Unkle. . . . . Sleaz

X-Industrial

2010-11-10T22:44:00.001-08:00

Well the writing has been on the wall all along, but after the TG show in Hoxton London a week ago, which was relatively painless, enjoyable, and even began to pay off some of the cost of tickets, Genesis decided to move, first hotels, and then cities, un-announced, making herself unavailable for the remaining tour dates, and leaving the rest of TG and all the promotors and fans in a certain amount of a quandry.

Either we could bow to Gen's seemingly senseless and out-of-the-blue decision and pull the tour completely, and so be jointly responsible for all the money paid out, to get us to London, and round Europe, put us up in in hotels etc, or we could play the remaining shows as best we were able (albeit at a reduced fee since Genesis chose not to be there) to lessen our joint losses....

Fortunately, to our great gratitude, and the relief and appreciation of the fans who showed up (amounting to some 99% of ticket holders - very few were only there to see Gen it seems), what Chris, Cosey and I did as X-TG was greeted with just as much enthusiasm as TG had been in the past.

Apparently the public share our interest in "Chamber Music for the Coming Hard Times", and, despite missing the jumping-up-and-down-encore factor led by our undoubtly-skillful and curious looking, trans-dressing (though not trans-gendered) figure head - everyone said X-TG was just as good, if not better, than the old style TG.

On her website Genesis is keen to point out she only left THAT tour and still considers herself part of TG. For anyone that is interested, her included, I can confirm that TG will continue to complete all existing contracts, sales, ongoing negotiations and the recording/delivery obligations already in place, but it's clear neither Gen nor the rest of TG have the interest, time, energy (or even spare cash) to risk pursuing further live performances together, fraught as they are with the possible problems we all suffer from: concerns about health, unequal treatment or contribution, availability of the appropriate medications for pain, stress or lack of sleep, not to mention our own outside/personal commitments...

Also about the future of TG live, I do not regard it as possible for any changed band or variation of personel to perform live as Throbbing Gristle without all the original four of us on stage. If Chris, Cosey and I play live together again it will be as X-TG to make it clear it is a new entity, despite its Provenance which will draw on our own individual work and interests, just as much as any TG reference, which feel to me at least, tired, though the approach to music composition, remains as unique and exclusive to us, as any band I have ever come across....

I for one bear Genesis no ill will, though it would be nice to recieve some communication explaining what happened, rationally, and accepting that her precipitous actions had consequences for all of us, even though I am still several thousand pounds worse off than when we all agreed to do these dates...Money I can ill-afford to lose at this point...

As luck would have it, the "doors" Genesis opened by flying home, and out of the way unexpectedly, have revealed hitherto unseen paths into the future that are both interesting, exciting, as well as being ones I would probably not have pursued, if I'd just been Harry Pottering around in Bangkok with my HouseBoys...

So I thank you all for that, from the bottom of my heart!

Sathu, Sathu, Sathu....

Nobody knows the future, after all.... All we can do is try to make it as enjoyable, inspiring, helpful, encouraging and illuminating for everyone as possible, in the time that we have left.

In my book that means not only remembering the past and music of 30 years ago, (whether or not it's good enough to satisfy drunken Americans!) BUT NOT REPEATING IT, no matter how easy.

best2all
unklesleazy

Ossian & Cyclobe

2010-11-10T22:21:00.001-08:00

In addition to their burgeoning publishing ventures. Cyclobe members have recently released an album called 'Wounded Galaxies Tap at The Window' currently available on vinyl (not sure if this is retro or futuristic (or maybe "future-retro"!) Anyway it's jolly good. Ossian Brown and Stephen Thrower are joined on this release by the musicians Michael J York, Cliff Stapleton, John Contreras and Thighpaulsandra.

The record fulfils all ones expectations for long-time progeny of Coil but with a totally up-to-date feel. By all means buy the deluxe heavy-weight vinyl edition from the Cyclobe website esp. if you are a vinyl person - the artwork by American Artist Fred Tomaselli reproduced LP size is worth the money alone, but I hear on the grapevine the album will be available as a download from Cyclobe's own Greedbag store soon. Check their webssite for details.

The album came out on the 1st November with a limited edition insert containing a piece written by Geoff Cox-Dorée. This editon is available through the Cyclobe website on 180grm white vinyl. Residents of the Far Colonies can save excessive postage charges by ordering via Forced Exposure, or Cargo.

The 23 Stab Wounds of Julius Caesar

2010-11-01T01:16:00.000-07:00

Following my last post about Ian's exhibition, at London's Horse Hospital from Friday next, here is a sample ,-)

I havent sen all the drawings as yet, but looking forward to it. I'll probably be there on the 7th.

PS Shame about Gen going home early from the present dates. Your reliable old unkle and Chris & Cosey will still be playing something new there. More than that I cannot say, but it certainly will be interesting!

Love to all
unkle sleazy

Seasonal cheer!

2010-11-01T00:58:00.000-07:00

Ossian's book is out at last!

Its a beautiful collection of Halloween photos from the late 1800s to the 1950s (mostly) and has lots of ideas for ways to traumatise youngsters, prior to... no wait can't say that!

...Nor do I mean it obviously - no one deserves to be traumatised, and everbody lkes to dress up "nasty" for time to time... I know I do!

See a review and more pix from the Financial Times here.. Check it out!. Oops this link may not work (too early in the morning for me to figure out why not ,-) so please paste this URL into your browser if you want to see the good stuff! http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/91b3b49e-e16d-11df-90b7-00144feabdc0.html

It's the perfect Christmas gift!

Scorpio Matter Arising

2010-10-27T10:17:00.001-07:00

By Chance (if you believe in it) my current sojourn in Europe reaches a climax on November 7th with my chance to visit Ian Johnstone's exhibition of drawings and other art at London's Horse Hospital - see here which I am greatly looking forward to. You will remember Ian's excellent and visionary art for most "late period" Coil albums. Not to be missed if you can get to London... (till November 7th.

This follows a series of 3 remaining TG shows in Prague, Bologna, and Oporto. See here for details of venues, tickets, times etc. Hopefully we will get it together to record these shows and make one or more available by download (see the TG website in a week or so). Our recording of the first show failed prematurely unfortunately - possibly the result of levels of fluctuating air-pressure more often found in pressure vessels such as submarines, aircraft, and elevators, after suffering profound systems failure!

And I though Black Sabbath were loud! ;-) fuck me!

N.B. (please use equal emphasis on both these last two words, unless you are hot, male, & Thai in which case lay the stress where you like... LOL...) Sorry I've been away from "the compound" a week now!

Luckily there are a few t-shirts available from the London Village Underground TG show, so even if you could not make the event, you can still get the unique souvenir! Go quickly to the TG store site, where the remaining stock is being sold off.

Despite the immense volume, most people loved the show, describing it as Chamber Music for the Coming Hard Times.

Dark clouds having silver linings, even more impressive, than pink fluffy ones, after all!

Best2all
unkle sleazy

Been Up So Long it Feels like Down to Me

2010-10-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you follow trends in music making - Recently there has been something of an explosion in "home brew" electronica (by which I do NOT mean dance music, despite what i-tunes says). Benders (of circuits, speak and spell or sound enabled toys) are proudly waving their flags and soldering irons, long dirty hair and dodgy jeans waving in the air conditioning, demanding to be heard... (just kidding about the "dirty" part ,-)

In many ways this is a good thing - too many synths sound and look the same these days, and anyway the basic technology to make a hit record can most probably be found on the phone in your pocket - Quite apart from which, most of the equipment Coil or early TG records were made on, is already obsolete and broken, so it would be almost impossible to recreate Horse Rotorvator, for example, in the same way we did it in the first place. In some cases even some masters have degenerated beyond playability or even compatibility, these days...

What I'm saying is, we all need some new toys to fulfil that most basic of human urges to make a "damn fine racket" - The kind of racket which can Open the door for us all, Players and Listeners alike, to that Other Dimension - You remember - that Place you went to when you first heard Hamburger Lady, and the hair on your arms and the back of your neck stood up!

(In Thai, they call "the shivers" Con Luuk and it's a sure sign Something Special is going on, since it's too warm for people to ever to actually shiver, and round here Seriously Weird Shit like that happens all the time! That's one of the reasons I love it.)

Fortunately my old mates in TG, have risen to the Challenge, and, knowing no better now than we did then, have been putting together a collection of some of the weirdest boxes and machinery, this side of, well - Stephen Hawkin's basement, maybe?

His subconscious, even?

We just want to try to push forward this new Genre of homemade quarks, strangeness and charm, beyond the "here's a demo of some bleepy things I made, it's not a proper track yet" thing, which people normally post along with a SoundCloud bar or YouTube vid of the most god-awful, unlistenable soul-less knob twiddling I've ever heard.

Rich as that may be, coming from me, LOL ,-)

You see there's something different about TG and the "industrial process", that does the exact same thing for us, hearing our playing emerging out of the aether for the first time on stage, as it does for everyone present.

In my view this effect has nothing to do with fashion, or transgression, or sex or violence or personal loss (those all those things may be mentioned in passing). It has to do with the four of us transcending our complete lack of conventional musical knowledge, by mentally "going off on one", leading the way forward across the Threshold, and keeping our foot in the lift door, just long enough that you can jump in, and join us for an hour or so's journey Upward (or maybe down, who knows which way is really Up, these days?)

TG will be showcasing the results of our efforts a few times around Europe over the next few months, trying out a lot of new equipment, some being commissioned specially (or software written) for us by boffins, some of whom have the most severe cases of Asberger's Syndrome I have ever come across, but make gear that is literally unsurpassed, and others whose day-jobs are so dangerous that we are genuinely not allowed to tell you about them, for fear of our lives.

Please see the Throbbing Gristle website, for details of dates, and an excellent taster video by Chris and Cosey here.

If you can make it, especially to the first show in London on the 23rd (!), where things are most likely to go out-of-control, and I am still "discussing" insisting on all members of the audience signing a non-disclosure agreement, some tickets are still available here .

I guarantee it will not be like any DJ or laptop (ugh!) set you might see, and if you go just 'cos its the "place to be", and stand around talking and drinking to your trendy London friends, and being generally unaware of what's happening around you, you'll be missing out...

We all get the Goods we deserve! ,-)

My best to you from Bangkok, surrounded by the overwhelming smell of burning incense, hot solder, & boy sweat, and the sound of hammering metal, and Buddhist Mantras ...and that's just the upstairs!

tee hee

love unkle sleaz

Just when I thought...

2010-09-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

...it couldn't get any weirder...

Imagine if Pol Pot have decided, instead of sending all his scientists to work and die in the Killing Fields, he had decided instead to put to them to use, genetically engineering a Master Race using stolen DNA from Bruce Lee and Serena Williams, but because of a cockroach in his fax machine, the resulting misprint resulted in them receiving material from Bruce Lee and Kenneth Williams instead (Don't know Kenneth Williams? A genius! - see him on YouTube clip.

Imagine they continued working for 50 years in a lab so isolated in the jungle (much too far up river for even Colonel Kurtz to venture) that they were unaware of the fall of Pol Pot's totalitarian regime. Every year they produced bizarre mutant cross-breeds with varying degrees of success.

The commander of the camp decided, for some reason, to raise them believing they were direct Divine Descendants of Mother Kali (? really? see about.com) - possibly an unwise choice, in retrospect!

As time went on the boffins began to achieve a measure of success, and their latest batch of cloned kids were not only physically viable but drop-dead gorgeous, combining Bruce Lee's physique, skill and charisma with Kenneth Williams' intelligence and Wit - a little scary and sexuallly ambiguous to be sure, given the fearful appearance of the One they all thought was their Grand Ma...

Then imagine a nearby plane crash had but a single survivor the only passenger in the upstairs first class cabin, Baz Lurhmann (oh, please ,-) Wiki Ref for Baz) who was badly concussed but otherwise unhurt. He wakes up in the remote lab's infirmary believing he is there to rehearse "Urban Street Dance-Off 3 - The Re-Match"!

He works day and night teaching these often-cross-dressing, certainly transgressive and physically odd, cloned kids to dance beautifully, but after a few months he catches denge fever and dies within hours.

In the years that follow, the kids continue to hold monthly "dance offs" that combine what they remember of Baz's teaching, with what they believe is their Supernatural Heritage (as indeed it IS, just not in the way they think)...

...Sorry this story is so outlandish (and apologies to Baz if he's reading. He's a Genius also, and hopefully not dead in the Cambodian jungle ;-)

Its the only way I can find to describe to a Westerner, what the Festival I went to last night, in a very remote villlage in the hills near the Cambodian border, was like.

Just though you might be interested. HD video may even be on unkle sleazy dot tv soon....

fuck

2010-06-03T22:37:00.001-07:00

SoiSong Shows

2010-06-01T23:06:00.000-07:00

Ivan will be playing some SoSong dates in the next week or so alone. Unfortnately I have been prevented from flying by health problems, but don't be concerned. Its not too serious, as neither is this:

unklesleazy.tv

Unfortunately unkle sleazy dot tv is not available in Thailand.

best2all
s

2010-04-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say that recent unrest in Bangkok has not affected us other than shutting a few Shopping Malls here and there, but it’s too hot to go shopping anyway!

I have begun to develop and build (with the help of various lone inventors, military technicians, circuit bending specialists, cabinet makers, and antiquarians, dotted around obscure corners of the globe) the musical instruments I plan to use on Time Machines II – Perhaps it should be called Time Machines Legacy, or something similar, since it will use technology not invented when we released Time Machines. I just posted this to www.sacred-profane.com also - I know this (being musical) is not strictly Sacred-Profane news but its likely some or all of the instruments will end up available from the Sacred-Profane Store in future times, so there it is…

Best2all

A Long Night's Journey Into Day

2010-02-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, making progress here - Please see both:

Sacred-Profane

and

Threshold House

for exciting, long-awaited news...

Colour Sound Oblivion

2009-11-27T04:08:00.000-08:00

In case you missed it, we released an advance Patron's Edition, on Wednesday just before I got on the plane to come home, whereby if you paid immediately you would get a Certificate of Purchase, for the forthcoming Coil video Boxset, when it is released in the Spring. Rather unexpectedly, they sold out in about 3 hours! To everyone that has written regarding "missing it":

First of all THANK YOU so much for your enthusiasm - the response was way, way beyond our expectations.

We made this advance offer now, simply in order to raise the not-insubstantial funds to finance manufacture of the boxes and their very extensive contents (and by the way not to profit from the Edition by a single penny - though some people on the Coil-list etc seem to regard us as "profiteering" which only shows how much thought they give anything!)

I'm very grateful to report the manufacturing costs have now been achieved.

We thought it might take 3 months to sell the Patrons edition, rather than three hours! The Patron's Certificates have now all been spoken for, and will ship in the next few days. They are simply a gesture of gratitude to those (effectively randomly selected) who basically loaned us their money till the boxes are finished.

(Incidentally if you should see a Patrons Certificate on ebay or elsewhere, you will only be bidding on the Certificate itself - we will be shipping to our list of original purchasers only, and to be honest, if we find a member of the public actually "profiteering" by trying to auction a Patrons edition now, please let us know - we may accidentally 'forget' to send his box out! The real profiteers annoy the hell out of us, also!)

However the Patrons edition does promise various extras, gifts etc over and above the regular edition once it comes out, and it does not seem fair to penalise those who just missed them because the edition sold out so extraordinarily and unexpectedly quickly, so we WILL be making a "pre-order" offer, much like Amazon and the rest do.

When this becomes available, EVERYONE that makes their pre-order within four weeks of it being made will receive the same package and contents as the Patron's edition, when it is finally ready. These will only be limited by ordering time-window, not by quantity - as long as you get it together to register your pre-order within the four weeks, you will get the full package when ready. Please note we quite often get people who write saying they haven't the funds now but can we 'reserve' one. This is not usually very easy and is unfair to those who do have the money now, so please if you think you might be in this position, start now putting a little away every week, or making other arrangements to access the funds when the time comes. (We do take Paypal too, BTW...)

Due to the regulations covering credit cards, we are not allowed to open a pre-order more than 3 months before the item is shipping, and I am anticipating it will take the factory here in Thailand most of February and March to press, print and assemble everything, so we cannot open this "pre-order" facility till all of the Masters are ready to go to be "proofed" which will take the rest of this year at least, so expect the Pre-Order facility to open in early January.

We will send everyone who wrote in, an email, when the pre-order facility is opened and you will then have 4 weeks to make your order (though orders will ship on a first-come-first served-basis, so earlier is better! ,-) As with the Patrons edition, you will still have to wait up to (a maximum of) 3 months to receive your box.

Once the boxes are in and all of the Patrons boxes have shipped, as well as all the boxes that you pre-order, the rest will become the "Regular edition" These will not include the "special extras" , and will not be limited but will still be a pretty nice package with 14 or more dvds, up to 100 postcards of Coil, very nice packaging etc - People who would prefer to wait till they are actually in stock, before paying out their hard earned cash (which is completely reasonable) will be able to see actual photos of the finished collection, and will have the reassurance that they should receive it as quickly as the post or courier can manage. If we do end up selling any boxes through distributors to stores etc it will only be the regular edition, and likely considerably more expensive.

So PLEASE DON"T PANIC, or get pissed off. IT'S NOT TOO LATE!

Since you are already a Known Collector and Enthusiast (you are on our List! ,-), it is NOT the policy of Threshold House to restrict your personal access to any of the "good stuff".

Incidentally, if you are one of those odd people who for some reason only want a copy of a single Coil show, like the one where you got married... had your first Trip... orgasm... epileptic fit... (who knows ,-)? or had some other Epiphany experience, we will be making the individual show dvds available (though probably not the projection, audio backing track discs etc) some time during 2011, at a "commercial" price, and without all the box, postcards, and fun stuff - Just so you know...

As the final selections of shows and videos, and decisions about final box and packaging are made, prototypes received etc. we will be posting photos and info about them at www.thresholdhouse.com, so if you want to watch the Collection develop, and tantalise (or torment ,-) your anticipation and imagination please look in every week or so.

If you have time over the Holidays take a moment to sit quiet and just take a few deep breaths, simply for the way you begin to feel.. because when you do, you may find that sometime in 2010 you become Inexplicably & Surprisingly Happy...

Anyway, I'm sending my best for 2010...

,-)

Thanks again for your continuing interest, enthusiasm and support...

unkle sleazy

(aka peter christopherson)

& all the threshold houseboys
plus all the wonderful ELphs at greedbag/state51...

Invisible JukeBox

2009-09-13T23:00:00.000-07:00

In case you missed the extensive piece with me in the August Wire, you can find the uncut version here

Unkle Sleaz Invisible JukeBox

Enlightenment reversed

2009-09-01T00:10:00.001-07:00

Enlightenment reversed
Originally uploaded by sleazybkk

Just a quick note to tell you of the end of Civilization as we know it\, which will probably pass unnoticed.

The full story is here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8230961.stm

My advice to reduce global warming is this:

"What is the time?
Half past nine
Hang your knickers on the line
When they're dry, take them in
Stick them in a biscuit tin
Eat a biscuit, eat a cake
Eat your knickers by mistake"

,-)

I wonder how much electricity domestic tumble dryers use by comparison with the humble incandescent light bulb?

Anybody want to start an illegal light-bulb factory with me?

New digs

2009-08-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

Since returning to Thailand after the various shows and dates in April/June, I have been mainly taken up with finding new accommodations, as well as trying to come finally to terms with the creation of characters in various 3-D programs, ostensibly for the video side of the new SoiSong show, which will feature singers "not of this plane of existence", though also, of course, for longer term projects, such as www.sacred-profane.com, and such.

My old house was wonderful, if exorbitantly priced, and hosted some excellent soirees about which I cannot go into detail except to drop some names (not of guests but of 'inspiration') -

Michael Barrymore (it could have happened to anyone!)

Elton (reported to be the Godfather of the so-called "Gay Mafia" ,-)

The Emperor Nero

Steven Fry

Kenneth Williams

Vincent Ward (what do you mean "who?" - he's a genius!)

Ernst Rohm (of the Long Knives fame)

Frankie Howerd (who was famous amongst Western-super-Mare taxi drivers, who allegedly had to shuttle London lads to his country house from the station every weekend).

and not forgetting

The Great God Ra (esp as portrayed by Jaye Davidson in "Stargate")

Although all there in Spirit, in the flesh they would have made for a hellava dinner party - Alan Moore, wanna write the story?

Recent moments of self realization:

CRYING : I have taken to describing the thing that makes my cry so often as "feeling the proximity of the Deity smiling in the dark...", and that is certainly part of it, as well as the, for me, heady combination of the Sacred and Profane...(see www.sacred-profane.com)...

The sight of street persons, drug dealers, boy prostitutes talking to God or praying for my immortal soul (or that of others) pushes my buttons every time.

That being said, I realized the other day while listening to a Thai folk version of "Its Raining Men" (think: The sound of Kylie echoing from a nearby stinK Hole) that my need to cry often, is actually part of the grieving process - something that perhaps I've been avoiding, and replacing with Kenneth Williams on crack. I guess I must have the same feelings others do, after all...

best2all

One of those moments...

2009-05-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

So I was sitting on the train the other day, on my way to Ossian and Steve's house on the south coast, listening to my i-pod.

Although I am getting better at replacing the sad songs on my i-pod with happier ones, sometimes the happy ones make me cry too - I'm weird, because it's not normally sad things that make me cry but rather, things that suggest a divine presence is here with me - I can't put it better than that...

Anyway I was listening to a record of Tibetan chanting called Rain of Blessings by Lama Gyurme, and thinking how it would be great to finish my THBC show with one of those, if I dare sing (!) and was in floods of tears (see above).

Sitting opposite me was a couple in their 50's - she, rather dowdily dressed with half-moon glasses and a book, he professor-ish, concentrating on his Blackberry. The train pulled into Lewes (a town known for its oddness and outsider cultural traditions) and the couple got up to leave.

As they passed me the lady tapped me on the shoulder and said something which I didn't hear because of the ear-buds, so I took them out and looked up at her with a "sorry?"

She said "Cheer up!" in a friendly way. I muttered something like "no no I'm fine - Happy tears"...

The woman smiled and turned to leave the train, and it was then I realized it was Meryl Streep!

Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson

2009-05-21T11:14:00.001-07:00

Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson
Originally uploaded by shawn brackbill

You are feeling sleepy.... No wait, that's me....

,-)

TG News

2009-04-16T05:14:00.001-07:00

DSCN1118.JPG
Originally uploaded by sleazybkk

Hey al!l

- So on the Road Again - Time to blog - sorry I don't get it together at home - always something better to do I guess.

Today is the first day, proper, of the TG sellout tour of the USA. Generally we seem much like we were before, only older!

I'm hungry! Off to the diner!

More daily, with any luck ,-)

SoiSong in BKK Dec08

2008-12-23T19:13:00.001-08:00

SoiSong in BKK Dec08
Originally uploaded by sleazybkk

So Ivan went home yesterday after an intense couple of weeks completing principle recording and design of the the new SoiSong album called xAj3z. It is a fantastic piece of work, even though I say so myself, and I am looking forward to hearing people's reaction. I really hope they love it as much as I do.

My main task now is to try and come up with moving images that not only compliment the (strange) music, but also can be juggled in a live setting to produce new and interesting variations.

No wallpaper or eye-candy for SoiSong, if at all possible ,-)

...but I guess that will have to wait for few days - My mind is on turkey and stuffing (or should that be "being stuffed" ,-) xxx

Now that's what I call a Christmas Tree!

2008-12-23T19:05:00.001-08:00

Now that's what I call a Christmas Tree!
Originally uploaded by sleazybkk

Have a bearable Christmas - My memories of Christmases in England are mostly ones of conspicuous consumption followed by hangovers of various kinds, boredom (and possibly additional family stress) so if you are able to avoid any of these, I applaud you! ,-)

I hope everyone finds (or at least makes some progress towards) what they are really seeking in their heart in the forthcoming year (and I remembered to write seek, rather than desire, although that can work too).

I am looking forward to 2009 with some trepidation (largely on account of the weakness of the Pound and strength of the Thai baht), and somehow 2009 seems like a weird, somewhat malign number.

I guess I shall just have to think of it in the Thai way which is far prettier - 2552.

On any case - Have a Good One :)

Years May Come and Years May Go

2008-12-07T16:49:00.000-08:00

Ivan arrived safely at the Compound yesterday, to finish tweaking the new SoiSong album, which I have probably already said is wonderful, and to work on our new live show, which will go in so many new directions, I can hardly imagine...

So I probably won't have time to update this blog till Christmas, unless something funny happens.

He pointed out that in my last blog I wrote that 1984 was 14 years ago, and now you mention it that does seem slightly out ,-) but I blame my fingers rather than my mind - so easy to type 14 when you mean.... errrr... right.... 24!

What me senile? Where am I? Have I been t tis planet bepore? :)

X before I encouraged him to get famous/crazy ,-)

2008-12-04T21:08:00.001-08:00

X before I helped him get famous/crazy ,-)
Originally uploaded by sleazybkk

This is X soon after I first met him. I think we was about 20 then.

BTW I feel like I'm walking a fine line with this blog between opening my heart and home to you guys... (which I regard as a good thing - in these days of everybody-knowing-everything-immediately, there really isn't much Mystery any more, just a 'knowledge-transmission-breakdown')

...However I AM conscious that on the screen, rather than in person, some of my revelations, if I'm not careful, might be taken the wrong way, or get me (or someone I love) into trouble.

If you are shocked or made uncomfortable, by any of my blogs, or think anything I've written too dangerous to say...

[After all 1984 WAS 14 years ago, already, and things haven't got better in those 14 years - It turns my stomach that in the UK now, even a kid's drawing of his little brother or sister if they're not wearing clothes, could send both the parents AND the kid to prison! What on earth are they thinking?]

...please write to me immediately and I will take it down.

This blog is about Openness and complete Honesty - which you may have realised was what Coil was about too - NOT Incarceration.

Luv2all :)

PS I'm starting to get why the Dalai Lama smiles all the time :)

Back on our heads

2008-12-04T19:58:00.001-08:00

So after a brief (24 hour) r'n'r session with a couple of mates [detail expleted, in this public blog at least] I am now back in full organise mode, as Ivan in arriving on Sunday [airport gods permitting] and we have a ton of things to do not only to complete the wonderful forthcoming SoiSong album, but also to decide how best to move forward with gigs, profile-building etc. The new record is SO good (IMHO) thanks to Ivan's immaculate and sublime audio stylings that it deserves to reach as wide an audience as possible.

Ivan is unusually reticent when it comes to pushing himself into the limelight, and I have been rather hanging back, for fear of coming across as the "more famous" of the the two of us, when in reality he does most of the work (the important work anyway). However face to face we will be able to sort out lots, I have no doubt.

The main thing I need to do today is buy a few MORE beds, as, despite the fact the numerous houseboys living in my compound often share with one another, dorm style, us farangs (limeys. poms, foreign debbils or whatever) usually have at least a bed of our own. I expect they're worried if we shared I might roll over and squash them! :) NOT to mention me snoring, drooling, oozing, leaking or other distasteful effects when unconscious! LOL :)

Also my first and best mate X is returning from a week of Buddhist retreat today, rendering the Sleaz Compound extra full, since my best English mate is in guest-house number one. Hopefully the quiet time away from city diversions will see X a little calmer and more centred than he was before.

In general Thais are SO good at having a good time (unlike most other races who, even when they're sh**-faced, generally do not REALLY enjoy themselves, IMHO) that unless circumstances (or the auto-pilot) apply the brakes, then given enough rope, gas, dosh etc Thai's sometimes turn into the Runaway Train of Fun... Which, if one's not careful, can get lost without a trace down long-forgotten, overgrown sidings leading off through the jungle, to some distant, rusting mine-workings, or abandoned asbestos factory, where they smash into the buffers, "Bourne Ultimatum-style", bursting into flames, and then things can get messy.

Although I am always conscious that I provided the gas for Geff's (John Balance's) Runaway Train (and feel kind of guilty for that), I know he would have turned off the main track onto his own siding without me long ago, probably before he was 20, and at least I got him to produce some great records and writing on the journey, that brought pleasure to millions..... [okay it was thousands and thousands, but whose counting? ,-)]

X by contrast, though 1) a great singer, 2) an ex-rent boy, and 3) my original Thai boyfriend (pattern ringing any bells?) has the knowledge of how to live without ANY money; he was a temple 'orphan' boy and through his teens survived on almost nothing, and at least he knows where the "auto-pilot switch" IS, if those robotic "Pull Up, Pull UP" voices start sounding in the cockpit!

Poor Geff preferred sitting on the wings with the wind in his hair, and did not know there WAS a cockpit!

God Bless Him, and you too! :)

A Very Big Plane

2008-12-02T18:02:00.001-08:00

A Very Big Plane
Originally uploaded by sleazybkk

BTW sitting at Narita I saw, for the first time, the Airbus A-380, which as you may know is a 'double-decker' throughout. Its absolutely huge!

To be honest I cannot understand how its possible to lift its immense weight, esp when fully laden to 36,000 ft and since any technology that is incomprehensible may reasonably regarded as magic, my question is this:

Are those big buildings one sees around the edge of airports actually housing huge factory chicken farms to provide sufficient unfortunate beasts to be sacrificed in rituals in the hold, as the planes trundle along the runway; thereby causing satisfactory lift-off??? ,-)

We should be told!

Sleazy goes Home

2008-12-02T17:51:00.001-08:00

Sleazy goes Home
Originally uploaded by sleazybkk

After a door-to-door journey back from Boston lasting about 168 hours (rather than the normal 36!) I am pleased to report I am home safe and sound.

The protests that paralyzed the airport in Bangkok are now over and notwithstanding forthcoming elections, argy-bargies or whatever, day-to-day life in Thailand seems to be relatively unaffected, despite the dire tone of TV reports.

I can't see that anyone planning to come on holiday to Thailand would have any reason to fear coming, and can still have a wonderful time.

Business Lounge Toilet The Long View, Narita

2008-12-02T17:06:00.001-08:00

Business Lounge Toilet, Narita
Originally uploaded by sleazybkk

Business Lounge Toilet, Narita

2008-12-02T17:01:00.001-08:00

Business Lounge Toilet, Narita
Originally uploaded by sleazybkk

Just in case you were wondering what untold luxuries travelers in airlines' business class receive (besides free boze and internet) here are some photos of Narita's business Men's room!

2008-12-02T16:48:00.000-08:00

I am going to try to keep this blog up to date, notwithstanding the extra half hour or so a day it may take. This is not so much to keep people officially informed about my work; you should check out

www.myspace.com/soisong and www.myspace.com/thresholdhouse for that...

but just as a kind of diary to remind myself what I was thinking/doing, day by day, as well as hopefully saving time duplicating news mails to my many friends who care (which already takes hours a day). Please do not mind that others are reading the same stuff, it IS still addressed to you personally, if I have given you the link to this page.

I will attempt not to write anything too incriminating, but please regard anything herein as privileged information, not intended for Pop-Bitch or the Sun, unless I die with my head down the toilet or similar, in which case, be my guest!

luv
slZ

their mask

2008-11-29T17:44:00.001-08:00

theirmask
Originally uploaded by sleazybkk

Like this...

mymask

2008-11-29T17:43:00.001-08:00

mymask
Originally uploaded by sleazybkk

In Japan last year (?) I wore a kind of Blue Velvet (the movie) style mask which apparently looked good, so I had this idea of making a mask based on the kind of masks tuk-tuk drivers wear but screened with a dental x-ray. Then within a week there's a photo of thug from the blockade of Bangkok's Suvanabhumi Airport, wearing something vcery similar...

Either its a zeitgeist thing... or someone copied it, but made it better!

:)

A=P=P=A=R=I=T=I=O=N

2008-11-29T17:30:00.001-08:00

Yokohama - 11
Originally uploaded by sleazybkk

Hey - Just to let you know I'm stuck in the Narita Hilton (well not really stuck - just can't get into Thailand right now) so went to have a look at the work by Cerith Wynn-Evans and Throbbing Gristle at the Yokohama Trienalle (about 2 hours by Express train from here).
Although different from what I expected, the piece was very calming, which is always good.