A couple more shots from last night... The Akrons and the Good Anna...
Tired this morning. Only a few hours sleep – but once I'm awake my damn brain slides into operation and I have to get up. A lot to do – I was originally planning on meeting my friend Frank for a toot or two this afternoon and see what grim festivities have been invented down the local to celebrate St George Day. But the novel has to be printed to get it in the post tomorrow – the printer is doing strange things but the ink smears seem to have stopped now – bugger, spoke too soon... And clothes need to be washed in preparation for my grand progress across the nation. But we go on... (or as my friend, the blessed and saintly Mervyn Stockbridge Gould would say: 'Well, you do, old boy'). Glistening cans of Budweiser in the refrigerator beckon but – get thee behind me, you bastards... too early and with my metabolism's new-found intolerance of boozo the wonder drink, today would turn to tears very quickly. The hovel appears to have A4 bloody pages everywhere – where's Alan Ginsberg when you need him to edit your oeuvre? Well, apart from the intrinsic fact that he's dead... Anyway, he might have started playing that bloody harmonium – even though it's Sunday morning, it wouldn't be vespers but omni padrhi something um and my head's a little foggy with lack of sleep and the after ring of expensive butg necessary Red Stripe – and now I've noticed that a small alteration I made yesterday to a quote before a chapter has come out on the wrong bit of the page, throwing completely the next pages format... God appears to be in a surrealist mood this morning... nice quote though, from the late Edward Dorn:
“...that eternal dissent
and the ravages of
faction are preferable
to the voluntary
servitude of blind
obedience...”
A great man and a great poet – not so well known as he should be and unfortunately he died of cancer a few years back. And now the print has decided to blur – the ink in the catridge which I bought on friday has given up. And so have I... cyber cafe tomorrow, I think...
I first heard James Chance when I was living in Holland and liked the collision of punk, funk and jazz. Probably a better player than he seems when you get beyond all that New York no-wave posturing cool. This is a track called 'King Heroin.' Homage to the VU, no doubt, but seedily wonderful. White punks on dope... Interesting to see the way that NY musicians worked out a lot of interesting collisions between jazz and rock/r and b/funk etc. With no doubt the examples of Ornette's Prime Time/Harmolodic whahoo – and Miles, perhaps, with 'Bitches Brew,' 'On the Corner,' etc. It certainly doesn't come out of fusion which was by and large a dreadful fucked up marriage between jazz and rock that valorised technique over feeling. Slow funky vamp over which Chance does his druggy vocal schtick and blows some interesting loft style alto. It works... One for Anthony and Betty on St George's day... a louche slice of Manhattan to go with the Joyce, Ornette and french wine.
James Chance
Download
King Heroin
Buy
11 comments:
Ooh thankyou. That's really cool.
Happy St.George's to you too. I know what you mean about waking up and not really wanting to and then the brain switching on so you can't just lie there.
I'm sorry to hear about your printer. It's always the way isn't it? Whenever you've got a bill to print off or something really pissy, it prints like a dream and then, when you really need it, it always transpires against you...yes, bring back Ginsberg. Or perhaps Sam Beckett could be a bit of help. He liked to help out great writers. He also liked to jump out of his bedroom window every morning just to see if he could survive but that's another story...
Thankyou for the James Chance. Marvellous stuff.
Have a good day with Frank. You have a busy social life, you do. In demand....
Dunno about busy social life - as I've been living on my own these last two years (happily in the main, I may add) and also due to illness and recuperation (slowly) I don't actually see that many people - it tends to come in spurts (whoops) if you know what I mean. Sometimes I go several days without seeing anyone if I haven't been too good - and also most of my friends live elsewhere so I tend to have a busy email/messenger/phone life plus running the Club Sporadic which entails quite a lot of communication with musicians. Actually, as I've had to do a valve change today in advance of travelling tomorrow (which means I can't speak/croak for a few hours while the hole in my throat dilates) I may not venture out into the St George's day revels, suhc as they might be. It looks as if it's going to rain on the hog roast in the car park at the back of the pub anyway.
I wonder who the patron saint of printers and photocopiers is? I could invoke him or her directly to intercede - bit catholic but any saint in a storm...
Ah, James Chance - what a guy.
I saw him in London, his first ever British gigs.1980/81? ... the Venue, Victoria. Is it still open?
The first one was chaotic - very late taking the stage, a scratch band (including PiLs Keith Levine)who didn't know any of the songs, Chance in his usual filthy temper ... I always say it was one of the best shows I've ever seen.
He did a pretty good version of 'King Heroin', too - rolling all over the stage. His take on James Brown's showmanship was always very sharp and funny.
I like a bit of No Wave, me. The Contortions, DNA .. bloody marvelous.
St Georges Day, wahay!
There's a couple of No wave comps and a James Chance up on this blog...
http://whitenoise2.blogspot.com/
I do hope you are feeling ok.
I think the patron saint of printers is called Saint Inkjet.
I wonder if you have gone to Wales. I went back to work today - it was a bit scary - but ok, I suppose. I'm not used to the Protestant Work Ethic. I'd forgotten it for a time and now it all comes flooding back to me as I walk through those doors....:(
I hope you are walking on some beautiful Welsh beach somewhere. I'd like to think of you there.
well - actually - didn't make Wales... got held up getting book mss ready and posted and daughter said she was coming back to loughborough this weekend - so couldn't be bothered... it appears she is moving back here so we might set up house together for a while... strange how things turn out!
Oh, I do hope you got it all sorted and sent off. It's very exciting. Let us know how it turns out.
So, your daughter is moving in with you. That should be fun. Perhaps she could get a blog.
I hope you are well and happy.
wellish - tired today - from the exertions of the last few days, I suppose. But a day at home to get some things done. Make some bread, for a start... And prepare a big jazz post for later - then a more rocky one for later in the week...
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