This is quite simply the best magazine edited by a manic depressive (and his orange kitten), and produced from a tumbledown potato shed in North Devon. The fact that it is published in conjunction with Gonzo Multimedia - probably the grooviest record company in the known universe - is merely an added bonus.
MANY APOLOGIES FOR THE MAGAZINE WE SENT OUT YESTERDAY. THROUGH NO FAULT OF OUR OWN IT REGISTERED AS CONTAINING MALWARE. IT DIDN'T BUT ONE PUBLIC DOMAIN IMAGE WE HAVE USED FOR MONTHS CAME FROM A SITE WHICH HAS RECENTLY BEEN FLAGGED UP AS CONTAINING MALWARE. THIS NEW VERSION IS - APPARENTLY - FREE OF PROBLEMS
ALL THE GONZO NEWS THAT'S FIT TO PRINT
Issue Forty-Two September 6th 2013
AS I PROMISED, THIS IS SLOWLY BECOMING A MAGAZINE AND I ALWAYS TRY TO KEEP MY PROMISES
THIS WEEK WE BRING YOU SIR DAVID FROST, DAVID JACOBS, PAUL KANTNER, MICK FARREN, ANDY COLQUHOUN, UNREAL CITY, THIRD EAR BAND, BILLY JAMES, ANT-BEE, GARY CLAIL, PAUL WHITROW, TACKHEAD, LIBBY LAWES, AFRICAN HEADCHARGE, BILL REBSAMEN, P.G.WODEHOUSE, BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, MIKE DAVIS, MATTHEW WATKINS, CANTERBURY SCENE, KEITH EMERSON, RICK WAKEMAN, ROB AYLING, HAWKWIND, YES, C.J.STONE, THOM THE WORLD POET, PETER McADAM, MARILLION, OLIVER WAKEMAN, GORDON GILTRAP, THE BOB LAZAR STORY, KARDA ESTRA, JOHANN WOLFGANG PROZOJ, THE NINE HENRYS, CAPTAIN FRUNOBULAX THE MAGNIFICENT
This is the nearest that you are ever going to get to a posh weekend colour supplement from the Gonzo Daily team. Each week we shall go through the best bits of the week before, and if there aren't any we shall make some up, or simply make our excuses and leave (you can tell the editor once did contract work at the News of the World can't ya?)
Social media stuff that I am really too old to understand, (my stepdaughter spent much of last Christmas trying to explain Twitter to me) but I am assuming that at least some of our readers are younger and hipper than I am.
So what is this all about?
It is simple; my name is Jon and I am the editor of the Gonzo Multimedia daily online magazine. Now there is a weekly newsletter, once again edited by me and my trusty orange cat from a dilapidated ex-potato shed in rural Devonshire.
You subscribed to it by opting in on the website. I hope that you all stay to join in the fun, but if it is not to your liking it is just as easy to unsubscribe again. But what a long, strange trip it is gonna be...
MORE LIKE A MAGAZINE
I have not been very well this week. I have never made any secret of the fact that I am severely bi-polar, and this has not been one of my better weeks. However, I am well on the mend, and putting together this week's edition has definitely been one of the things that has contributed largely to the upturn in my serotonin levels (that and several bottles of brandy earlier in the week)...
THE WEEK THAT'S PAST: The return of Gary Clail
A little bird tells me that the legendary Gary Clail has a new record imminent. Called The World's Gone Crazy it was remixed by Libby Lawes (a rising star of the activist circuit, whose DJ-ing and live appearances are finally getting the credit they deserve) aka HippyPunk and mixed by my old mate Paul Whitrow, and with the immortal opening lines "It's emergency surgery without anaesthetic" it apparently sounds just as excellent as one would have hoped. It is all about the current financial crisis, and economic degradation.
Paul played me the record down the 'phone, and even in these less than ideal conditions, it is awesome. Fans of Tackhead from the old days will definitely not be disappointed. The bassline is to die for, and Gary's vocal and political acumen are spot on!
When he first heard Paul's whizzo remix, Gary is reported to have said "That's a bit futuristic innit?" and is massively enthusiastic about the results, which should see the light of day in October. Remember you read about it first here!
I last saw Gary on stage with the On U Sound System and African Headcharge at a festival in Milton Keynes 20 years ago, and it was an unforgettable experience. I for one am glad to hear that the old bugger is back! An album is also in the works, and there will be more news when I get it.
THE WEEK THAT'S PAST: Can you help Bill Rebsamen?
Bill Rebsamen is an old mate of mine, and an immensely talented artist and musician. He wrote to me via the magic of Facebook this week asking a Rick Wakeman-related question:
Hey Jon - Can you find me a good Hi-Rez version of this photo of Wakeman - I've looked all over. I'm decorating my new studio with my progressive heroes! This is my fave pose of Rick. Most every other caped photo shows him facing away from the camera, I've got a killer shot of the great Emo and a good early Genesis photo of Tony.
I like that photo of Rick but will consider others - I love the early 70s Rick with the long flowing hair and cape but I also want it to show his keyboards. I'm blowing these up till like 24 x 36 so I need a good quality.
Bill promises that if we can get us a copy of this picture which doesn't look like a surrealist montage of a fishtank, he will tell us the story of how he met Keith Emerson.
THE WEEK THAT'S PAST: Matthew Watkins' Third Ear Query
Any chance you could identify the first tune the Third Ear Band are playing here (I note Gonzo has released a DVD of their TV appearances, so perhaps this is on it)?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oI2-S7W55A
I'm hoping to include it in the next CSF, and as you know I like to provide accurate and complete information for my listeners!
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/09/matthew-watkins-third-ear-query.html
Now, I will be the first to admit that the Third Ear Band are somewhat obscure, so - for those of you who have not come across their own imitable style of madness - here is a brief potted history.
Third Ear Band was an experimental music group founded in London by Glen Sweeney in 1968. The members had previously been with The Giant Sun Trolley and The People Band. The first album 'Alchemy' was released in 1969 and actually featured British radio D.J. John Peel on jaws harp. More famously the band opened for the Rolling Stones at their Hyde Park Concert in July 1969. The original line up featured Glen Sweeney, Paul Minns, Richard Coff, Mel Davis and David Tomlin.
Except for Glen Sweeney who was a constant with the band, the line up was always considered fluid with members coming and going over the years. At the time of these performances which were recorded from September 1970, the band consisted of Glen Sweeney, Paul Minns, Denim Bridges and Paul Buckmaster, who would go onto work with Elton John amongst many other high profile artists.
Third Ear Band would go on to record a very famous soundtrack in 1972 for the Roman Polanski film 'Macbeth'. By this time future Hawkwind and David Bowie band member Simon House had joined.
THIRD EAR BAND AT GONZO (UK)
THIRD EAR BAND AT GONZO (USA)
THE WEEK THAT'S PAST: What ho chaps!
Over the past few days I found that YouTube have a plethora of episodes of the mid-1970s adaptations of Wodehouse stories that were broadcast as 'Wodehouse Playhouse'. Watching these delightfully subtle, and charming little films, I realise now what was wrong with this year's adaptations of the Blandings Castle books. The 2013 films are mostly slapstick farce, and Wodehouse was anything but slapstick farce. He was an immensely subtle writer, and when dramatised tastefully they are delightful. There were moments of greatness in the 2013 series, but they were few and far between despite the (usually) excellent casting.
I blathered happily on in this vein earlier in the week on The Gonzo Daily, and - much to my pleasure - had an e-mail from one Gonzo artiste who asked for more details of the YouTube films. I am glad I am not the only Wodehouse fan here in Gonzoland.
THE WEEK THAT'S PAST: A new collection from Belle and Sebastian
The new album by Belle and Sebastian, is worth checking out; another collection of odds and sods in the vein of 'Push Barman to open old wounds', it is patchy in parts, but largely a thing of total wonder. There are a couple of percussion heavy tracks that don't really work for me, and a Shadows pastiche that - IMHO - is totally pointless. But there are many gems. For example the song 'Meat and Potatoes' about a couple trying to spice up their sex life, including the line "we tried a can of cold whipped cream, [but] I was allergic to too much dairy", is classic Stuart Murdoch. It is probably not going to be the most played B&S album in their canon, either by me or by anyone else, but it is well worth a listen.
THE WEEK THAT'S PAST: Gonzo Web Radio
There are four new shows for you this week; the final archive shows from Canterbury Soundwaves. All 28 of the shows - the entire series - are now available on Gonzo Web Radio. There are also some exciting things afoot with another entirely new station being added to Gonzo Web Radio, and a total revamp of the radio index.
Canterbury Soundwaves #25
Date Published: 7th September 2013
Before Canterbury Sans Frontières was Canterbury Soundwaves a show which creator Matthew Watkins described as "exploring the so-called `Canterbury Sound`, its many roots, branches, twigs and accompanying mycelia in 28 episodes (November 2010 - January 2013). We, the little fellows hiding behind the scenes at Gonzo Web Radio are proud to announce that as well as Canterbury Sans Frontières episodes as they happen, all 28 of the back catalogue will also be hosted.
A tribute to Lol Coxhill (1934–2012), from solo busking in Piccadilly Circus via Delivery and Kevin Ayers' The Whole World to a 21st century collaboration with jazz-electronica innovators Lob. Also including Lol's collaborations with Hugh Hopper, Fred Frith, Lindsay Cooper, and several pieces with pianist Steven Miller (to whom this episode is jointly dedicated). Miller's brief stint with Caravan is re-examined, including a studio outtake of what was to evolve into a Hatfield and the North classic.
Also, a look at repetition, looping and electronica from a Canterbury perspective, with live Tim Blake, Terry Riley, Soft Machine '67 and System 7 in 2010.
Playlist for this episode
Listen to this episode
A tribute to drummer and composer Pip Pyle, including his work with Delivery, Gong, Hatfield and the North, National Health, Soft Heap and more.
Also, Kevin Ayers with and without Lady June, Caravan's finest studio work, Robert Wyatt drumming with Soft Machine in Norway '71 and singing a jazz standard in '82, and something new from co-presenter and current Canterbury drummer Adam Brodigan's band Delta Sleep. Also, the first live performance (of Pip's briefest composition) on Canterbury Soundwaves!
Wot, no Caravan? No Soft Machine?
No, sorry, not this time.
This episode is a personal response to recent events in Britain, as well as an attempt to address a certain imbalance in the 'Scene'. Stick with it for a few minutes – it'll start to make sense.
As this will be the final episode of Canterbury Soundwaves, it's a very special extended edition featuring a day out in the Canterbury area with the man who started it all...Daevid Allen! As well as visiting Robert Wyatt's family home in the village of Lydden where he lived in 1961 (his first time back in 50 years) and a couple of other places of local significance to his early days of music-making, Daevid reads poetry in the Canterbury Cathedral crypt and atop the mysterious Dane John Mound near the city wall. His reminiscences and musings are interwoven with music from several Gong lineups (including the current one with his and Gilli's son Orlando), the Daevid Allen Trio, Wilde Flowers, early Soft Machine and Caravan, The Magick Brothers, University of Errors, Brainville, Acid Mothers Gong, Kevin Ayers, Steve Hillage and Khan, as well as current
Canterbury-based artists Arlet and Luke Smith.
As both Daevid and I have a tendency to mumble, and quite a lot of this was recorded in crowded streets, noisy pubs, etc, I'd recommend taking some time to listen to this one undistracted, with headphones or decent speakers.
For more news on Strange Fruit CLICK HERE
For more news on Canterbury Sans Frontières CLICK HERE
For the Gonzo Web Radio homepage CLICK HERE
THE WEEK THAT'S PAST: Great reception for Mike Davis song
Last week I wrote about the re-appearance in my life of the immensely talented singer-songwriter Mike Davis, and how I had spent three hard working but massively enjoyable days recording new material with him in my home studio.
(For the record, my home studio is the same leaky and badly converted potato shed full of ephemera and rubbish from which I edit this magazine, run the Centre for Fortean Zoology, and do all the other stuff that I do, merely with the addition of a couple of microphones, some useful software and various guitars, amplifiers and sound processors)
I was massively impressed by the reception we have had with the song - 267 hits in under a week - with minimal advertising. In fact, no advertising at all except for one appearance in last week's Gonzo Weekly and word of mouth from his sister Tina, who I think would make a massively effective music business publicist.
Here is another chance to check it out...
THE WEEK THAT'S PAST: The Gospel according to Bart
Once again my favourite roving reporter has sent me things of interest. Firstly these excerpts from Oliver Wakeman's newsletter, which as they mention Gonzo artist Gordon Giltrap to a great extent, I am going to quote in full:
Prog Awards 2013
Oliver was in attendance at this years Prog Awards ceremony at Kew Gardens last night as a nominee. The track 'Moneyfacturing' was a nominated song in the 'Anthem' category.
Unfortunately it was not the winning track but it was a great evening with lots of great musicians and personalities in attendance.
These included (besides Oliver...) Rick Wakeman, Steve Hillage, Ian Anderson, Steve Hackett, Mike Portnoy, Neil Morse, Bill Oddie, Gavin Esler (TV's Newsnight programme), Matthew Wright (From TV's The Wright Stuff), Marillion, Paul Manzi, John Mitchell, Arjen Lucassen, Roine Stolt, Dave Brock and Steven Wilson amongst others...!
Thanks to all at Prog Magazine for organising a wonderful night.
BBC Radio 2 - Bob Harris Session
A couple of months ago Oliver, along with Paul Manzi and Gordon Giltrap were the guests of legendary DJ Bob Harris for a session on his Sunday Show.
The session was broadcast last Sunday but is available to listen to from the following link - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01fw50h
The tracks performed were LJW, Fiona's Smile and Ravens Will Fly Away.
Other Radio
Oliver was also a recent guest on Paul Bakers Soundscapes programme on ARfm - the interview can be heard here - http://www.mixcloud.com/arfm/paul-baker-soundscapes-with-guest-oliver-wakeman-jul-14/
The 3 Ages of Magick
We are really pleased to announce that Oliver's 'The 3 Ages of Magick' album, featuring YES guitarist Steve Howe, is due for re-release on the Esoteric Recordings label on the 30th September 2013.
It is now available to pre-order directly from Cherry Red records at http://www.cherryred.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=4347
This album was originally released in 2001 and hasn't been available on general release since 2007, a year before Oliver started working with Steve in YES.
Following the critical sucess of the Ravens and Lullabies album with Gordon Giltrap, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to hear Oliver's work with another classic guitarist 12 years earlier!
This expanded and remastered release features 3 bonus tracks, 'Hit 'n Myth', 'The Faerie Ring' and a demo version of 'The Storyteller' titled 'Dream Weaver'. The album sleeve features a background story on the making of the album as well as unseen photos from Oliver's personal archives.
The first 1000 copies will ship in a signed slip case.
2013 Tour
Oliver and Gordon continue their Ravens & Lullabies tour around the UK starting in October.
This tour will be in three different guises. The full Duo show, a shortened Duo show as special guests of John Lees' Barclay James Harvest and a full band show as festival headliners at this years Summers End festival on the 5th October in Lydney, Gloucestershire.
The band for this show will be
Oliver Wakeman - Piano & Keyboards
Gordon Giltrap - Electric and Acoustic Guitars
Paul Manzi - Vocals & Guitars
Steve Anderson - Bass
Johanne James - Drums
There are new tour posters and flyers to download from the 'Press Media' section of the website (accessible under the 'Information' tab in the menu).
If you would like to help promote the tour please feel free to print and place them in suitable (and legal) places.
Thank you in advance if you do choose to help!
The tour dates are as follows:-
Thursday, October 3:
Oliver Wakeman & Gordon Giltrap - Ravens & Lullabies tour 2013
Trinity Theatre, Church Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1JP
Gordon Giltrap & Oliver Wakeman Duo show
To book tickets: Phone: 01892 678 678 or visit www.trinitytheatre.net
Friday, October 4:
Oliver Wakeman & Gordon Giltrap - Ravens and Lullabies tour 2013
Sundial Theatre at Cirencester College, Stroud Road, Cirencester GL7 1XA
To book tickets: Phone: 01285 654228 or visit www.sundial-theatre.co.uk
Saturday, October 5:
Summer's End Festival - FULL BAND SHOW! - Ravens and Lullabies tour 2013
Lydney Town Hall, High Street, Lydney, Gloucestershire GL15 5DY
Gordon Giltrap and Oliver Wakeman with the full electric band
To book tickets: www.summersend.co.uk
Wednesday, October 9:
West End Centre, Queens Road, Aldershot, GU11 3JD
To book tickets: Phone: 01252 330 040 or visit www3.hants.gov.uk/westendcentre
Friday, October 11:
The Regal Theatre 47 - 49 Teme Street, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire WR15 8AE
To book tickets: Phone 01584 811 442 or visit www.regaltenbury.co.uk
Saturday, October 12:
Palace Theatre, Alcester Street, Redditch B98 8AE
To book tickets: Phone: 01527 65203 or visit www.redditchpalacetheatre.co.uk/
Tuesday, October 15:
Village Hall, The Street, Walberton Arundel, Sussex BN18 0PQ
To book tickets: Phone: 01243 811 429 / 07740 105 555 / 01243 781 312 or visit
Tickets available from:
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/225463
Or from the Chichester Festival Theatre
http://www.cft.org.uk/gordon-giltrap-oliver-wakeman
All information about the gig can be found at www.rootsaroundtheworld.com
Thursday, October 17:
Brook Theatre Old Town Hall, Chatham, Kent ME4 4SE
To book tickets: Phone: 01634 338 338 or visit www.medway.gov.uk/leisureandculture/centralandbrooktheatres.aspx
Sunday, October 20:
The Greystones, Greystone Road, Sheffield S11 7BS
To book tickets: Phone: 0114 266 5599 or visit www.mygreystones.co.uk
Capitol Theatre North Street, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1RG
To book tickets: Phone: 01403 750 220 or visit www.thecapitolhorsham.com
Wednesday, October 30:
The Musician Clyde Street, Leicester LE1 2DE
To book tickets: Phone: 0116 251 0080 or visit www.themusicianpub.co.uk
Terry O Toole Theatre, North Kesteven Centre Moor Lane, North Hykeham, Lincoln, LN6 9AX
To book tickets: Phone: 01522 883 311 or visit www.terryotooletheatre.org.uk
Thursday, November 7:
BJH plus Oliver Wakeman & Gordon Giltrap - Ravens and Lullabies tour 2013
Komedia, 22-23 Westgate St, Bath BA1 1EP
Special Guests of John Lees' Barclay James Harvest
To book tickets: Phone 0845 293 8480 or visit www.komedia.co.uk/bath/
Friday, November 8:
Islington Assembly Hall, Upper Street, Islington, London
To book tickets: visit www:assemblyhall.islington.gov.uk/
Saturday, November 9:
The Stables, Stockwell Lane, Wavendon, Milton Keynes
To book tickets: Phone 01908 280800 or visit www.stables.org
Sunday, November 10:
The Robin 2, 20-28 Mount Pleasant, Bilston, Wolverhampton
To book tickets: Phone 01902 401211 or visit www.therobin.co.uk
Tuesday, November 12:
Forest Arts Centre Old Milton Road, New Milton, Hants BH25 6DS
To book tickets: Phone: 01425 612 393 or visit www3.hants.gov.uk/forest
Saturday, November 16:
Picturedrome, Market Walk, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire HD9 7DA
To book tickets: visit www.picturedrome.net
Thursday, November 21:
The Junction, Clifton Way, Cambridge CB1 7GX
To book tickets: Phone 01223 511 511 or visit www.junction.co.uk
Friday, November 22:
The Brook, 466 Portswood Road, Portswood, Southampton
To book tickets: Phone 023 8055 5366 or visit www.the-brook.com
Tavistock Wharf, Canal Rd, Tavistock PL19 8AT
To book tickets: Phone (01822) 611166 or visit www.tavistockwharf.com
Oliver Wakeman
Twitter: @OliverWakeman
Website: www.oliverwakeman.co.uk
Facebook: Visit Oliver on Facebook
MySpace: Visit Oliver on MySpace
....and whilst on the subject of Gordon Giltrap, here are some handy links to his Gonzo albums:
GORDON GILTRAP AT GONZO (UK)
GORDON GILTRAP AT GONZO (USA)
... but there's more from Bart!
Bart also sent these excerpts from the Marillion newsletter which implies that the band are feeling particularly chuffed with their showing at last week's Prog awards:
Well, after all these years, we finally won an award! We had a great time at the Prog Magazine awards on Tuesday night and walked away with "Band Of The Year". Marvellous!
Thank you to everyone out there in the global family who voted for us. Once again your show of faith has helped the band to further establish Marillion at the high-table of our art-form. If it carries on at this rate, we'll be legends in our own lifetime!
We are indebted to you.
See you soon..?
H, Ian, Mark, Pete and Steve
Congratulations, gentlemen, from all at the Gonzo Weekly...
THE WEEK THAT'S PAST: What's been did and what's been hid
I am growing up in public, as it were. The Gonzo Weekly has been going for nine months now, and we are beginning to find our feet. I am making changes as I go along, and - no doubt - some of these changes will turn out to be mistakes. So, let me know what you think. Do they work? Do you like them? Hate them? Or don't you care either way?
Please pass this magazine around as far and wide as you can. And encourage as many people as you can to subscribe. Remember it is free, and will remain so. However, I want as many subscribers as possible to move on to the next stage of the party. There might well be cake.
Remember, I am always looking for new authors. If there is something that you feel you could add to the general melange which is the Gonzo Weekly, please email me at jon@eclipse.co.uk. The more the merrier.
Although this newsletter also goes out in a plain text version for those of you who do not trust image intensive thingys in your browser, I promise that as long as it is technically feasible (which will be for the forseeable future) the text only mailout will continue. However, I strongly advise that for you to get the best out of this rapidly evolving publication, that you really should see it in all its picture-led glory.
Please tell your friends, colleagues and family about The Gonzo Weekly, and try to persuade them to subscribe. The more subscribers we get, the bigger and better and more effective the whole thing will be.
Remember, if you want more than your weekly fix of this newsletter you can check out the Gonzo Daily, which - as its name implies - does much the same as this newsletter but every day. It also features a daily poem from Thom the World Poet, and the occasional non-Gonzo rock music rambling from yours truly, plus book and gig reviews from our highly trained staff of social malcontents. And its FREE! You cannae say fairer than that!
Each week, some of you seem to recognise me. Yes, I am indeed that weird bloke off the telly who chases mythological animals. I have a day job as Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, and also the editor of the CFZ Blog Network, and publisher of a plethora of books about mystery animals.
GONZO RELEASES FOR SEPTEMBER 2013
1 Corky Laing and the Perfect Child - Playing God
2 Jack Lancaster - Wild Connections
3 Paul Kantner - A Martian Christmas
4 Brand X - Missing Period
5 Blodwyn Pig - Lies
6 Gary Windo - Deep Water
And on DVD Vangelis - Journey to Ithaka (DVD)
BACK ISSUES OF THIS PERIODICAL
Newsletter #36 Newsletter #35 Newsletter #34 Newsletter #33 Newsletter #32 Newsletter #31 Newsletter #30 Newsletter #29 Newsletter #28 Newsletter #27 Newsletter #26 Newsletter #25 Newsletter #24 Newsletter #23 Newsletter #22 Newsletter #21 Newsletter #20 Newsletter #19 Newsletter #18 Newsletter #17 Newsletter #16 Newsletter #15 Newsletter #14 Newsletter #13 Newsletter #12 Newsletter #11 Newsletter #10 Newsletter #9 Newsletter #8 Newsletter #7 Newsletter #6 Newsletter #5 Newsletter #4 Newsletter #3 Newsletter #2 Newsletter #1
Please be warned: Magazines from #11 on contain the cartoon at the bottom of the stressed out guy with the computer Apparently someone has accused the public domain images site I got it from of hosting malware, and even though there was none found there by Google, the fact that I used an image from the site (perfectly legally) flagged our whole newsletter up as possibly containing malware. This should only effect people using Google Chrome, and I would strongly suggest that you click the 'proceed anyway' tab, and view the newsletter as yoiu had originally planned...
THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Sir David Frost (1939-2013)
Sir David Paradine Frost, OBE (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was an English journalist, comedian, writer, media personality and television host.
After graduating from Cambridge University, Frost rose to prominence in the UK when he was chosen to host the satirical programme That Was the Week That Was in 1962. His success on this show led to work as a host on US television. He became known for his television interviews with senior political figures, among them The Nixon Interviews with former United States President Richard Nixon in 1977, which were adapted into a stage play and film.
Frost was one of the "Famous Five" who were behind the launch of ITV breakfast station TV-am in 1983. For the BBC, he hosted the Sunday morning interview programme Breakfast with Frost from 1993 to 2005. He spent two decades as host of Through the Keyhole. From 2006 to 2012 he hosted the weekly programme Frost Over the World on Al Jazeera English and from 2012, the weekly programme The Frost Interview. Frost died on 31 August 2013, aged 74, on board the cruise ship MS Queen Elizabeth, on which he had been engaged as a speaker.
Thom the World Poet remembers Sir David:
LOST FROST
Black and white TV-ABC(local version of BBC-
Here comes THE FROST REPORT!Daring 70s humor
from NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS 60s crew
Standout interviewer-David Frost
Eventually,he will have his own show
interviewing names-even Richard Milhous Nixon
yet i remember him more for humor-
dry,witty,real-than any revelatory repartee
with rich,famous or infamous people
He had a way of tilting his head
and staring at the camera-as if he could not believe
what he just said-or heard from others.
Droll as ice,sharp as wit-he had a huge heart
that wished to succeed-and he did
That is why any remembrance needs to include his original wit
For"we shall not see his like again"
There is no more black and white television
All the facts are colored over..
THOSE WE HAVE LOST: David Jacobs (1926-2013)
David Lewis Jacobs, CBE (19 May 1926 – 2 September 2013) was a British broadcaster who gained prominence as presenter of the 1960s peak-time BBC Television show Juke Box Jury and Chairman of the BBC Radio 4 political forum, Any Questions? He broadcast, mostly for the BBC, as an announcer and presenter for over sixty-five years, only stepping down shortly before his death. Though not really an actor, his earlier radio work had included some acting of small parts and he also sometimes played himself or presenter characters in films, television and radio.
THERE IS NOW A GONZO WEEKLY SHOP
Now, I don't know whether this is a good idea, a bad idea, or just an idea, but - as I believe you know - this magazine is put out each week on a budget of £25, and is free. It will remain free, but I would like to be able to generate some income so I can pay our contributing writers. So, 'why not flog Gonzo Weekly T Shirts?' I thought. 'Why not', I answered...
http://www.zazzle.co.uk/gonzoweekly
COVER STORY: A conversation with Billy James
Wikipedia says: "Billy James, an author of rock biographies and a musician in his own right, reassembled great musicians from the psychedelic era in his own Ant-Bee project. Featuring contributions from The Mothers of Invention, the Alice Cooper Group, and members from Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, Ant-Bee has recorded several albums of material that bring together the styles of several branches of late-60s experimental rock music.
After graduating from Berklee College of Music, Ant-Bee began in 1987 in Los Angeles as a venue for James to showcase his musical affinity to the psychedelic and experimental music of the late 1960s. Signing to Voxx/Bomp! Records in 1988, Ant-Bee released Pure Electric Honey, which featured guest appearances by former members of The Mothers of Invention and Captain Beefheart. Sounding like a cross between the Smile-era of The Beach Boys, early Pink Floyd, and late-period Beatles, the record became well known in the underground scene in Europe.
Assembling a live band, Ant-Bee performed in the Los Angeles area in 1990 to much success. While the band recorded a couple of videos, the next recorded material Ant-bee would release was a German EP, 1992s With My Favorite "Mothers" and other Bizarre Muzik Reassembling the original Mothers of Invention for the first time in over 20 years, James and company performed material that was both humorous and spaced-out. James recorded with The Mothers of Invention once again on the second Ant-Bee record With My Favorite Vegetables & Other Bizarre Muzik (1994), which received strong press and sold quite well.
Three years in the making, Lunar Muzik (1997), explored both the pop and experimental side of the psychedelic spectrum and was bolstered by strong production and appearances from Daevid Allen of Soft Machine and Gong and Harvey Bainbridge of Hawkwind and the original Alice Cooper Group. Billy James helped to gather together the impressive array of guest artists on the album Midnight Daydream from Bruce Cameron. Interviews with Billy are featured in the DVD documentaries From Straight To Bizarre - Zappa, Beefheart, Alice Cooper and LA's Lunatic Fringe and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention - In The 1960s."
I have been a fan of his peculiar vision for some time now, and on Friday evening we caught up for a chat about the philosophy of his singular project. You can listen to the conversation HERE.
ANT-BEE AT GONZO (USA)
ANT-BEE AT GONZO (UK)
A FASCINATING NEW PROJECT FROM PAUL KANTNER
Round about the time of his 70th birthday, Paul Kantner, founder member (some would say 'Founding Father') of both Jefferson Airplane and its successor Jefferson Starship started a new project. The Marin Independent Journal reported: "Apparently, getting old is not on his agenda.
At the moment, he's excited about the Windowpane Collective, a recording group that includes […] Novato's David Freiberg, who was in Quicksilver and the Starship; West Coast folkie Jack Traylor, an early idol of Kantner's, and the two women who replaced Slick in the Starship, Darby Gould and Cathy Richardson. Not that Kantner thinks of himself as exclusively a rock musician. His new Windowpane Collective is pretty eclectic. A notorious sci-fi buff, he and the group have done a "Martian Christmas" album, "Venusian Love Songs" for Valentine's Day, and they're looking to release a collections of Civil War and vintage folks songs.
From the ambitious scope of the Windowpane Collective, Kantner doesn't seem to be lacking in youthful energy. "So far, so good," he said, disclosing his personal fountain of youth: "You've got to eat the right foods, I guess, and take the right drugs." Kantner's connection with Science Fiction goes back to his earliest days as a performing artist, with – possibly – his best known entry into this genre being the album Blows Against the Empire in 1971. The Jefferson Starship website states that in many ways, this new project 'The Windowpane Collective' "….harkens back to the heady collaborations embodied in recordings such as "Blows" and it's follow-ups "Sunfighter" and "Baron Von Tollbooth and The Chrome Nun" and David Crosby's "If I Could Only Remember My Name" - (wherein members of The Airplane, Grateful Dead, CSN and Quicksilver Messenger Service operated as a musical collective) ... A-N-D ... delves into the cresting electronica & experimental music phenomenon. […]
Every month or two, the COLLECTIVE will produce a CD's worth of audio content ... Music, spoken word and sound design ... mixed & moshed as a contiguous work of sonic art. Classic songs re-imagined, cover material, prose, poetry and sound effects are the Artists' "palette" and each volume Each ... a "sonic motion picture." Volume 1: "A Martian Christmas" is a daring sci-fi/ folk/ holiday electronica masterwork" Elsewhere Kantner describes his new project as "a recording workshop merging the Artists' diverse musical, literary & science fiction interests with cutting edge electronica paradigms."
At an age where most men have adjusted to a lifestyle of pipe and slippers and taking the dog for a walk at Closing Time, Paul Kantner is still experimenting, still tracelkling, and still breaking new ground. We take our hats off to him.
PAUL KANTNER AT GONZO (UK)
PAUL KANTNER AT GONZO (USA)
A SNEAK PREVIEW OF MICK FARREN'S FINAL ALBUM
As regular readers will be aware, I am a fan of the late Mick Farren. Here is a sneak preview of his final album; the cover and the sleeve notes (by yours truly)
What I'm saying is that I don't want a grey world. Or rather, because this is the way it's going, a grey world that's painted day-Glo wild colours. Fuck that, it's just disguising the real situation. I'm wanting a world that's multi-tiered, that has real variety, real levels of difference. I think things will function without theory, we can work out the maths behind the machine later. And I think if you start engagement with politicians then you become a politician — you might as well be Bill Clinton.
Mick Farren interviewed by Richard Marshall,
3:AM Magazine (2002)
Mick Farren was a great man. Many people have described him to me as having been "barking mad", but – even if this is true – it does not negate his greatness one iota. Born in 1943, he was an integral part of the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s. If Richard Neville was the public face of said counterculture, Mick was its heart. The two men had very different approaches to the cultural revolution that they both believed that they were spearheading, but Mick's is the one which has stood the test of time.
Mick was a crazy-passionate activist, anarchist, and street politician. When I met him, about a month before his death I asked him whether he was still a revolutionary. He bristled. "Certainly", he said, and went on to describe the ills of modern Britain, the iniquities of the Government, and his hope that the new technology of the 21st Century might bring about the anarcho-syndicalist utopia that he dreamed of. All the time he was talking, he quaffed Jack Daniels, and smoked my cigarettes, while taking the occasional toke on his oxygen mask. We were surrounded by friends and well-wishers, and it was obvious that here was a man that demanded great love and respect.
I am not going to claim that Mick Farren and I were friends. I only met him once, and had about three enjoyable telephone conversations as well, but I like to think that he and I would soon have become friends. Because Mick was everything that I aspire to be. A massively principled man with the heart of a revolutionary, a childlike and wicked sense of humour, an immense talent and a social conscience second to none. His version of that much maligned term anarchism, and mine, were and are almost identical. Above all he was a kind, ethical and gentle man, whom - one would suspect much to his amusement - my late father would have described as very much a gentleman. I had great love and respect for him, and I hope that in the weeks, months and years to come, as part of Gonzo Multimedia we shall help bring his invaluable work, and inspirational legacy to new generations.
Anarchy, peace and freedom
Jon Downes,
PRE-ORDER THIS ALBUM (UK)
PRE-ORDER THIS ALBUM (USA)
LATEST NEWS ON THE BLODWYN PIG COMPILATION
British blues-rock legends Blodwyn Pig, featuring original Jethro Tull guitarist Mick Abrahams, have released a new compilation of rare unreleased recordings titled 'Pigthology' on Gonzo MultiMedia UK. Along with Abrahams (vocals, guitars), the band featured Jack Lancaster (saxes, flutes, violin, keys and wind controllers), Andy Pyle (bass), and Ron Berg (drums) and was later joined by Jethro Tull's Clive Bunker on drums. Produced by Mick Abrahams and Jack Lancaster, 'Pigtholgy' features re-mastered recordings of Blodwyn Pig's most beloved and successful songs "Dear Jill", "See My Way" and "Drive Me", along with unreleased live and studio material.
Blodwyn Pig in its first form was a legend in rock history hitting the top of the LP charts in Britain and elsewhere around the world. The band received new recognition and inspiration when the track "Dear Jill" was used in Cameron Crow's movie 'Almost Famous'. Many bands credit Blodwyn Pig with being a huge influence at the start of their careers, including rock legends Aerosmith. There are several fan sites across the internet which still attest to the group's popularity. Through the years several bands have recorded covers of Blodwyn tunes, the most noted being Joey Ramone's version of "See My Way".
Blodwyn Pig played alongside Led Zeppelin, The Who, Procul Harem, BB King, Miles Davis, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd and Joe Cocker at the Isle Of Wight rock festivals, and the Reading rock festival. The "Pig" completed two successful American tours, playing venues like the Filmores, numerous universities and the LA Forum. Most of the recordings on 'Pigology' are from this period.
A few notes from Jack Lancaster: "On 'Baby Girl' Mick played piano as an overdub, otherwise the track was played live in the studio. 'Cosmogrification', this was a reformed Blodwyn with Clive Bunker on drums. We only did a short tour. Clive joined because of Rin Berg's illness. I play piano on 'Monkinit' – I mention this because normally we never used keyboard on tracks."
Tracks include:
See My Way – recorded at Mick Abrahams studio (date unknown)
Baby Girl – recorded at BBC Maida Vale studios, John Peel show (1970)
Dear Jill – recorded at Mick Abrahams studio (date unknown)
Monkinit (A tribute to Thelonious Monk) – recorded at Verdant studios Hollywood, CA (date unknown)
Drive Me – recording location unknown (1970)
The Change Song – live at the Marquee Club Soho (1969)
Cosmogrification – live at Luton Town Hall (1973)
Same Old Story – recorded at BBC Maida Vale studios, John Peel show (1970)
Hound Dog – recorded at Mick Abrahams studio (date unknown)
Sly Bones – recorded at Mick Abrahams studio, Verdant studios Hollywood, CA (date unknown)
It's Only Love – outtake, Morgan studios (1969)
Stormy Monday – Mick Abrahams studio (date unknown)
"This is an anthology of the greatest moments of the original band's career. Every track is a gem, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!" - Jonathan Downes, The Gonzo Daily
CHECK THEM OUT AT GONZO (USA)
CHECK THEM OUT AT GONZO (UK)
Stonehenge Summer Solstice
We rolled into Amesbury about four o'clock in my beat up old VW Camper. It's red and white and patchy, with new tan-coloured fibre glass filling in the wheel arch and on the door where the rust has finally eaten way at what remained of the original structure. A proper hippie vehicle. Less a vehicle, more a lesson in hand-painted, engineered autobiographical expressionism.
I call it "the Phoenix" because it's been into, and recovered from, a very serious fire. Once it was green and peeling. Now it's bright red. And it still flies!
I had Joe with me. He's my son, 26 years old. I picked him up at Heathrow from the tube, before we headed onto the M3 west, and then onto the A303, the road to Stonehenge.
Most of the way we were talking about time paradoxes, a subject we will come back to later. Joe and I share an interest in science fiction and he'd lent me a copy of Primer, which is a time-travel movie, which I couldn't quite get to grips with. I'd watched it the night before. I said, "I don't get it!" Joe said he didn't think it was "getable" as such, but worth persisting with. It's about some guys who keep going round and round in a progressively complex loop in time. This, too, we will come back to later.
To get into Amesbury you pull off the A303 at the Countess Roundabout, then down the hill, past the traffic lights and right into the car park just behind the town centre.
It's a quiet, dozy, harmless Wiltshire market town, indistinguishable from a thousand other such somnambulant, peaceful little country congregations throughout the British Isles, except for two very big differences: 1) the presence of hippies; 2) the presence of squaddies.
The squaddies are here all year round, though only noticeable on the occasions when they're allowed out of their camps for R & R and rowdiness, when there are armed Military Police on the streets, and the place feels like the nearest town to the front line in some undeclared war against an as-yet unnamed enemy.
The hippies are only really here once a year, for the summer solstice.
Sometimes I tend to think that the two groups are linked in some way, the hippies and the squaddies, that is: firstly because the only truly successful hippies (the ones who could really hack it living in benders and trucks all year round, and who had the necessary skills for survival in a hostile, sedentary world) were mostly ex-squaddies; secondly (and more fancifully) because I often feel that there is, in fact, an undeclared war against an as-yet unnamed enemy, in a country called the Mind. The hippies are the cannon-fodder on one side, the squaddies on the other.
On the grass in front of our park-up, near the toilets, there were a couple of the recruits: one slightly red-faced and boozy-looking, the other a youngish traveller type, with dreadlocks and a top-knot and all the right piercings, including one on the bridge of his nose between his eyebrows, which made his eyes look squinty and too close together. Or maybe he had the piercing because his eyes WERE squinty and too close together and he was trying to disguise the fact.
Obviously I hadn't noticed these details yet. I was still too busy parking the van.
Later we came to know the hippie traveller type as Effin Bob (that's what he called himself) when he popped over to the van to ask for a corkscrew; later again we came to know the boozy-looking type as Ian, when he and Effin Bob had a lift with us to the Stones.
We also met Stuart and Aurelia and her daughter Anastasia who is seven years old. They turned up in some flashy, fast car. It was Stuart who gave me the Phoenix, and Aurelia who painted it red.
After that we all went to the pub.
OK. This is what's nice about Stonehenge and the solstice. Just this once a year you drop your guard a little, and let things happen. You meet people. You stop and chat. You offer them a lift if they haven't got one. You go to the pub together. You let the process develop in an orderly, progressive, friendly manner. You know - for this one short time - that you are all heading in the same direction. At least you think you are.
It doesn't always work out exactly as you'd planned, however.
So - now, a few hours later - we're on our way to Stonehenge. Stuart and Aurelia and Anastasia are staying in Amesbury to watch the football (it's England vs Sweden). They're going to get a taxi later. Effin Bob and Ian are in the back of the Phoenix with Joe and I, along with all the provisions: food and water and bits and bobs, but mainly drink. There's two four-packs of Kronenburg, two four-packs of Carlsburg, a large bottle of cider, a bottle of cheap wine and a three-litre wine-box, plus whatever Effin Bob and Ian have with them. Red wine and beer too, by the looks of it in my rear-view mirror. They are already at theirs, while I'm still waiting to get into mine, being the responsible driver. It's seven o'clock and the gates to the car-park open at eight. We've timed it to be early enough to be near the front, so not have too long a wait. That's the plan. It was Effin Bob's idea. He looks like he knows what he's talking about, what with all those piercings. People with piercings are obviously in the know. Stands to reason. He also has a good line in chat. He's talking about times past, and "the culture", meaning Stonehenge culture, "the festie", as it's known, and the coppers and the exclusion zone, and all the rest of the epic mythology of the recent history of Stonehenge we've learned about over the years. Stuff that never should have happened. Stuff that should be a lesson to all of us.
It's only after about ten minutes of this incessant lesson in cultural history that we realise that Effin Bob never actually stops talking. Not once. Not for an Effin second.
I wonder where he got his name?
He's also, by now, smoking pollen. He's offered it around, telling us how extraordinary it is, but no one else is interested. Too early. We haven't even got in yet. But he rolls one up and lights it anyway. Trouble is, it really stinks. I mean: this is the ripe camembert of cannabis formulations. This is vintage camembert after a three-week train journey in a sealed container in the luggage rack above the heater, just opened so its contents are oozing out. This is stench-foot camembert with a green mould beginning to form. The smell is lying heavily in the van like a layer of swamp-gas. If you lit it, it would explode. And we're just about to stop and ask directions from the police.
SOME BOOKS BY C.J.STONE
Housing Benefit Hill: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Housing-Benefit-Hill-Other-Places/dp/190259343X
The Trials of Arthur: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trials-Arthur-Revised-Ronald-Hutton/dp/0956416314/
Fierce Dancing: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fierce-Dancing-Underground-C-J-Stone/dp/0571176305/
The Last of the Hippies: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Hippies-C-J-Stone/dp/0571193137/
HAWKWIND NEWS
(The Masters of the Universe do seem to have a steady stream of interesting stories featuring them, their various friends and relations, and alumni). Each week Graham Inglis keeps us up to date with the latest news from the Hawkverse..
Dave Brock, of space rock veterans Hawkwind, has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the annual Progressive Music Awards. The 72-year-old Devon-based musician, the only original member of the group, said it was a "great honour".
Other winners at the Kew Gardens ceremony, included Marillion, who were named band of the year.
The event, now in its second year, was hosted by BBC Newsnight presenter, and prog rock fan, Gavin Esler.
The www.progrockmag.com site said:
"The Lifetime Achievement award was sponsored by USM and excitedly presented by Channel 5 magazine show host Matthew Wright with plenty of anecdotes, a nod to a dapper-looking Robert John Godfrey on the table in front of him, and the admission that he's still a cosmic fanboy from Croydon. The recipient could be none other than Hawkwind main man Dave Brock, looking very distinguished in his pinstripe suit (and sandals), with his partner Kris and bandmates cheering him on from their table."
The BBC website reported:
One of the world's longest-running groups, Hawkwind have undergone countless changes of personnel and musical styles. Along the way, there have been astounding stage spectacles - notably the lavish Space Ritual tour - legal battles, bust-ups, reunions, and the untimely deaths of several members.
Former members and collaborators include Motorhead's Lemmy, science fiction writer Michael Moorcook, ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker and the late guitarist Huw Lloyd Langton.
After picking up the lifetime achievement award, Brock said: "It's a hard business to be in, with many ups and downs, but I consider music to be an art form. So come on, you young pioneers, there is plenty of room for change in our music world."
Hawkwind, best known for songs such as Silver Machine, Urban Guerrilla and Master of the Universe (used in a recent Ford car advert), released their 27th album Onward in 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A510QuErVl0
THE YES CIRCULAR - TIME AND A WORD
The Court Circular tells interested readers about the comings and goings of members of The Royal Family. However, readers of this periodical seem interested in the comings and goings of Yes and of various alumni of this magnificent and long-standing band. Give the people what they want, I say
It has been quieter week amongst the various Yes alumni, but we still have a bunch of interesting stories for you. We start off with a feature about a Steve Howe solo gig, and a rather interesting feature about Alan White from his local paper.
We have an article about Billy Sherwood's new album with The Prog Collective, and finally an interview with Steve Howe about his first impressions of the band's biggest hit single Owner of a Lonely Heart.
All good stuff, as I am sure that you will agree, although it is a little disappointing that there are only four stories for you after the nine or ten that have been in the past few weeks.
And that is - I am afraid - that, for this week.
I am probably getting a bit OCD about all of this, but I find the Yes soap opera of sound to be absolutely enthralling, and I for one can't wait to see what happens next!
MORE DETAILS OF YES AT GONZO (UK)
MORE DETAILS OF YES AT GONZO (USA)
VELVET COFFIN
There once was a young rock band
who toured all over this land
They came to SXSW
Performed a midnight showcase
And no one ever heard from them again!
CERTAIN SOULS
Certain souls-they Kiss the Light in every lover's eye
You recognize by the Passion which propels them
as they try-to Light the Night-to Break the Ice-
to make the Real worth Dreaming About-
Take Billie Holliday-Ma Rainey-
Bessie Smith-Janis Joplin
They fought against the odds-they won -and lost
Their pockets picked by managers and conned by men
Still they Sang as if in a gas chamber-
They gave their Lives to stop the danger-
On the front line of Civilization you can see them-
Brave Olympians-with their Flames-Burning-
But if you met them backstage-after hours
You would have been puzzled -
by their unremarkable natures
Step on a stage-Release and Sway-
Watch how the World Changes-
There are Certain Souls who Kiss the Danger
and Tell every Stranger the Deepest Secrets-
They Whisper and Sing -with Brave Exploring-
The Pain of their Loss and their Failures-
Upon Release-every Poem becomes a Prayer-
a Chant-an Anthem-
upon Release-every Song Bird of Life
is Remembered as a Lover and a Gambler-
because Certain Souls-only Certain Souls-
Certain Souls-Must Sing!
In Victorian times every well-bred Gentleman had a 'Cabinet of Curiosities'; a collection of peculiar odds and sods, usually housed in a finely made cabinet with a glass door. These could include anything from Natural History specimens to historical artefacts. There has always been something of the Victorian amateur naturalist about me, and I have a houseful of arcane objects; some completely worthless, others decidedly not, but all precious to me for the memories they hold.
But people send me lots of pictures of interesting things such as this rather nifty Rick Wakeman songbook:
INTRODUCING THE NINE HENRYS
There are nine Henrys, purported to be the world's first cloned cartoon character. They live in a strange lo-fi domestic surrealist world peopled by talking rock buns and elephants on wobbly stilts. They mooch around in their minimalist universe suffering from an existential crisis with some genetically modified humour thrown in. I think Peter McAdam is one of the funniest people around, and I cannot recommend his book The Nine Henrys highly enough. Check it out at Amazon.
Each issue we shall be running a series of Henrybits that are not found in his book about the nine cloned cartoon characters who inhabit a surreal world nearly as insane as mine...
THE WORLD OF KEV
Kev Rowland
THE BOB LAZAR STORY The Silence of Perez de Cuellar (INDIE)
Matt followed up the 2006 release of '(sic)' with this EP (another UFO reference in the title) the following year. No drum machine here (and in fact there are two drummers credited). This album is even more Zappa-esque than the previous one, with some wonderful bass/guitar/drum interplay as each musician is in perfect sync with the others. There are also some delicate vibraphones in the background at times, which also adds to the feel. This EP is more controlled than the previous one, with a seeming less spontaneity and more thought and layering. Matt has also ensured that everyone has their chance to shine, and there is a wonderfully poignant bass solo in "My Hand Looks Like A Brontosaurus" which is followed by some multi-layered guitars that takes it all to a new level.
In many ways this is music that is incredibly complex, yet in others it is quite simple as it is all about clean lines and demarcation while bringing everything together in a wonderfully warm and non-clinical manner. There are times when everything is almost gentle in its' approach, while at others it is a collision waiting to happen as the notes are flying everywhere yet it always maintains the patterns so that everyone comes through unscathed. This really is instrumental progressive jazz-influenced Zappa-influenced music as its' very best. www.lucidbrucemusic.com
THE BOB LAZAR STORY Space Roots (INDIE)
In 2009, Matt had the next album almost 95% written when he had to return to the UK for an extended period so all writing and recording stopped until he returned to NZ in 2012. At this point he got together all of the music from the various places it was stored, got in a friend to undertake all of the basswork, and put together an album.
It is thematic in the sense that it has a long track followed by a short one, the result being that the album contains some 19 songs in the end. In some ways it isn't as consistent in its' approach as the others, but given how the album came together it is really not at all surprising. Again we are treated to some wonderful instrumental numbers where I found that I ended up in a world where I really wanted to stay for a while.
This is music that definitely benefits from being played at headphones so that there are no distractions and all of the nuances (such as a simple acoustic guitar drop in for just one bar) are there to be heard.
The only positive about not coming across Matt before is that I was able to hear all three of his works in one go, the downside of course is that I am now hungry for more. He is a wonderful guitarist with some great eclectic ideas, and fans of Zappa and music that is made by real musicians really do need to hear this asap. Available, as are the others, as downloads from various places such as Bandcamp as well as CDs from his website at www.lucidbrucemusic.com. Below is his own guide to the album
"It's Thirteen" (03.08)
From "The Aranui Sessions" recorded in June 2009. Clunky, quirky and heavy. Like your mother.
"Synthyer" (0.07)
Short but sweet.
"Two Vowels Contemplate The End Of The World" (05.26)
Longest track on the CD. Goes through several changes. No wanky prog solos.
"Fuhdstewl" (00.24)
Short but sweeter.
"Instant Jedi" (02.27)
One of the very few guitar solos features in the midst of another track from "The Aranui Sessions".
"Rawk" (00.16)
Heavy, synthy, short. Drums by Chris Jago, who once played in goal against Robbie Fowler.
"Mr Weiner Pants" (02.54)
My old Headmaster used to wear his trousers very high. Lots of gear shifts in this one. Third track from "The Aranui Sessions".
"Techno Bert vs The Klezzies" (00.41)
Eastern Europe meets game show meets Knight Rider on steroids.
"Alive In The Mullet Zone" (3.00)
Fearsome drums from The Jago. Riff-Tastic first half, Jazzy bit, then best solo ever by me. Someone once told me an old song of mine sounded like YYZ by Rush, so the last 4 notes pay homage to the end of that song.
"Deadbiking Trilogy" (04.49)
This one took ages to write. All synth for the first 2 parts, then multi layered guitar outro. Will be the hardest for rock fans to get into, but almost my favourite tune on the disc.
"Late Night Guitar" (00.42)
Four guitars, nowt else.
"Henry Kissinger Must Diet" (02.36)
The last of "The Aranui Sessions". Starts in 9/4 and morphs into mellow jazz before heavy ending.
"Lou Reed's Haemorrhoids" (00.10)
Lou Reed's Haemorrhoids have more talent than Lou Reed.
"Rawk II" (03.22)
Heavy and synthy with a beautiful bass interlude from Fud.
"Death To The Meat Whores" (00.12)
Short but Swede.
"I Haven't Touched Your Dog, Mate" (03.53)
Honestly, I haven't. Mellower tune to break up the madness, although there is a heavy break in the middle.
"Widdly Diddly" (00.25)
Sequenced oddness.
"Glass Eyed II" (03.04)
Written to a pre-existing drum track. Heavy, jazzy, clunky.
"Siren" (01.15)
Thereminty. Mellow closer.
KARDA ESTRA Mondo Profondo (BELIEVER'S ROAST)
So, Richard is back with his latest album, and as a bonus he has also included his 2011 album 'New Worlds' which was never actually released on CD, but was available only as a download.
Now, I gave that one 4 *'s when it came out so what about this one?
Well, while the cover of 'New Worlds' was bright and colourful (and is shown as the rear cover of the booklet, a nice touch), this one is much darker and immediately makes one think of 'Voivode Dracula' from 2004.
So, are we in for a dark gothic progressive classical soundscape? In some ways a definitely "yes", while in others not so much.
There are times in this album when we are treated to an orchestral version of Goblin, capturing the dark cinematic essence that they are renowned for, while at others it is lighter and not nearly as oppressive and gothic (including what I can only think of as Star Trek meets 70's cinema adverts). What I have always enjoyed about Richard's work is his refusal to conform to what anyone thinks of his music and will not fit inside any particular musical form but instead does whatever he feels is right.
It could be argued that this isn't progressive music, as it has much more in common with modern orchestral, yet he is using many different musical themes, instruments and mediums to create something that is layered, complex and refuses to be pigeonholed. The two albums contained in this one CD work really well together as they show different aspects of his work, and the fact that he brings in musicians to play all of the separate parts, instead of just using a synth to artificially create them, definitely gives his music a layer of class and sophistication often missing. In the past I have compared his work to Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips among others, but really he is in a place of his own design as he melds and moulds his music to be far more visual and cinematic.
This CD definitely benefits from being played on headphones, and in the evening sat on the deck looking at the stars this is definitely the perfect accompaniment. www.kardaestra
JOHANN WOLFGANG POZOJ Escape of Pozoj (CODE666)
Johann Wolfgang Pozoj is an avant-garde black metal band from Croatia who formed in 2004 by combining two groups, Intoxicate and Grob. They released their debut album in 2006, the first part of a planned trilogy. The second part, 'Escape of Pozoj', was released in 2009, after which they were approached by Code666 who suggested that they revisit the concept and possibly re-record some of what they had already released. So, the debut 'Birth of Pozoj' was re-recorded and released in May 2011 and this followed in November of the same year. That these guys are tight are never in doubt, but for me it is somewhat let down by the production as the riffs and bleakness aren't as powerful as I feel that they should be. The result is an album that contains many of the elements that I would expect from this type of music yet isn't as over the top as I would expect it to be.
I have played it a great deal, and I often feel that I am missing out on something as there are definitely hints of greatness in what they do, but they are too few and too far between although I know that many reviewers have raved over this, yet I feel unable to do so. There needs to be more menace and atmosphere for this to really work for me, but it is still an interesting album and something that black metal fans should investigate for themselves. www.auralmusic.com
NEWS FROM UNREAL CITY
Some months ago we brought you news of a smashing Italian prog band called Unreal City, and - as I wrote then - anyone who is named after a line in a poem by T.E.Eliot is OK by me. This week I caught up with their guitarist, the lovely Francesca Zanetta for a brief chat...
They have a new lineup with bass player Dario Pessina, and things are looking up for the band. Francesca told me:
We are on tour right now, tomorrow we will play with Banco del Mutuo Soccorso in a festival in Pisa, Tuscany. we are also writing songs for our new album that we will record next summer and i think will be out in 2014
I really am a fan of their melodic, but fiendishly complex brand of prog, and hope that they eventually come to the UK to play. Francesca continued:
We hope to play abroad too; our press office is trying to plan something at the moment
Well I hope they manage it, because they are a very good band, and I would love to see them live. Unfortunately, my days of being a concert promoter (except for the annual CFZ Weird Weekend) are pretty well over, but I would sincerely urge any promoters reading this to give them a shot.
With the right breaks this band could be huge. I mean it!
THE BEST LAID PLANS...
My assistant editor Captain Frunobulax the Magnificent and I have had a peculiar week, mostly due to the fluctuations of my serotonin levels, as described elsewhere in this issue.
I am actually writing this insanely early on Friday morning. Well, insanely early for me, that is. I chatted to Rob Ayling for a couple of hours last night, then ate a curry and settled down to watch my nightly dose of Wodehouse Playhouse via YouTube. Corinna and I went to bed just before three, accompanied by the retinue of large dog, small dog and two kittens that seems to accompany my lovely wife wherever she goes these days. I tried to settle to sleep, but I don't know whether it was fighting the animals for a minuscule corner of the quilt, or what, but I couldn't sleep. So I came downstairs at about 5:00am and pootled about for a while before deciding that I might as well just get on with the tasks of the day...
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Jon Downes
(Editor)
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