My text Bird # 54 has been published in the excellently named Wanton Fuckery literary blog. Go here to read it. Below, you can hear me reading it set to music.
belong
My book belong is now available as a download for Kindle and other devices. Kindle edition available Reality Beach
Two texts of mine - a fight between the blue you once knew and you call it rain but the human name - have been published in issue 4 of the online journal Reality Beach. Go here to read them. Both are from my forthcoming spoken word album Hate Ashbury.
Teenage Angst
Everybody seems to be doing 'ten favourite teenage albums' lists at the moment; here's mine, from when I was 16. Few great surprises, perhaps, for anyone who knows me or my work well. Order is alphabetical.
Bauhaus - Burning From The Inside
Cabaret Voltaire - The Covenant, The Sword, & The Arm Of The Lord *
Cocteau Twins - Victorialand **
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures ***
Joy Division - Closer ****
Marc & The Mambas - Torment & Torreros *****
Psychic TV - Dreams Less Sweet ******
Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel - Nail
The Sisters Of Mercy - First And Last And Always
Virgin Prunes - If I Die, I Die *******
* = It was difficult to choose between this and Microphonies; Covenant won out in the end, primarily because of I Want You (though I didn't realise until much later that song is about masturbation)
** = Logos trivia; a sample from Victorialand's opening track appears on our first album Gehenna Now. Am I going to say what the sample is, and which Logos track? No.
*** = I lost my virginity to this album.
**** = It was impossible for me to choose between Unknown Pleasures and Closer so I opted for both. Both were pivotal albums back then, for different reasons; Unknown Pleasures for soundtracking my highs, Closer for my lows.
***** = I had all these albums on vinyl with the exception of this one, which I only had on cassette (though much later I rebought it on CD). Do people even listen to full albums these days? Will 'ten essential albums' lists even exist a decade or two from now?
****** = It's interesting how many Some Bizzare label albums are on this list.
******* = Looking back at this list I feel kinda sorry for my parents, putting up with this lot coming through the wall at formidable volume...
Currently reading: The Cannon: The Beautiful Basics Of Science - Natalie Angier
Currently listening: Nail - Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel