A continuous scroll of accumulated images from everyday life built on the methodologies of browsing, collecting and arranging - part archive, part research material. Updated in fits and bursts, as an alternative that is somehow simultaneously more permanent and more ephemeral than Instagram.
An archive of thoughts, words, and images that record my early twenties, moving to Sweden, and a scattered, eclectic assemblage of interests and associations that continue to be important to how I think and relate to making. Instead of letting this blog languish in the outer regions of the internet I thought I would revisit it and reabsorb it into the folds of my practice.
(If Bree and I were prepared enough, we would have worn suits of fries).
While in New Zealand, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to play some tracks with my good pal Bree Huntly at local watering hole Golden Dawn. It was a warm evening of good songs, good beers, and many friends stopping by to indulge in both of the activities mentioned above. Thank you Matthew Crawley for letting us lose on the unsuspecting public (but really it was a win-win situation)
Special shout outs need to go my NZ fan base of young female B grade celebrities who made an appearance for this one night only event - Keisha Castle-Hughes, Annabel Fay, Ruby Frost and others whose names I have already forgotten. Hope you mentioned us in the social pages, ladies.
In May I started compiling a collection of my favourite songs about crying. Crying, tears, general sadness. I was hoping to play it at a clubnight or something similar - a misery laden dj set of a sort. But then my life changed drastically and I was unable to listen to 'In Tears', as I tentatively called it - because I have literally been in that state for the past 5 weeks or so. I have been told that crying is a side-effect of a particularly malignant disease known as 'heartbreak'.
I moved across the world to build a life with someone, and now I do not have that anymore. I do have a collection of amazing songs that seem to know how I feel though - even if no one else does.
I don't know what I will do with these songs. Maybe one day I will stand at a DJ booth in a small and relatively empty bar - I imagine it will be raining. Now a relative loner in this town, none of my friends would be there, and the regulars in the bar would be unable to appreciate the mixture of tearful moody-garage tunes, and woeful sweeping ballads, but I could at least play them in a respectively atmospheric surrounding.
In any event, I made a playlist of this set, for people to enjoy in the comforts of their own home while on a steady diet of Gin & Tonics (whatever gets you through the night, eh). But sad songs are always good to keep on hand, you never know when you might be needing them.
Enjoy! (if that is the right word to use in this situation) IN TEARS
Kris djing in style in a typically flamboyant shirt at Golden Dawn, Auckland. One of the two occasions he dj-ed there during our trip. The second time also featured a tag-team cameo of Alex and I, recapturing the records in the summertime feeling of living together at Rocky's. Good times all-round.
This time last week I was about to start playing a few choice morsels of music in a small, rather unnecessary effort to assist Kris with djing at the Ganglions gig at Debaser here in Malmö. Kris was playing until around 3am and so had a playlist reaching over 100 songs. I struggled to find 29 songs that I thought complimented each other well enough to be played, and always seem to end up making djing out to be more stressful than it actually is. In the end, I felt my 29 songs were just the right amount for my brief cameo behind the decks between the bands, and a little thereafter.
The songs I played, in no particular order:
The Band - He Don't Love You (And He'll Break Your Heart)
Love - Can't Explain
The Longboatmen - Take Her Anytime
Lee Hazlewood & Suzi Jane Hokom - Califia (Stone Rider)
David Bowie - And I Say To Myself
The Miracles - Way Over There
The Rooks - Bound to Lose
The Shags - Don't Press Your Luck
The Malibus - Leave Me Alone
Neil Diamond - Girl You'll Be a Woman Soon
Fleetwood Mac - You Make Loving Fun
Tommy James & The Shondells - Crystal Blue Persuasion
The Trolls - Are You the One
The Four Tops - Baby I Need Your Loving
Veronica Falls - Bad Feeling
Normie Rowe - Tell Him I'm Not Home
Neil Young - Cinnamon Girl
Look Blue Go Purple - Safety In Crosswords
The Rolling Stones - Under My Thumb
Paul Messis - What Am I Going to Do
Sonny & Cher - You Don't Love Me
The Rare Breed - Beg, Borrow, And Steal
Blondie - Pretty Baby
Duane Eddy & The Rebelettes - My Baby Plays The Same Old Song On His Guitar All Night Long
Last Thursday night I had the rare and always appreciated pleasure of being on the receiving end of a song dedication. The band (La Sera) dedicated their rendition of "Dedicated to the one I love" to us (the DJ's - well I was more of a musical advisor less of a dj I suppose), and the whole scenario felt a little more special as we had played The Shirelles' version earlier on in the night when no one was there bar us, the bands, the guy setting up the merch table and a staff member writing up the evening's specials on a black board and making a bit of a hash of it. If I was ever in the position where I could do a really swell cover of a heartfelt song and dedicate it to someone, I would choose this:
To take a squizz at the mammoth list of pretty excellent songs played by the tally ho's partner in crime 'RECORD TURNOVER', please stop by.
Last night at BELLE epoque: after sitting down to a delicious meal of trout, rooster and pork, followed up with a blood orange sorbet, I serenaded the winers and diners with a handful of my favourite wintery songs about such weighty topics as blues, hearts, paris, girls, mornings, nights and moons.
This was for the inaugural night of RECORD TURNOVER, the new moniker of my dj partner in crime. He is sort of like the conjurer and I his able bodied assistant, who is willing to be sawed in half.
A list of the tunes I selected lies below, and if you weren't able to make it and the tracklisting tickles your fancy and piques your interest, or if you would just like to re-live the experience one more time, you can even add 'blah blah' to your own music collection by following thisLINK.
BAROQUE CLOAK
Something On Your Mind - Karen Dalton Blues In the Night - Ann Shelton Dreamin' - The Distant Sounds Blue is the Night - The Deverons This Boy - The Beatles Sunday Morning - Margo Guryan Be-Bop-A-Lula - Gene Vincent You've Really Got A Hold On Me - The Miracles Rolling Moon - The Chills Are You The One - The Trolls Rockin' Back Inside My Heart - Julee Cruise And I Say To Myself - David Bowie with The Lower Third All These Blues - The Paul Butterfield Blues Band Great Balls of Fire - The Librettos Looking For Me - The Walker Brothers Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon - Neil Diamond Paris Summer - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood Tell Me Now So I'll Know - The Kinks Got Nothin' to Say - The Limiñanas How Can I Stop Loving You - The Eighth Day Time of the Season - The Zombies Sally I Do - Abdullahs' Regime Just A Little - The Beau Brummels Superstar - Carpenters That Lonely Feeling - Dean Ford & the Gaylords I'll Keep It With Mine - Nico
I'LL KEEP IT WITH MINE - NICO I'LL KEEP IT WITH MINE - DEAN & BRITTA I'LL KEEP IT WITH MINE - RAINY DAY
I think I could spend a whole dj set playing multiple versions of the same songs, and no one would even notice.
3 versions of the song I have been listening to most this week, obsessively. I think I spent an afternoon repeatedly playing 5 different versions of this song (including a bootleg version by the author, Bob Dylan, and another by The Resonars), until I had listened to the song about 20 times. I still keep changing my mind about which I prefer the most. At the moment I think it is Nico's and that is the one I plan on playing when I am djing next Wednesday in the bar under my apartment. I am really enjoying listening to different versions of the same songs at the moment - 'I'll Keep It With Mine' aside: covers of the Kink's 'Stop Your Sobbin'' has had heavy rotation; I just heard Tracey Thorn doing a cover of Lee Hazlewood's 'Come On Home With Me'; a brilliant cover of Jerry Lee Lewis' 'Great Balls of Fire' by an obscure 60's New Zealand band, The Librettos, all slowed-down and moaning; The Miracles/Beatles/Zombies respective versions of 'You Really Got A Hold On Me'.
Perhaps I should start a collection of different versions of the same songs. Then I could have an 'I'll Keep It With Mine' for every occasion. I still think repetitive actions, such as listening to the same song multiple times, give me good ideas.
My contribution to last night's dj effort between Kris and myself at BELLE epoque - one of the restaurant/bar fixtures directly beneath our apartment, 11 August 2010.
He's The Great Imposter - The Fleetwoods He's In Town - The Rockin' Berries She Comes Running - Lee Hazlewood Do I Love You - The Ronnettes The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles You Only Live Twice - Nancy Sinatra La Nuit N'En Finit Plus (Needles and Pins) - Le Lionceaux Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) - Otis Redding She's a Mystery to Me - Roy Orbison Lady of the Lake - Peggy Lipton Perdita - Rubber City Here Comes the Night - The Walker Brothers Here Comes the Night - Them Hook Rug Dance - Angelo Badalamenti Strange Love - Darlene Love Tryin' To Get To You - Elvis Presley Doodlin' - Dusty Springfield I Call Your Name - The Beatles He's The Only Guy I'll Ever Love - Maxine Brown I'll Call You Mine - The Zombies Blow-Up (Main Title) - Herbie Hancock Say I Am - Tommy James & The Shondells Sukiyaki - Kyu Sakamoto Little Town Flirt - Del Shannon It's All In The Way (You Look At It Baby) - Mousie & The Traps La Chanson De Jacky - Jacques Brel Mary, Mary - Paul Butterfield Blues Band Quand un amour renaît - Sylvie Vartan
