Brooks had gone to a private screening of <i>Eraserhead</i>. He thought he was finished, no hope of landing the job. However, when Brooks emerged from the screening, he hugged Lynch and said how daft he was and he was perfect for <i>The Elephant Man</i> (or words to that effect). </span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-poNs45llbwE/X1diLx0b03I/AAAAAAAACa0/KpfSZ_VZZiwVrYdb7HTdgYLJpug98iZgQCPcBGAYYCw/s995/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.13.13.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="995" height="273" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-poNs45llbwE/X1diLx0b03I/AAAAAAAACa0/KpfSZ_VZZiwVrYdb7HTdgYLJpug98iZgQCPcBGAYYCw/w625-h273/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.13.13.png" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OTfJulfWPKM/X1diMpkGChI/AAAAAAAACao/tNK7i7-OCbUXjm2O6Jxti0KUcEnVuNLOwCPcBGAYYCw/s995/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.13.26.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="995" height="273" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OTfJulfWPKM/X1diMpkGChI/AAAAAAAACao/tNK7i7-OCbUXjm2O6Jxti0KUcEnVuNLOwCPcBGAYYCw/w625-h273/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.13.26.png" width="625" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Much of the Victorian England scenery has pre-echoes of late 20th century industrial decline that <i>Eraserhead</i> is infused with, with belching chimneys and clanking clocktowers. Lynch was very lucky to have filmed this in 1979, when much of the older building stock was undemolished in London.<i><a href="https://www.roomtemperature.org/2019/12/the-long-good-friday-1980_7.html"> The Long Good Friday</a></i> was filmed the same year. Both these films feature a very young Dexter Fletcher (around 13, looking about 9), in the latter film merely a blink-and-you'd-miss-it appearance. As well as the strong male leads, there's great female characters, played by Hannah Gordon, Anne Bancroft and Wendy Hiller, who plays the ward sister to such great effect. A woman who seems a bit brusque and dismissive at first in that classically Victorian manner, but is essentially very compassionate.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f9QoXfZex6k/X1diN3V3MzI/AAAAAAAACaw/tlHPQ4XMhk01lxm172xmbaGMVMRsUk8cwCPcBGAYYCw/s995/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.14.17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="995" height="270" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f9QoXfZex6k/X1diN3V3MzI/AAAAAAAACaw/tlHPQ4XMhk01lxm172xmbaGMVMRsUk8cwCPcBGAYYCw/w625-h270/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.14.17.png" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sb9a2N-fVo0/X1diO6kbepI/AAAAAAAACas/Gq89ef3OZt4q0-n0_Fy4GmXEPnB640kpwCPcBGAYYCw/s994/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.15.04.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="994" height="273" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sb9a2N-fVo0/X1diO6kbepI/AAAAAAAACas/Gq89ef3OZt4q0-n0_Fy4GmXEPnB640kpwCPcBGAYYCw/w625-h273/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.15.04.png" width="625" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">I had forgotten Freddie Jones, who plays Bytes, Merrick's cruel master, was in it. I had recently watched his son Toby Jones play the poet John Clare in Andrew Kötting's <i>By Our Selves</i> (where Jones snr makes a short appearance). And, speaking of appearances, it's well known that Bowie played Merrick in an off-Broadway production in 1980, and I couldn't help noticing that a scene early in the film, where the young nurse, played by Leslie Dunlop, drops Merrick's breakfast when she gasps at her first glimpse of him, made me think of Candy Clark's screaming fit in <i>The Man Who Fell To Earth</i>, when she sees Newton's true appearance.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ac7rdpQ1daw/X1diSPZ8kCI/AAAAAAAACa8/v3AWfq14otAM-j3D1GSrdqebSSvAKBAUwCPcBGAYYCw/s1266/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.36.51.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="1266" height="263" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ac7rdpQ1daw/X1diSPZ8kCI/AAAAAAAACa8/v3AWfq14otAM-j3D1GSrdqebSSvAKBAUwCPcBGAYYCw/w625-h263/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.36.51.png" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xv6V78mtXyQ/X1diPX8asKI/AAAAAAAACa0/l3N0EqFX9WMIe4BzY68fvbVU6tkGPBDHgCPcBGAYYCw/s994/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.15.20.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="994" height="273" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xv6V78mtXyQ/X1diPX8asKI/AAAAAAAACa0/l3N0EqFX9WMIe4BzY68fvbVU6tkGPBDHgCPcBGAYYCw/w625-h273/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.15.20.png" width="625" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">I was always confused by his apparent suicide at the end, where he wants 'to sleep like normal people' - why would he do that when he was so happy (having returned from the standing ovation for him at the theatre). However, it seems, where the facts were concerned, he was discovered in his clothes on top of the bed, not in it, and at a diagonal across the bed, as though stalled in an attempt to raise himself, whereupon he died of asphyxia at just 28.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NGDSADdc8KM/X1diOrmWz-I/AAAAAAAACas/ND6faLOh550hkH0h65lFnmb2oTfIQYlpwCPcBGAYYCw/s994/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.14.50.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="994" height="273" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NGDSADdc8KM/X1diOrmWz-I/AAAAAAAACas/ND6faLOh550hkH0h65lFnmb2oTfIQYlpwCPcBGAYYCw/w625-h273/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.14.50.png" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GE_QmWsdEx8/X1diQJKne8I/AAAAAAAACa4/_t5x_FMOmakDnXjiGuSxPt17Q5mrBHqCgCPcBGAYYCw/s995/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.15.58.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="995" height="273" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GE_QmWsdEx8/X1diQJKne8I/AAAAAAAACa4/_t5x_FMOmakDnXjiGuSxPt17Q5mrBHqCgCPcBGAYYCw/w625-h273/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.15.58.png" width="625" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">John Hurt relates a story about memorabilia he kept from the film, which included the cast of Merrick's cranium. It was left on top of a wardrobe in a small flat he had in Hampstead. During this time he'd bought a house elsewhere, and someone told him there had been a break-in at the flat, but nothing was taken. What became obvious was that as soon as the wardrobe was opened, the cranium (with hair attached) must've fallen out (possibly in the dark) and given the intruder a hell of a fright, whereupon he took flight. The back door was broken down.</span></span></div></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s0eLd38Fbhk/X1diRablC0I/AAAAAAAACa0/UcBNppNE4rIYsYKehFSs5rxUp25OQKkYQCPcBGAYYCw/s995/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.17.14.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="995" height="273" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s0eLd38Fbhk/X1diRablC0I/AAAAAAAACa0/UcBNppNE4rIYsYKehFSs5rxUp25OQKkYQCPcBGAYYCw/w625-h273/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.17.14.png" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TFTRhBKUUxM/X1diRjEHtiI/AAAAAAAACa4/VvvT42Jxgr8vFH-Tn_xeniZq28Nk1h5cgCPcBGAYYCw/s996/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.17.28.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="996" height="273" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TFTRhBKUUxM/X1diRjEHtiI/AAAAAAAACa4/VvvT42Jxgr8vFH-Tn_xeniZq28Nk1h5cgCPcBGAYYCw/w625-h273/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-14%2Bat%2B14.17.28.png" width="625" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div></div>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-4892288647555790062020-09-07T14:29:00.002+01:002020-09-07T14:30:54.328+01:00I could have been Raskolnikov but mother nature ripped me off<div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">A trio of post punk pearls are turning 40 this year, and each is connected in unexpected ways.<br /><br />Joy Division's <i>Closer</i> was recorded between 18 – 30 March 1980. Was it 'closer' to something, or was it a closer ? Hooky on the recording process: <i>“It was a good laugh most of the time.. the only sad thing about it was Ian's illness – but he hid that so well.”</i> Their story's conclusion is well known, and Howard Devoto makes reference to Ian Curtis, as well as Kurt Cobain and Elvis Presley in the song, <i>Hello Mr. Curtis (with apologies)</i> from Magazine's 2011 album <i>No Thyself</i>. In a moment of disarming honesty to AU magazine in 2011 he states:<br /><br /><i>“The idea of suicide has always been important to me. I once had an unfortunate love affair which went wrong and I was in a bad way. I had a moment of revelation where I realised 'Hey ! I could top myself' and then I felt better. But, ever since then, suicide has always been an important idea for me.' I've only ever once in my life made plans and steps to bring about that end. I never got as far as swallowing anything or bringing a blade close to myself but I was starting to make plans in a very serious way. I even owned a gun at one point. And the main reason I had a gun is I might need it for myself at some unspecified point in the future”</i><br /><br />The closing track on Talking Heads' <i>Remain In Light</i>, <i>The Overload </i>was their attempt to emulate the sound of Joy Division. The song was made despite no band member having heard the music of Joy Division; rather, it was based on an idea of what that band might sound like based on descriptions in the music press.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UxcpAdBJPAE/X1Y0Ov7ZGpI/AAAAAAAACZE/qkTh_6Io_bsTgltugWEvoiZiCSU-eYk5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s446/Remain.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="353" height="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UxcpAdBJPAE/X1Y0Ov7ZGpI/AAAAAAAACZE/qkTh_6Io_bsTgltugWEvoiZiCSU-eYk5QCLcBGAsYHQ/w395-h500/Remain.png" width="395" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;">Grumman Avengers, used by the US Navy, in which Tina Weymouth's father had served, inspired the initial cover art for Talking Heads' 1980 LP 'Remain In Light' (working title 'Melody Attack'), later used on the back of the LP sleeve after the album name change.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3GzA8ECRGNA/X1Y0XTNxzhI/AAAAAAAACZI/aY9i0dhNfywv-p8R7ZPGB52xToZb2yvYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s738/Closer.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="738" height="304" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3GzA8ECRGNA/X1Y0XTNxzhI/AAAAAAAACZI/aY9i0dhNfywv-p8R7ZPGB52xToZb2yvYwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h304/Closer.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />The Appiani family tomb, as seen in the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno, Italy. Sculpted by Demetrio Paernio in 1910. photo: Bernard Pierre Wolff.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UvSObE6lDXI/X1Y0ffEa_WI/AAAAAAAACZQ/lelvI3hpZkM8mkRUAwpDXTpiT-eafJyvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s552/Soap.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="404" height="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UvSObE6lDXI/X1Y0ffEa_WI/AAAAAAAACZQ/lelvI3hpZkM8mkRUAwpDXTpiT-eafJyvQCLcBGAsYHQ/w366-h500/Soap.png" width="366" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Odilon Redon: A Mask Sounds The Funeral Knell (1882) Image used on the late 70s edition of Dostoyevsky's <i>Notes From Underground</i>, an inspiration for <i>A Song From Under The Floorboards</i>, from Magazine's 1980 LP <i>The Correct Use Of Soap</i><br /></span></span><br /></div>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-54770427308042777922020-09-07T14:19:00.001+01:002020-09-07T14:30:07.609+01:00The walls close in and I need some noise<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yVOw7PkG_gI/X1YwuxtgB2I/AAAAAAAACY4/r3VHD5nxRhYMg-5asg4K3CEVKaQqdsQfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s661/L%2527Idiot.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="553" height="625" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yVOw7PkG_gI/X1YwuxtgB2I/AAAAAAAACY4/r3VHD5nxRhYMg-5asg4K3CEVKaQqdsQfQCLcBGAsYHQ/w524-h625/L%2527Idiot.png" width="524" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">French poster for<i> The Idiot</i>, released 18th March 1977.</span><p></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /><br />“Poor Jim, in a way, became a guinea pig for what I wanted to do with sound. I didn't have the material at the time, and I didn't feel like writing at all. I felt much more like laying back and getting behind someone else's work, so that album was opportune, creatively.” - David Bowie<br /><br />A lot of Stooges fans hated Iggy’s first solo album. I guess it wasn’t rock ’n’ roll enough for them. Far too dark and introspective - which is exactly what I like about it, and why it prefigured post punk so presciently, and became a template for Ian Curtis. It’s well documented as the last record that he listened to before he died.<br /><br />It really is a Bowie album in all but name as, though he is credited as producer, he wrote most of the music and Iggy wrote the lyrics. It was made before <i>Low</i>, though released after it. It is a fascinating bridge between <i>Station To Station</i> and <i>Low</i>. Engineer and Magma bass player Laurent Thibault said that "David didn't want people to think he'd been inspired by Iggy's album, when in fact it was all the same thing." <br /><br /><i>What In The World</i> (working title <i>Isolation</i>) from <i>Low</i> was originally intended for <i>The Idiot</i> - Iggy’s backing vocals can be heard on it. “<i>You’re just a little girl with grey eyes</i>” is consistent with themes in <i>China Girl</i>, <i>Tiny Girls</i> and <i>Baby</i>. <i>Sister Midnight</i> was written by Bowie, Iggy and Carlos Alomar, and performed live on the <i>Station to Station</i> tour in early 1976.<br /><br />The overall tone of the album is so lugubrious and sepulchral, vampiric and menacing, it feels like it could only have been made at night (which it was), by a zombie crew cattle-prodded into life. I’m reminded of Colin McCabe’s reaction to Derek Jarman’s 1987 film <i>The Last Of England</i>, where <i>“.. he found it extraordinary how a vision so bleak was at the same time so exhilarating”</i></span></div>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-62770450519496271702020-08-27T09:13:00.004+01:002020-08-27T13:48:20.847+01:00Non-Stop Inertia - The Doctrine Of Unoriginal Sin<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.karlburke.com/">Karl Burke</a> & I recently created an EP, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Doctrine Of Unoriginal Sin</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, under the name </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Non-Stop Inertia</b><span style="font-family: arial;">, which is available from Bandcamp on Karl's new digital label </span><a href="https://cornerdetail.bandcamp.com/album/the-doctrine-of-unoriginal-sin"><span style="font-family: arial;">Corner Detail</span>.</a></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bfafeayLf2I/X0dqcLpnd4I/AAAAAAAACYE/QFf-aPFeXJ4rFJuiCzNMkEKq4nWy_MRwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s595/Non-Stop%2BInertia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="589" height="744" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bfafeayLf2I/X0dqcLpnd4I/AAAAAAAACYE/QFf-aPFeXJ4rFJuiCzNMkEKq4nWy_MRwwCLcBGAsYHQ/w736-h744/Non-Stop%2BInertia.jpg" width="736" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-17168619380648293612020-06-15T10:40:00.000+01:002020-06-15T13:13:49.662+01:00Let me collect dust<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After doing tributes to Bruce Gilbert, Paul Burwell, Wire and Joy Division, the first thing that occurred to me after Bowie died is that I should do a tribute to him, but felt utterly daunted by the prospect, as there was so much material to examine, and shelved the idea for a long time. Not sure what convinced me to take it on in the end, but sometime in February I decided and about mid-month I began my research.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I re-read Paul Trynka's excellent </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Starman</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> biography. I also read Glen Hendler's analysis of </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Diamond Dogs</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> and Hugo Wilken's take on </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Low</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">, both for the 33 1/3 imprint - valuable volumes each. Online, the most invaluable resource was Chris O'Leary's brilliant </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://bowiesongs.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Pushing Ahead Of The Dame</a></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> blog, which examines each song in great detail, and is added to significantly with some very interesting and further enlightening readers comments. O'Leary is scrupulous in his research, going in deep as befits the material, and writing in a way that really engages and inspires.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Like previous tributes, I had no real plan about how to build the piece or how long it should be. It involved an enormous amount of editing of source material before I began composing, wading through hours of YouTube interview and related music footage, and editing various moments from all the music from </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Aladdin Sane</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> to </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>“Heroes”</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> - almost 800 edits in all. When composing, I tend to favour shorter durations, but generally the tributes organically develop to occupy the necessary space. In Bowie's case, because of the volume and variety of material, it was naturally going to tend towards a longer running time. The loose idea, after a quietly building pre-amble, was to work my way through the albums, a few minutes at a time, and their associated references chronologically, and create some sort of exit/epilogue – a proper beginning, middle and end. References from outside of the main time frame of 1973 – 77 were going to come in too, but that was a necessary part of the legacy and richness of the work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The sources are drawn together in ways that require close attention, as it's a dense weave where some of the material might initially be missed or simply not recognised. That's OK though, I wanted that sense of depth and breadth, a cinematic trawl through the music and its influences. So I thought it might be interesting/useful to forensically comb the piece and itemise everything, pausing occasionally to expand on some points.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The piece begins with Bowie's infamous appearance on the Dick Cavett Show, which aired on the 5</span><sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">th</span></sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> December 1974. It's abundantly clear he is well out of it on cocaine (you can hear the trademark 'coke sniffles' before he answers Cavett's first question. Being on his show was a big deal. For some this might be car crash TV, but for Bowie it worked to his advantage, rendering him otherworldly and fascinating. Despite his ropey state, he is still fairly quick-witted and articulate. When Cavett asks him what he is drawing with his cane on the studio floor, quick as a flash he says, 'your attention'.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As this plays out, Danny Kaye's </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Inchworm</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> can be heard in the background. This was amongst the songs Bowie played on a BBC radio special he did in 1979. He was intrigued, as someone fascinated by numerology, with the idea of numbers as part of the lyrics. I find it a very haunting tune; very wistful and melancholic. We then hear an older Bowie, as heard on </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>The Man Who Fell To Earth</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> DVD interviews with Nic Roeg, reflecting on his misgivings about biographical detail about an artist's life being a key to understanding their work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My take on this is that whilst it doesn't necessarily 'explain' an artist's work, it certainly can enrich our understanding of it, and does inevitably cast some interesting light on the work. I feel Bowie is somewhat defensively attempting to suggest you should steer clear of investigating the artist's life, as he's not entirely comfortable with the idea of his background being looked into. But being the kind of artist he was, it is inevitable people will be curious, and his family background provides some key raw material to haunt him for many years. This comes through the work in some clear-cut cases, more submerged in others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Then comes a slice of a 1939 song, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>The Little Man Who Wasn't There, </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">written by Harold Adamson and Bernard Hanighen, with vocal by Tex Beneke, backed by Glenn Miller's Orchestra. This was based on the poem </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Antigonish</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> by American educator and poet William Hughes Mearns.</span> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Inspired by reports of a ghost of a man roaming the stairs of a haunted house, in </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Antigonish, Nova Scotia, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Canada</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">,</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> the poem was originally part of a play called <i>The Psyco-ed</i>, which Mearns had written for an English class at</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Harvard University</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">,</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> circa 1899. In 1910, Mearns staged the play with the Plays and Players, an amateur theatrical group, and on March 27, 1922, newspaper columnist FPA printed the poem in "The Conning Tower"*, his column in the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">New York World</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">. Mearns subsequently wrote many parodies of this poem, giving them the general title of <i>Later Antigonishes.<br /><br />Yesterday, upon the stair,<br />I met a man who wasn't there!<br />He wasn't there again today,<br />Oh how I wish he'd go away!<br /><br />When I came home last night at three,<br />The man was waiting there for me<br />But when I looked around the hall,<br />I couldn't see him there at all!<br />Go away, go away, don't you come back any more!<br />Go away, go away, and please don't slam the door...</i><br /><br />*an interesting pre-fade echo of the inspiration for the <i>Lust For Life</i> guitar riff, which was based on the beeping sounds from the Armed Forces Network TV conning tower image that appeared before broadcasts as Bowie & Iggy sat down to watch <i>Starsky & Hutch</i> in Berlin every Thursday night.<br /><br />A brief snatch from <i>The Man Who Sold The World </i>- <i><b>although I wasn't there</b></i> – can be heard, linking the poem to the lyric in ways that are hard to dismiss considering Bowie's interests, and the fact that many versions of the former song were recorded, it is very likely Bowie would've heard at least one of them. As far as the title was concerned, Bowie was considerably influenced by sci-fi, both in writing and film, and Robert Heinlein's 1950 collection of short stories, <i>The Man Who Sold The Moon</i>, would very likely have been on Bowie's radar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br />There is then a two note sliver of piano from <i>Beauty And The Beast</i>, which segues to some piano from <i>Aladdin Sane</i>, as an extract from <i>The Man Who Fell To Earth</i> plays, where Rip Torn's character is confused by the appearance of Bowie's character. We then hear Bowie in interview talking about <i>'only using rock and roll as a medium'</i> whilst we hear an ad for <i>Quatermass And The Pit </i>(1957). <i>“Mankind will tremble... !”</i> This film had a huge impact of Bowie. A commentator (name escapes me) remarks on the Ziggy phenomenon as <i>'the province of Hollywood'</i>, and we hear a few moments from <i>Over The Rainbow</i> from <i>The Wizard Of Oz</i>, a song whose melody was used for Bowie's song <i>Starman</i>. Teasing out the Hollywood angle a bit more, Mae West can be heard saying, <i>“when I'm good I'm very good. When I'm bad, I'm better”</i>, which for me, finds an echo in the lyric from Bowie's <i>Sweet Thing/Candidate</i>, <i>“when it's good it's really good, when it's bad I go to pieces”</i>. Also, Bowie suggested to Iggy Pop, when recording <i>The Idiot</i>, that he sing like Mae West.<br /><br />Jonathan Harris can be heard talking about the idea of <i>'self actualisation.. which not many people achieve, but he did'</i>. We're then back in the Cavett show as Bowie is asked if he's nervous to sit without his band and just chat, which, considering the length of pause and type of reply, clearly he is. Adding to the tension at that moment during the pause is Bowie's laboured breathing, as heard on a pause in the song <i>Time</i>, as Katchachurian's <i>Gayane</i> ballet suite (used in <i>2001</i>) appears, to further colour the mood.<br /><br />Bowie's <i>Please Mr. Gravedigger</i> can then be heard low in the mix. Woody Woodmansey talks about Bowie <i>'eating breakfast as a superstar'</i> while we hear <i>'tell them about the honey mummy'</i> from the 1970s Sugar Puffs commercial. The edit of <i>Mr Gravedigger </i>ends on <i>'..and someone dropped a bomb on the lot'</i>, which roots Bowie in the blasted remains of post-war Britain that he witnessed as a child. Taking my cue from the line from <i>Life On Mars ?</i>, <i>'from Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads'</i>, some field recordings from the Norfolk Broads can be heard; wind, creaking trees, birdsong.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MqXKr0vJhIY/Xuc5lTK5JBI/AAAAAAAACUk/gWsYMSkv3I8l5EUyUlNAidLJ_H7_83PdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-07%2Bat%2B09.56.40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="384" height="510" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MqXKr0vJhIY/Xuc5lTK5JBI/AAAAAAAACUk/gWsYMSkv3I8l5EUyUlNAidLJ_H7_83PdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-07%2Bat%2B09.56.40.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br />We then hear Nic Roeg talking about Bowie being different and always changing, as Dick Cavett says, <i>'it's difficult to say what he is because he changes, like a chameleon'</i>. George Formby can be heard singing <i>My Grandad's Flanelette Nightshirt</i>, with the lines,<br /><br /><i>It's my Grandad's Flannelette nightshirt,<br />In it I was christened one day,<br />Down at the church, they were in a whirl,<br />No one seemed to know if I were boy or girl.</i><br /><br />The lyric in <i>Rebel Rebel</i> bears more than an uncanny similarity – '<i>You've got your mother in a whirl, she's not sure if you're a boy or girl..'</i> We then hear another song that Bowie played on his 1979 radio special: Little Richard's <i>He's My Star</i>. This performer was the first to really connect with Bowie, and it fairly electrified him. While this is playing we can hear the isolated bass and drum tracks from <i>Space Oddity</i>, which ends with a moment from <i>Letter To Hermoine</i>. Back on the Cavett show, we hear Bowie saying he 'glips' from one thing to another.. <i>'it's like flip, but it's the 70s version'</i>. In the background we hear Rip Torn in <i>The Man Who Fell To Earth</i> saying <i>'Per adua ad astra – through difficulties to the stars'</i> whilst simultaneously a snippet of dialogue between Dave and HAL in <i>2001</i> can be heard. As this is going on, Elvis enters, like a pre-fade echo of Bowie's final work, singing the gently funereal <i>Blackstar</i> (1960). Bowie was delighted he shared a birthday with him. An isolated vocal track from Bowie's <i>Lazarus</i>, '<i>look up here, I'm in heaven'</i>, comes in low in the mix, like a spectral presence. Almost imperceptibly low in the mix The Legendary Stardust Cowboy (Norman Carl Odam) can be heard singing, <i>I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship</i>. He was one source, along with Iggy Pop, for the name Ziggy Stardust.<br /><br />We then hear Elgar's <i>Nimrod</i>, from his <i>Enigma Variations</i>, which Bowie played on his 1979 radio special, as he laughs about his general state starting filming with Roeg. As structural elements around this I've used very short edits from the guitar opening of Bowie's <i>She Shook Me Cold</i>, and the opening tape noise from <i>Beauty And The Beast</i>, connected by a tiny organ shimmer from <i>I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship</i> (which Bowie did a cover of in the 90s).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br />This segues to the piano from <i>Lady Grinning Soul</i> and a synth sound from <i>Moss Garden</i>, with the <i>'just visiting'</i> quote from <i>The Man Who Fell To Earth</i>, which then moves to a drum fill from <i>Candidate</i>, a looped section of <i>Aladdin Sane</i>, and melodies from <i>Neukoln</i> and <i>Sense Of Doubt</i>, and Fripp's opening 'sky saw' guitar from <i>Beauty And The Beast</i>, while we hear the 'foreign body' quote from Alan Yentob's 1974 <i>Cracked Actor</i> documentary. We then hear the bubbling synth noise from the start of Bowie's cover of the Stones' <i>Let's Spend The Night Together</i>, as the opening drum fill from <i>Young Americans</i> bounces us into a looped section of <i>The Secret Life Of Arabia</i>. This plays against newsreel footage of early 70s oil crisis - <i>'..now that the Arabs have turned off the tap'</i>, then we hear Michael Palin and the wonderful <i>'strange women lying in ponds'</i> quote from <i>Monty Python And The Holy Grail</i>. It was quite by chance I chose <i>Secret Life</i>.. subsequently realising the conceptual link with the oil crisis.<br /><br />Then we're back to early 70s newsreel, interviewing stressed commuters. <i>Drive-In Saturday</i> enters briefly, followed by <i>Panic In Detroit</i>, which segues into the Bo Diddley tune <i>Panic In Detroit </i>was based on. Woody Woodmansey refused to play the shuffle rhythm on this track, as he felt it was 'corny', so Bowie's old school pal Geoff MacCormack/Warren Peace played congas instead. The song was partly inspired by Iggy's account of the 1967 Detroit riots.<br /><br /><i>“There were snipers all over America, on tops of buildings,”</i> he recalled in 1990. Not quite - Bowie was likely remembering Charles Whitman, who killed 14 people in 1966 during his sniper rampage from Austin’s University Tower. Newsreel footage of this incident can be heard, followed by reports of The Weathermen/Weather Underground radical left wing organisation who were plotting to bomb government buildings and banks in the early 70s. We hear Bowie talking in the back of a car in Yentob's documentary talking about <i>'an</i> <i>underlying unease here.. a superficial calmness <b>they've developed</b></i> (my emphasis) <i>to underplay the fact that.. there's a lot of high pressure here..'</i> His coke-addled, sleep deprived paranoia is off the scale. A loop from the <i>Kojak</i> TV show sig tune appears briefly, stage left then right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br />We're still with a driving theme when we return briefly to the Cavett show and Bowie talks about driving (rather than walking) around New York. Cut to <i>Sound And Vision</i> drum loop, echoed piano from <i>Lady Grinning Soul</i>, choral sounds from <i>Sons Of The Silent Age</i> as social niceties are played out in Bowie's greeting to Russell Harty and Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's <i>Behind The Fridge</i> sketch. <i>'I'm a fairly good social observer..'</i> Bowie says as we hear synth sounds from <i>Subterraneans</i> (a back-masked sound which I've reversed to run forwards). <i>'..the quintessence of that year'</i>.. cue <i>1984</i> siren-like opening sounds repeated with percussive emphasis stereo left and right, with a piano-led loop from <i>Beauty And The Beast</i>, switching to fading George Benson playing <i>On Broadway</i> (which is quoted in <i>Aladdin Sane</i>). We then move into the quiet piano outro from <i>Aladdin Sane</i>, as we hear newsreel footage of Bowie's arrest for marijuana possession in Rochester, NY in 1976, sounding the quintessential old world genteel English type, whilst barely managing to keep a straight face.<br /><br />Buck Henry talking on <i>The Man Who Fell To Earth</i> DVD interviews about Bowie's character is used as a bridge into the next section, where he says, <i>'it's all about alienation, and Bowie is either a real alien, or one could make the case that he is just a genius in a complicated paranoid state'</i>. This could equally apply to Bowie the rock star at this stage, such was the parlous state of his physical and mental health with his industrial strength consumption of cocaine and amphetamines, a starvation diet of milk and peppers and long periods of sleep deprivation. He was skeletally thin, weighing about 98lbs.<br /><br />A loop from the opening of <i>Drive-In Saturday</i> comes in as Bowie talks about <i>Aladdin Sane</i>'s character being schizophrenic <i>'as there was so many costume changes, as he had so many personalities'</i>. This is a classic illustration of the poor understanding of what actually constituted schizophrenia at the time; the common misconception that it was split or multiple personalities, which is an entirely different disorder. Schizophrenia is concerned with a difficulty distinguishing between what is real and unreal. Delusional beliefs and different forms of paranoia are part of the condition, along with various hallucinations; most commonly auditory ones (voices).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br />Bowie's half brother Terry Burns (1937 - 1985) was a paranoid schizophrenic. He was shunned by Bowie's father, distanced by his mother and shunted between various family members, as well as staying with Bowie and Angie for a while at Haddon Hall in Beckenham in the early 70s. He was a voluntary patient at Cane Hill psychiatric institute in Croydon at this time, where he would remain for the rest of his life until his death by suicide in 1985. Bowie has said that Terry gave him 'the greatest education', introducing him to jazz musicians such as John Coltrane and Charles Mingus and Beat writers such as Jack Kerouac*, William Burroughs and Alan Ginsberg. He really looked up to him. But then there was the difficulty of how to manage a family member who is very ill, and the guilt associated with a feeling of perhaps not knowing how best to do this. A key part of this was the climate around mental health at the time, the general ignorance and limited understanding, and the treatments and their effects, which would have been laceratingly primitive by today's standards: lobotomy, EST, Librium, loss of libido.<br /><br />*The title of Keruoac's 1958 novella <i>The Subterraneans</i> may have been an inspiration for the <i>Subterraneans</i> instrumental that finished out <i>Low</i>.<br /><br />There's no doubt that Terry had a profound influence on Bowie, not just in terms of music and books, but as a figure that would haunt him, along with mental health issues that were present in their mother, Peggy's side of the family. Bowie sometimes remarked early on how he was <i>'afraid of going mad'</i>. Yet his strenuous attempts to avoid this drove him to those very states that define schizophrenia, via drug induced psychosis with attendant delusional beliefs and rampant paranoia. At the same time Bowie's writing is haunted by death throughout his career. He was very lucky in that, rather than reducing him to a state of torpor and general lassitude, his drug intake seemed to amplify his creativity, which was firing on all cylinders in the 70s. Although he was perilously underweight, he must also have had a particularly resilient physical constitution, especially for someone so comparatively slight. In Bowie's 1979 radio special he still illustrates poor understanding of the condition when he introduces King Crimson's <i>21st Century Schizoid Man</i>, by saying, <i>'if you fancy yourself as a schizophrenic..'</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i><br />In researching Terry's story I came across an audio piece on YouTube, <i>Terry, A Dramatized Narrative</i> by David Beales, who was a fellow patient at Cane Hill in the early 80s. This monotone monologue drily describes the grim nature of life on the ward and aspects of Terry's condition that create an interesting picture, and give some sense of the man beyond merely being 'David Bowie's brother'. It's a sad story of a very ill man. The contrast between the routine, institutionalised nature of his existence and the flamboyance of Bowie's lifestyle could not be greater. The very brief extract that I used, where Beales says, <i>'Terry's smile was sometimes a bit sheepish, his laughter a little guilty occasionally, and he did look used and cheated... he was a middle aged, melancholic, paranoid schizophrenic'</i> also is an unvarnished real world description of an actual schizophrenic, as opposed to Bowie's misinformed notion of one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This single mention is sufficient to establish Terry's presence in the overall narrative arc, and is not something I wanted to dwell on. I also did not want to imply any value judgements on Bowie's handling of the situation, and his non-appearance at Terry's funeral (which one of his aunts was loudly critical of to the press, claiming <i>'he could have done more'</i>), as I imagine the reality on the ground to be far more nuanced, as is usually the case in these difficult family situations.<br /><br />The <i>Drive-In Saturday</i> loop cross-fades to an extract from John Moran's <i>The Manson Family – An Opera </i>(1992), with a melody on piano and violin that bears an uncanny similarity to the previous loop. This was an unintentional but happy accident, the type which occurs a number of times throughout the piece. In this opera Iggy Pop plays the part of The Prosecutor in the Manson case, and can be heard singing '<i>the past.. lasts</i>' in his rich baritone. Iggy's appearance is like a spectral entrance ahead of his actual entrance in the Bowie story, a pre-haunting. The opera is used here as a reference to the idea of the souring of the American Dream that occurred after the Manson-directed killings, and also an echo of the increasingly rotten nature of LA at this time that Bowie grew to hate. As Geoff MacCormack says, <i>'LA.. was an alien society.. an unreal place with unreal people'</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br />As the Manson opera fades, three train images come in; we hear Candy Clark in <i>The Man Who Fell To Earth</i> dreamily saying '<i>it's a shame.. I used to like trains</i>', the feedback intro to <i>Station To Station</i> is heard and Bowie's aghast response to the train-type space vehicle presented to him on the film set. It wasn't until after these edits had been put together that it struck me – Terry's suicide was from throwing himself under a train.. a bit like when Peter Saville suddenly realises after Ian Curtis' suicide, <i>'oh my god, we have tomb on the cover of</i> <i>Closer</i>..' We then (again unintentionally, the story was following the albums) hear <i>We Are The Dead</i> enter as we hear two quotes from <i>1984</i>, whilst weaving through is the synth intro to <i>V2 Schneider</i>, with its futuristic sound, as Richard Burton says, <i>'if you want a vision of the future..'.</i><br /><br />A section of <i>Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family</i> plays as newsreel footage can be heard about economic hard times in Britain in the early 70s. <i>Skeletal Family</i> segues to an edit of <i>Candidate/Sweet Thing</i>. We then hear some moments from <i>Clockwork Orange</i>. This cuts to the guitar outro to <i>Rock & Roll With Me</i>, overlaid briefly, low in the mix, with the piano intro from <i>Lean On Me</i> by Bill Withers (the melody of the former being based on the latter). We also hear Bowie talk about cut-ups (<i>'a very Western tarot'</i> – mispronouncing the second t in tarot as a hard t.) in one channel and Burroughs talk about cut-ups (<i>'Brian Gysin said writing is 50 years behind painting'</i>) in the other channel.<br /><br />Malcolm McDowell is heard talking about those dreadful lid locks used to keep his eyes from blinking in <i>Clockwork Orange</i>. The earthy guitar intro to <i>Cracked Actor</i> appears as we hear Candy Clark's screaming fit on seeing Bowie's character's real eyes. Cut to <i>'get me to a doctor's'</i> edit from <i>Beauty And The Beast,</i> ending on sudden <i>Breaking Glass</i> drum fill. Cut to Bowie's discomfort with the hard plastic contact lenses used on <i>The Man Who Fell To Earth</i>, as the choral music from the library scene in <i>Wings Of Desire</i> fades in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br />The book theme continues with Bowie talking about his huge traveling library, and we then hear Cyril Cusack's character in <i>Fahrenheit 451 </i>talking about the books just discovered, which <i>'have nothing to say !'</i> Cut to an edit of '<i>Nothing ! Nothing !</i>' from <i>Across The Universe</i>, which skips through brief edits from <i>Can You Hear Me</i> and <i>Win</i>, as Geoff MacCormack talks about the motivations behind <i>Young Americans</i>. We then hear The Flares' <i>Footstompin</i>', as Carlos Alomar plays the riff from <i>Fame</i>. Then in one channel we hear documentary footage about the Bronx in the 70s being <i>'a war zone... like bombed-out Berlin' </i>(a pre-fade echo of Bowie's future destination). In the other channel we hear an ad for Afro Sheen (<i>'I want a super 'fro !'</i>). The Stylistics' <i>People Make The World Go Round</i> begins, as Carlos Alomar talks hilariously about Bowie's alarming appearance when he first met him. Cut to <i>Shame, Shame, Shame</i> by Shirley & Co., as Ava Cherry talks about Bowie's approach to <i>Young Americans</i>. Cut to <i>Jungle Walk</i> by The Rascals. This section ends with the vocal outro from <i>Right</i> and the back-masked guitar sound from <i>Fame.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i><br />This catapults us into the intro to <i>Outside Woman Blues</i> by Cream, which <i>Golden Years</i> is clearly indebted to. Earl Slick mentions the general climate of drug use, as Cream cuts to <i>Funky Broadway</i> by Wilson Pickett, another reference point for <i>Golden Years</i>. Geoff MacCormack talks about the spaced-out 70s. A few seconds of The Yardbirds' <i>Good Morning Little Schoolgirl</i> appears, a vocal riff used/altered in <i>TVC15</i>. Slicky refers to <i>'nasty shit, business-wise..'</i>, as Russell Harty is heard misnaming<i> Golden Years </i>as<i> Golden Tears</i>. This exchange between him and Bowie ends with Bowie introducing the song <i>'..from his forthcoming album,</i> <i>Station To Station</i>'. As this is running in one channel, Peter Sellers can be heard in the other channel in Kubrick's <i>Dr. Strangelove</i>, trying to get the operator to put him through to the president, on a 'station to station' call, which I've synched with Bowie saying the album title at the same time, a particularly satisfying moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br />We then hear Johnny Mathis' ethereal cover of Dimitri Tiomkin's' <i>Wild Is The Wind</i>, as Geoff MacCormack talks about LA as <i>'an alien society'</i>, and we hear the opening riff from <i>Stay</i> panned left and right, then disappear. Picking up the alien theme, intentionally and unintentionally, some of Mica Levi's score for Jonathan Glazer's film <i>Under The Skin</i> comes in superimposed on Mathis, and the eerily scraped violin sounds uncannily echo the melody of the strings in the former. This then segues to Iggy talking about being <i>'a street person' </i>as the Levi score continues with the minimal zombie-like beat in one channel, as the equally zombie-like drum machine rhythm from <i>Nightclubbing</i> synchs with it in the other channel. I had to slow it down slightly to match Levi's pace. Iggy can then be heard talking about the origins of that song, as we hear a Hoagy Carmichael tune, <i>Stardust</i> play. Apparently Bowie was playing some Hoagy Carmichael on the piano as Iggy was inspired to <i>'knock up a lyric' </i>for <i>Nightclubbing</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Carmichael tune aptly comes to a point in the lyric, <i>'...but that was long ago..'</i>, as we cut to Iggy's <i>Dum Dum Boys</i>, and Bowie is talking about moving to Berlin. He and Candy Clark can be heard playing ping pong (bouncing left/right/left), as she says, <i>'You don't wanna go back..'</i>. A split-second edit of Wire's Graham Lewis can be heard saying <i>'Germany..'</i> from the Dome song, <i>Say Again</i>. The <i>Sound And Vision</i> drum fill, bounced speaker to speaker can be heard. Cut to the vocal moment <i>'aaah...'</i> from <i>Sound And Vision</i>, underneath which is the guitar outro from Joy Division's <i>Day Of The Lords</i>. Dennis Davis talks about recording with Bowie in one channel, as he sings/mumbles <i>Breaking Glass</i> in the other. We hear the breaking glass sounds used on Joy Divsion's <i>I Remember Nothing</i>. Joy Division is used here a legacy reference, as <i>Low </i>and <i>The Idiot</i> were key reference points for Ian Curtis. He also used the name Warsaw for an early version of the band. Davis & Alomar both talk about their (not insurmountable) difficulties with Eno ('Brian.. this isn't working for me, man').</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />The outro from <i>We Are The Dead</i> hovers, as Candy Clark says, <i>'don't be embarrassed Tommy..'</i>, cut back, via <i>Sound And Vision</i> drum fill, to <i>Breaking Glass</i> and reference to <i>'something awful'</i> on the carpet. Carlos Alomar talks about the <i>'angry..punky'</i> sound on the song as we cut to Stanisław Hadyna’s <i>Helokanie</i> by folk and dance ensemble Śląsk. Bowie picked up an LP of theirs traveling through Warsaw, and this song became key reference point for the vocal on <i>Warszawa</i>. Charles Shaar Murray reads out his damning NME review of <i>Low</i>, and we hear some clock noises from <i>The Man Who Fell To Earth</i>. Eno then gives out about <i>'some critics..'</i> as we hear Rip Torn at the end of <i>The Man Who Fell To Earth</i> talking about Newton's record, <i>The Visitor</i>, which, in an pre-echo of Murray's verdict, when asked if he liked it says, <i>'not much'</i>, which Newton defensively answers, <i>'well, I didn't make it for you anyway'</i>. Edgar Froese's <i>Epsylon In Malasian Pale</i> can be heard, as this was one key reference point for the instrumental side of <i>Low</i>. Jonathan Harris talks about Bowie recuperating, as Kraftwerk's <i>Geiger Counter</i> comes in, with beeping noises that, in a health reference, could echo hospital monitoring equipment. Bowie is heard talking about his 'Berlin womb' as his interviewers mention him working with Iggy in Berlin. Cut to Kraftwerk's vocal tribute to the pair in <i>Trans Europe Express</i>.<br /><br />A loop of <i>Weeping Wall</i> enters simultaneously with an extract from Steve Reich's 1981 piece <i>Tehillim</i> (Hebrew word for psalms), echoing Jewish cultural references, with Bowie's possible reference to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. <i>Weeping Wall</i> could equally be a reference to the Berlin Wall. Two major walls appearing in the tribute. After Jonathan Harris is heard talking about a major star releasing a <i>'half instrumental record.. at the supposed peak of their career'</i> we hear Tony Visconti talking about the Eventide Harmonizer in a phone call with Eno & Bowie, and its sci-fi potential to '<i>fuck with the fabric of time</i>'. We hear La Dusseldorf's <i>Silver Cloud</i>, a reference point, in the fecund soil of new German music so important to Bowie at the time, for the song <i>“Heroes”</i>. This segues to the opening bars of <i>A New Career In A New Town</i>, which morphs (almost matching the beat) into the intro of <i>Beauty And The Beast</i>. Robert Fripp makes his earthy reference to that song, then we cut to Bowie haughtily 'answering' a ringing phone in an exchange with Alan Yentob, as we cut to Fripp's hilarious description of <i>'hairy rock & roll guitar'</i> used on <i>“Heroes”</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br />Bowie talking about <i>'continuing in the same place'</i> with Eno, moving from <i>Low</i> to <i>“Heroes”</i>, links to the intro to <i>Joe The Lion</i>. Cut to extract for an ad for Chris Burden documentary, and reference to his <i>Trans-fixed</i> (1974) performance where he is nailed to a VW beetle, which Bowie used in the lyric, <i>'nail me to my car and I'll tell you who you are'</i>. Some more exchanges between Bowie and Yentob are heard as we segue to <i>V2 Schneider</i> (the title a tribute to Kraftwerk's Florian Schneider), which then cuts to the outro of <i>Sons Of The Silent Age</i>, and we hear a brief snatch of <i>Les Vieux</i> by Jacques Brel, a reference point for that song, with its lyric, <i>'old people don't die, they just fall asleep too long'</i>. Also heard is a Goon Show space-themed extract (again Peter Sellers, I think) about the <i>Albert Memorial Rocket</i> being located 'in Glasgow', which is where <i>Under The Skin</i> was filmed. Again, a serendipitous coincidence.<br /><br />Bowie can the be heard in <i>The Man Who Fell To Earth</i> DVD interviews, talking about the <i>'frightening nature of technology'</i>, as a widescreen swish of harp can be heard from the film's soundtrack. Buck Henry's character can be heard saying, as classical music swells ominously, <i>'turn that down would you, Trevor ?'</i> The we hear Rip Torn say, <i>'this is some kind of space vehicle, right ?'</i> Cut to an extract from Cronenberg's 1983 film <i>Videodrome</i>, as a pummelling electronic sound is heard from Mica Levi's <i>Under The Skin</i> soundtrack. This edit ends with cello and plucked violin from Jurgen Kneiper's <i>Wings Of Desire</i> score. We hear Debbie Harry's character from <i>Videodrome</i> whisper '<i>please</i>' in one speaker, followed by Bowie saying '<i>lovely little Debbie</i>' in the other. This is another extract from his 1979 radio special. Bowie's <i>Moss Garden</i> hoves into view, as a loop from <i>Where Are We Know ? </i>synchs with it and Bowie says '<i>I'm not sure where to go now.. the East beckons me..'.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Candy Clark picks up the travel theme when she can be heard saying, <i>'they always seem to lead such interesting lives, people who travel'</i>. A cello drone from the <i>Under The Skin </i>soundtrack mixes with some of <i>The Man Who Fell To Earth </i>score. We hear a brief vocal snatch from Johnny Ray's <i>Street Of Memories</i>, stereo left then right. Bowie talks to Roeg: <i>'the reality was on screen, the shadow was in real life'</i>. We hear Candy Clark whispering <i>'you won't find anyone who'd do for you like I've done for you'</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />Russell Harty appears bemoaning '<i>coming to the end of our all too brief conversation</i>' in an apt way of beginning to wrap up the tribute, which continues with Bowie attempting to disentangle himself from his lapel mic in another interview. Elvis re-enters, in the slower end section of <i>Blackstar</i> as Bowie says, '<i>I'm going out to write my name on a wall now..</i>' Another wall. Rutger Hauer can be heard low in the mix with his 'tears in the rain' speech from <i>Bladerunner</i>, a film Bowie loved, and paraphrased this speech in a dedication sent to Terry's funeral. Vangelis' very evocative minimal synth figure fades from <i>Bladerunner</i> as Elvis, fading out, sings, <i>'Give him time to make a few dreams come true... Blackstar...'</i>, bracketing and ending the tribute.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></div>
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Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-34226584584865599082020-04-25T17:31:00.002+01:002020-04-28T16:36:35.552+01:00Ever Circling (Bowie tribute)<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've just completed a David Bowie tribute, the most ambitious of my tributes to date. Full statement and piece can accessed <a href="https://www.roomtemperature.org/p/this-stereo-soundscape-is-tribute-to.html" target="_blank">here</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cast of characters (in order of appearance):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dick Cavett</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">David Bowie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rip Torn</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mae West</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">George Formby</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">John Harris</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Norman Carl Odam</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nic Roeg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Woody Wooodmansey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Elvis Presley</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Candy Clark</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Michael Palin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Russell Harty</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dudley Moore</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Peter Cook </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Buck Henry</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">David Beales</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">John Hurt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Richard Burton</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Malcolm McDowell</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">William Burroughs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cyril Cusack</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Geoff McCormack</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Carlos Alomar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ava Cherry</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Earl Slick</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Peter Sellers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Johnny Mathis</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Iggy Pop</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dennis Davis</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Graham Lewis</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Charles Shaar Murray</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Brian Eno</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tony Visconti</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Robert Fripp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chris Burden</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jacques Brel</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Debbie Harry</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rutger Hauer</span>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-34997086814026571512020-04-01T14:49:00.001+01:002020-04-01T15:25:16.312+01:00A Salt-Set Seal (for Carole Chant)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I composed a new piece for Jon Abbey's AMPLIFY 2020 online festival, which I dedicated to my late friend Carole Chant (83), who died on the 20th of March from Covid-19 related pneumonia.<br /><br />It can be streamed and freely downloaded from the <a href="https://amplify2020.bandcamp.com/album/a-salt-set-seal-for-carole-chant">AMPLIFY Bandcamp</a> page.<br /><br />This piece was composed with edits of improvisations with found metals which are combined with field recordings made in Iceland, where I first met Carole in 2013 on a field<br />recording trip with Chris Watson and Jez Riley French. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These recordings were made in various spots around Snæfellsnes in North West Iceland. I've also used a recording of water underneath a jetty in the Antibes in 2015, as Carole used it in one of her Sounding Out radio shows for Resonance FM. The piece also uses recordings made from the back of Carole's house, where I stayed on recent London visits, as well as from around her neighborhood in Battersea.<br /><br />I first met Carole in 2013 at a week-long field recording workshop in Iceland with Chris Watson and Jez Riley French</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I kept in touch in the following years and stayed at her lovely house in Battersea on a few occasions on recent London visits. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">She was a wonderful woman with an indomitable spirit, highly creative, fiercely independent, a lively<br />conversationalist, very funny, generous and thoughtful. I will miss her greatly, as will everyone whose lives she touched, of whom there are a great many.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />"She was a member of the Scratch Orchestra; an artist; a much loved art teacher for 30 years; a very fine banjo player (although she hated to admit it) playing Bluegrass, English and Irish folk music, and lots of free improvised music; A radio presenter with a weekly programme on Resonance FM, where she entertained and was entertained by all her favourite people from the worlds of experimental, improvised and folk music, and where she played her field recordings of trips she took to India, Mexico and Egypt, armed with a zoom and all she'd learnt on various courses with Chris Watson"<br /><br />Tom Chant, Carole's son.</span></div>
Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-80072419566271651232019-12-07T19:13:00.000+00:002020-04-01T15:12:59.718+01:00The Long Good Friday (1980)<style type="text/css">
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After
reading 'Very Naughty Boys', about Handmade Films, my interest was
piqued to watch The Long Good Friday, especially as I knew it was
shot at a time (1979) before the London docklands was developed, so
would have some historically interesting footage.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It
seems you can't move for the garlands of praise being heaped on this
film, both at the time and in retrospect with a new print of the film
in the cinema in recent years, but, even though Hoskins delivers a
star turn, ably supported by Helen Mirren, the rest of the supporting
cast I thought were very weak, the characterisation paper thin,
performances quite hammy, especially the key character of Hoskin's
right hand man, played by Derek Thompson, who would go on to find
fame in 'Casualty' - he was very unconvincing. He seemed to sort of
sleep walk through the role. I also found it hard to get past the
casting of Brian Hall, better known as the chef in Fawlty Towers, as
one of Hoskins' henchmen - the face was just too familiar from the
wrong context (even though it took me a while to place it).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And
parts of the script really show their age, especially in this scene
with Brian King's character of the bent copper talking to Hoskins
about the proposed 1988 London Olympics and 'nig nogs doing the long
jump..' (ouch). Yes, historically accurate and all that, but I'm sure
the actor would wince in later years to remember the line. No
different I suppose to Vietnamese being called slopes in Apocalypse
Now or the amount of times Samuel L Jackson says 'nigger' in Jackie
Brown - it's authentic without being necessarily gratuitous, but
grates (more so in the 1979 examples).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
scriptwriter Barrie Keefe did his research amongst the hard men
associates of the Krays and others, but for such a dramatic story the
film has a curious lack of tension and is oddly paced. Hard to
connect with any characters or their eventual fate. The very young
Dexter Fletcher appears in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment (he
would have been about 13 years old) with some street kids being
cheeky to Hoskins. I thought the soundtrack (by Curved Air's Francis
Monkman) was awful, very dated, even for the time, trying far too
hard.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
film features Pierce Brosnan as an IRA hitman in his first
(non-speaking) film role. Lew Grade wanted it for TV transmission
originally but was not keen on what he saw as the glorification of
the IRA, and demanded substantial cuts. Ultimately George Harrison's
company Handmade Films would step into the breach and give it an
uncut cinema release. Film maker Sé Merry Doyle recalls considerable police and special branch presence at the opening in Dublin, monitoring the crowd in the old Irish Film Theatre (now the Sugar Club), with Helen Mirren also in attendance.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What's
interesting in the current climate is how pro-Europe Hoskins'
character is, and how he might have been fairly knocked out by the
scale of development that came in Thatcher's wake, far in excess of
his dreams I imagine. Interesting too that his character's name,
Shand is so phonetically close to one of the symbols of London's
prodigious development, the Shard.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Barrie
Keeffe wrote a sequel, Black Easter Monday, set twenty years after
the events of the first film. It opened with Bob Hoskins' character
escaping from the IRA after the car was pulled over by police.
Hoskins would retire to Jamaica, then return to stop the East End
being taken over by the Yardies. Perhaps it was just as well the film
was never made.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My
Father took me on my first visit to London for a few days in Easter
'81. We went to see Rowan Atkinson do a stand up show, but could only
get one ticket, so Dad let me go in and he went to see The Long Good
Friday, but left before the end to come and collect me (I suppose it
never occurred to him that I could wait till the film finished). It
was years before he saw it in full on TV. He took this photo of me on
Carnaby Street. Turns out the film's production office was located
here !</span></div>
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<br />Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-3484461081628607192019-11-30T13:43:00.000+00:002019-12-01T08:32:27.854+00:00Cape Fear (1962)<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Revisited J. Lee Thompson's masterful Cape Fear for the first time in a good 20 years and found it immensely satisfying. Initially storyboarded by Hitchcock, the cinematography follows his penchant for unusual composition, deep shadow, close-ups etc., to great effect. Thompson's decision to film in black and white was an inspired choice - he felt colour would be too distracting - as it heightens the all-pervasive sense of threat and unease that ratchets up throughout the film.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mitchum is pitch perfect as Cady: impudent swagger, cool as fuck, iron will, unstoppably dogged in his pursuit of Bowden and his family, deeply damaged and misogynist; a brute who uses his forensic knowledge of the law to run rings around his prey. What's interesting about his portrayal is you don't out-and-out hate him at first, he has a certain menacing charisma.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whereas in Scorsese's overcooked remake De Niro plays Cady as a completely insufferable fucking prick. Mitchum's Cady deftly uses the law like a game of chess, but as things really start to kick off Peck's Bowden attempts to flout the same law in a desperate attempt to gain the upper hand. It's a war of nerves till the end. It's interesting, that's not a phrase you see much these days (it was used in the film posters at the time), but it's vividly evocative, with a certain cold war paranoia about it too, as befits the times.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thompson originally wanted Hayley Mills to play Bowden's daughter Nancy, as she had a stronger allure for Cady's foul intent. To my mind, Lori Martin was excellent as Nancy because she is so innocent, thus making Cady's brutal intrusion into her life all the more traumatic.</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">She's an only child, rather sheltered, more like someone out of an early 40s movie, her whole dress sense and hairstyle curiously middle-aged. Thompson admitted to being a bit tough on her as he really wanted Mills, but admits Martin was really good. She would have been about 15 at the time. Apparently she did suffer nightmares for a time after filming. In a very sad postscript, she died by suicide in 2010 at 62 after struggling with mental illness and drug abuse in the wake of her husband's death in 1999.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whereas Juliette Lewis' portrayal in the remake is more knowingly sexual and curious (she would've been 17). Censorship in the 60s meant that the word rape could not be used, yet when the word 'attack' is used, it still carries considerable threat because the implication is clear. The hints and suggestions of actual levels of violence are more disturbing for not being shown in the original.</span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The 90s remake is more upfront and reflective of changed times. Scorsese tends more to an almost operatic reading of the story, ending in a near-biblical finale with raging storm and Cady speaking in tongues as he drowns. All very overwrought, with De Niro hamming it up 90.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">Bernard Herrman's score is magnificent, and the orchestration has a lot more subtlety than Elmer Bernstein's orchestration in the remake. It also, on close listening, has elements that aren't in the remake too. I wish there was an album version of this. </span></span></span><span class="s1" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whilst I do like the remake score, you realise how it tends to bludgeon rather heavily at times, after hearing the original score. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It could be suggested that the tension in Mitchum's performance was partly informed by his deep aversion to the actual location in Savannah where much of the filming happened - as a teenager he had been charged with vagrancy and put on a chain gang.</span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When the fight in the river was being filmed, Peck apparently once hit Mitchum for real by mistake, but being the pro, Mitchum kept playing the scene, but when he got back to his trailer, he "literally collapsed" due to the impact of the punch and said that he felt it for days after wards. According to Mitchum: "I don't feel sorry for anyone dumb enough who picks a fight with him (Peck)." </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meanwhile, Polly Bergen suffered minor bruises in a scene where she struggles with Cady. He was supposed to drag her through various doors on the set, but a crew member mistakenly left all those doors locked, so that when Mitchum forced Bergen through the doors, she was actually being used as a battering ram to push them open.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When the film wrapped Mitchum gave the director a present - a straightjacket !</span><br />
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</style>Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-5942244514811476652019-08-29T09:32:00.001+01:002019-12-01T14:01:50.117+00:00Two new releases<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Based on a studio session in London in 2017, this <a href="https://www.confrontrecordings.com/max-eastley" target="_blank">trio album </a>is now available. A particular pleasure to work with such fine gentlemen and wonderful improvisors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My new solo album, <a href="https://bit.ly/2Ub2JZj" target="_blank">Gleaming Seams</a>, is also now available in a limited edition of 50, and digitally at <a href="https://roomtemperature.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a>.</span><br />
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Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19607296.post-85516408994729683802019-06-22T10:26:00.000+01:002019-06-22T14:20:31.310+01:00Sound Collector<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I will be performing a solo percussion set for <a href="https://projectartscentre.ie/event/sound-collector/?fbclid=IwAR3nlsQlWSqx3ytKl-kbTt9Kl1gEPsGqFU1e4HkZ2ouZqLnjxy4v2lJpWPA#" target="_blank">this event</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">on the 6th of July 2019, using found metals and plastics.</span><br />
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<br />Fergus Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07205724682940256441noreply@blogger.com0