Paul Gorman is…

Psychic Life: Julie Campbell + Jah Wobble with Keith Levene

Sep 27th, 2011

This is Tightrope by Psychic Life, the new project from Julie Campbell + Jah Wobble with contributions from the latter’s colleague in the first Public Image Ltd line-up, Keith Levene.

Campbell released an album last year as Lonelady.

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Kate Moross’s Barney Bubbles mixology

Sep 24th, 2011

Pippa Brooks has captured a section of Kate Moross’s video installation at the current Mindful Of Art exhibition.

I commissioned Kate to come up with a visual accompaniment to my DJ set at Glastonbury this summer, and am blown away by her achievement in manipulating and activating artwork by Barney Bubbles.

Read Pippa’s report from the show here.

Mindful Of Art is at the Old Vic Tunnels until Tuesday (September 27). Details here. Catch it if you can

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Dancing: Damo Suzuki does his thing

Sep 23rd, 2011

This is just damn exciting; Damo Suzuki kicks off his suitably frenzied performance with some amazing free-form legwork.

It’s got the lot: Suzuki’s pink crushed velvet sleeveless pant-suit and, at one point, a middle-aged bloke in a penguin suit juggling pots and pans. All the while Can blaze their trail through the 70s.

All together now: “Monte Cazazza, Monte Cazazza…”

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Brian Eno, Polly Eltes + Judy Nylon 1974

Sep 23rd, 2011

This is the little-seen promo video for Brian Eno’s song China, My China (from 1974’s Taking Tiger Mountain [By Strategy]).

Eno appears with Polly Eltes and Judy Nylon.

Eltes is a former model turned actress and singer; she contributed vocals to the same album’s Mother Whale Eyeless and has collaborated with Michael Karoli and Jah Wobble. She is also a photographer.

Judy Nylon is the American-born performer, writer and artist who took 70s London by storm – I wrote about her a couple of years back here.

Nylon was often in cahoots with her partner in Snatch, Patti Palladin. Here they are performing at Hurrah! in 1979. I think this was shot by the estimable Paul Tickell:

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Ideal Home: Biba beans + biscuit tins + wallpaper by David Bowie + Barney Bubbles

Sep 5th, 2011
Biba tin of baked beans

Can of Biba own-brand baked beans. Packaging design: Whitmore-Thomas Partnership, 1973.

Chelsea Space director Donald Smith has invited me to contribute items from my design collection to his forthcoming show Ideal Home, which features the work of more than 50 artists and designers spanning 1913 to 2011.

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Tom Hibbert: The wit and wisdom

Sep 2nd, 2011

For a fabulous interviewer, Tom Hibbert – who has died aged 59 – was a fabulous interview.

Nary a word needed to be edited, or a phrase untangled, from the thoroughly enjoyable conversation I had with him in 2000 for In Their Own Write.

For obvious reasons, interviewing journalists can be tricky. This was not my experience with Hibbert. Probably because he didn’t care, lacking the vanity which characterises this profession (or craft, or whatever it is that we do). Talking to Hibbert was akin to reading one of his rightly celebrated Who The Hell pieces: he was trenchant, highly entertaining and occasionally and surprisingly enlightening.

Here’s a selection from that chat:

“I had my first letter published in Melody Maker in 1970. It was about Crosby, Stills & Nash and how crap Graham Nash was, which I think still stands up today.”

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Blokes Of Britain: Count Indigo

Sep 1st, 2011

Palais de Tokio, Paris Feb 2006. Suit in cavalry twill by Muller Wipperfurth.

I am proud to count Bruce Marcus, the man who is Count Indigo, as a firm friend. We have known each other for many years but familiarity has not blunted my admiration for his singular style one whit.

A keen sports participant and observer, one of the first pieces of information Bruce imparted to me was that he always wore a suit to watch football (I can’t remember his team, but sure he continues to strike an imposing figure on the terraces whatever their fortunes).

Bruce also confided that one of his peccadilloes is to shave en route when taking a journey by train (in homage to Cary Grant in North By Northwest). Naturally.

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