Martin at Everything is Nice points to this podcast of Michel Faber reading his short story “The Fahrenheit Twins”, with Eno providing the music. The eponymous collection is excellent; and Under the Skin is simply one of the blackest & most hilarious novels you will ever read. I hope I’m preaching to the converted here, but if I can reach out to one reader who isn’t yet in the fold etc etc.
Reading: The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman. Reviewing: Plan for Chaos, John Wyndham. Listening to: Chunga’s Revenge, Frank Zappa. Destabilising combination.
The converted may want to take a look at the evening of Eno stuff on BBC4 this Friday. More details here:
http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/
And one of the contributors to the new documentary, David Whittaker, has just edited this collection of essays by one Eno’s chief inspirations, Stafford Beer:
http://www.wavestonepress.co.uk/photo_3578138.html
I haven’t listened to “Chunga…” in quite a while. I remember loving the title track with it’s gurgly mutant wah-sax soloing.
“Uncle Meat” has recently found its way onto my iPod and has been working it’s odd, intimate narrative tricks on me for a day or two.
How are you finding The Graveyard Book? Will you offer up a review when you finish it?
Thanx for that heads up, Martin.
Hi Andy: me neither. I miss the industrial vacuum cleaner, dancing to its own sad yet somehow life-celebratory wah, which featured on the inside of the original album sleeve. If anyone knew where that picture could be found on the world wide internet, I would go there & look at it.
Hi Phil: I’m enjoying The Graveyard Book a great deal. But I’m reading it solely for pleasure, so no review.
Hi Mike.
I can’t find that inner sleeve artwork anywhere on line, either. I’ve put a couple of feelers out and will post here if I find anything worthy of a look!
Remember the Gotan project’s take on “Chunga…”? Enjoyable enough but the delightful dovetailing of the amusing and melancholic that – for me – characterises the original (and much of Zappa’s output) was replaced with a kind of ersatz Sunday afternoon barbeqeue exotica. Acquaintances who would never dream of listening to the original would smile over the rim of their chilled chardonet and ask who this “interesting” music was by.
Oh, ignore me. I’m just being a snob. And I can’t even spell barbeqeue.
Not exactly an epic, widescreen reproduction but this is the best I’ve found….
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R9OmRe5DeuQ/R19j6bktNJI/AAAAAAAAAV0/jFN85gG-Th4/s400/GMVCleaner.jpg
Andy, that’s brilliant! A gypsy vacuum cleaner in the heart of the Middle European night (or however the text went). Thanks so much.
No problem, Mike.
Almost lost in the bottom right hand corner is a detail I’d forgotten and which is far more obvious on the original: We’re watching the little vacuum cleaner dance and play from behind a 24 track recording desk. The entire landscape he inhabits, in fact, would appear to be part of the recording studio, events unfolding behind the soundproof glass.
A lovely touch that says a lot about meta-narratives and Zappa’s contextualisation and re-contextualistation of his materials, both composed and incidental. Ho hum…
“A Gypsy mutant industrial vacuum cleaner dances about a myserious night-time camp fire. Festoons. Dozens of imported castanets, clutched by the horrible suction of its heavy-duty hose, waving with marginal erotic abandon in the midnight autumn air.”
I’d forgotten that. It’s lovely and guaranteed to make me grin. Cheers.
Ah, I knew mention of Zappa would flush my old friend and Sussex compatriate Andy McD out.
Good stuff.
Mike, worth an audition is a newly released 3CD set by Leyland Kirby called Sadly the future is no longer what it was.
He is from Yorkshire and the music is redolent with bleak landscape, mournful strings interspersed with static and fractured electronica.
Eno for the outdoorsman if you like.
Sorry to butt in late, but I’ve just picked up a copy of Faber’s “Under The Skin”, & so far (admittedly I’m only halfway through) it’s brilliant. Nasty & oh so tender all at once.
Thank you for the recommendation.
My pleasure, Nels.
Hi Duke, thanks for the Leyland Kirby recommendation.
That’s a little better….
http://www.hardformat.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/11.jpg
Right. That’s that itch scatched. Onward!