Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Julian Cope: Moronic Kraut-Rock Beats Over Speed Metal
I saw Julian Cope last night, but only just!
In a most unforgivable of crimes I forgot it was a friends birthday that day and I'd already bought me ticket once I'd promised to do something with her. So I did the only thing I could do in a situation, I went to the gig. But I'm not evil! She got great birthday presents (A Mint Aero (The campest chocolate of them all), a set of teaspoons and some chocolate liquor's), and I went to the gig late to minimize time spent away from the party. However, yesterday she did prove to be me insult muse, so much piss was taken out of her, especially following the revelation that January 24th had been scientifically determined as the worst day of the year), and Karma was dished out in the form of missing my bus by a matter of moments, going to the wrong venue, and consequently getting top the gig half an hour after is started.
The set is everything you would expect former 70's psychedelic pop start turned 80's acid casualty turned 90's writer of cultural heritidge and anquitarian who occasional tours playing "A moronic blend of Kraut-Rock beats with Speed Metal", but what exactly would that entail?
I got there to here him talking about Allah eating Jehovah, and Jehovah eating Jesus, or something like that, it was all strange as I wandered into that auditorium of rock. The first thing I noticed as I started the long trek from the back of the venue to the second row (After a brief stall 3.5 people back) is the omnipresent smell of weed, more than when I saw Cypruss Hill. I think this may have been having an adverse effect on some people, especially the guy who decided he was a glass collector and the performer himself, who couldn't remember what day it was (As one would expect).
As well as great songs from his long solo career and Brain Donor (Possibly a The Teardrop Explodes song to, not sure) we get treated the best between song banter you could ever expect, the sort a mere mortal couldn't even thing of. Over the course of the night Julian tells us that he is a vampire, that on New Years Day he passed through a portal that transported his music back to psychedelia, that Rock 'N' Roll is the ultimate traibalism and outdates all known buildings, and about befriending a toothless homeless person in Denmark. And as if that wasn't Rock 'N' Roll enough, he explained that he became his own road manager so that he could take a Mellotron on tour without having to fight for it. It's so Rock 'N' Roll is easily compensates for him wearing a headset mic and asking a roadey to come get his keys out of his pocket as his fingernails where too short and he couldn't see them because he was wearing shades.
The music this guy played was fantastic, I was totally emerssed in it for the full 90 mins I was there (He's famed for always giving two hour shows). I didn't know much of the stuff from the huge back catalogue, but "White Van" got the place jumping, as did the song about Space Hoppers, and the best treat was saved for the end, a very long rendition of "Reynard the Fox", from his second solo album, "Fried" (One I actually own).
I was at the front for this closer, a good place to be, got great photos and had a good bounce (As did the other guy in a Ramones t-shirt). The song was a long one about fox hunting, written from the perspective of the Fox, so yes, it's anti-hunting. Maynard witness the destruction of his family by hunters and he's having none of it, he destroys his fur by pouring his piss over it (After using a WWII helmet as vessel for it), damns the humans worship of invisible Sky Gods and comes to realize the only real sacrifice one can make it to themselves, which he does, achieving some sort of higher spiritual state (not sure about that end, I'd sort of lost the point he was trying to make, I think he had to). There was a mention of Tea in the lawn there to.
Photos as soon as I find my USB cable
In a most unforgivable of crimes I forgot it was a friends birthday that day and I'd already bought me ticket once I'd promised to do something with her. So I did the only thing I could do in a situation, I went to the gig. But I'm not evil! She got great birthday presents (A Mint Aero (The campest chocolate of them all), a set of teaspoons and some chocolate liquor's), and I went to the gig late to minimize time spent away from the party. However, yesterday she did prove to be me insult muse, so much piss was taken out of her, especially following the revelation that January 24th had been scientifically determined as the worst day of the year), and Karma was dished out in the form of missing my bus by a matter of moments, going to the wrong venue, and consequently getting top the gig half an hour after is started.
The set is everything you would expect former 70's psychedelic pop start turned 80's acid casualty turned 90's writer of cultural heritidge and anquitarian who occasional tours playing "A moronic blend of Kraut-Rock beats with Speed Metal", but what exactly would that entail?
I got there to here him talking about Allah eating Jehovah, and Jehovah eating Jesus, or something like that, it was all strange as I wandered into that auditorium of rock. The first thing I noticed as I started the long trek from the back of the venue to the second row (After a brief stall 3.5 people back) is the omnipresent smell of weed, more than when I saw Cypruss Hill. I think this may have been having an adverse effect on some people, especially the guy who decided he was a glass collector and the performer himself, who couldn't remember what day it was (As one would expect).
As well as great songs from his long solo career and Brain Donor (Possibly a The Teardrop Explodes song to, not sure) we get treated the best between song banter you could ever expect, the sort a mere mortal couldn't even thing of. Over the course of the night Julian tells us that he is a vampire, that on New Years Day he passed through a portal that transported his music back to psychedelia, that Rock 'N' Roll is the ultimate traibalism and outdates all known buildings, and about befriending a toothless homeless person in Denmark. And as if that wasn't Rock 'N' Roll enough, he explained that he became his own road manager so that he could take a Mellotron on tour without having to fight for it. It's so Rock 'N' Roll is easily compensates for him wearing a headset mic and asking a roadey to come get his keys out of his pocket as his fingernails where too short and he couldn't see them because he was wearing shades.
The music this guy played was fantastic, I was totally emerssed in it for the full 90 mins I was there (He's famed for always giving two hour shows). I didn't know much of the stuff from the huge back catalogue, but "White Van" got the place jumping, as did the song about Space Hoppers, and the best treat was saved for the end, a very long rendition of "Reynard the Fox", from his second solo album, "Fried" (One I actually own).
I was at the front for this closer, a good place to be, got great photos and had a good bounce (As did the other guy in a Ramones t-shirt). The song was a long one about fox hunting, written from the perspective of the Fox, so yes, it's anti-hunting. Maynard witness the destruction of his family by hunters and he's having none of it, he destroys his fur by pouring his piss over it (After using a WWII helmet as vessel for it), damns the humans worship of invisible Sky Gods and comes to realize the only real sacrifice one can make it to themselves, which he does, achieving some sort of higher spiritual state (not sure about that end, I'd sort of lost the point he was trying to make, I think he had to). There was a mention of Tea in the lawn there to.
Photos as soon as I find my USB cable
