How was the dog show?
It was okay, but not the full on "Westminster" type as it turned out, but only one to re-home strays (of which there are millions here) – Coil always owned Basenjis (you can Google for the breed), and I brought two from the UK when I moved here and one recently died (he was quite old). The King of Thailand also has a bunch of Basenjis, so they are highly thought of here, and I'm quite keen to get another to keep the remaining dog company. Although with so many houseboys around, there's usually never a dull moment at my compound....
I was debating whether or not to bring up the current political climate with you, but since you mentioned it, here goes. Undoubtedly, there is anti-American sentiment around the world and with good reason. I can assure you it's been no picnic to be an American these past 8 years.
LOL I can imagine :)
As you might've heard we elected a new guy who said he's going to change things. How do you feel about the election of Senator Obama? You said you were reticent to come to America during the Bush regime and you said you might never have returned had Old Man McCain and Sarah "I didn't know Africa was a continent" Palin been elected. Has the election of Obama changed that for you?
I certainly hope we can all look forward to something more humane and relaxed from him than was previously the case. I wish him well. As with anyone, "the proof of the pudding…" etc.
You've clearly been divorced from British politics for sometime. In line with my earlier question, how do you view the British political scene as an expat?
I must say I do not feel comfortable with the “ex-pat” label. As far as possible, I try to think and act like a Thai and hope this may result in my seeing life a little more as they do, and so be a little happier than I was in England. I certainly try to speak as much Thai as I can and do not regard people who seem to steadfastly retain a grip on the Englishness or American-ness, as wise any more than African American's want to behave like the people who live today in the countries their forefathers may have been kidnapped from. Only what we do now matters.
How do you feel about the growing surveillance culture that is so prevalent in England, as well as in America and other parts of Europe?
It depends not on the camera or recording, but what They do with it.
If it were possible to see into the immediate past anywhere with some kind of Looking Glass, it would make life very different, as you could see immediately who caused the traffic accident or robbed the bank, or started the fight, and could, therefore, help them not to do so again.
So it's not the surveillance of itself that's a problem. It's if and when people start to make moral judgments about other kinds of behaviors. "Why were you visiting the house of that ‘communist'/married woman/young boy?" etc.
There is an argument that tools/weapons etc. should not be allowed for fear of the damage they may cause, but it's people who do the damage. Surveillance only causes damage if it's used by people to do so, and as a community, we need to make sure it is not.
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"Maybe it's human nature not to want to see ‘the big picture of our lives,' because it would show us what dumb decisions we continue to make."
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How about the policies of new-ish PM Gordon Brown?
Who? Isn't that a Strangler's song? Something like:
Gorden Brown texture like sunLays me down WITH my mind she runs…
:)
You mentioned the financial crisis and indeed it seems that some men in suits screwed the pooch real good this time. As someone who's been called a "wrecker of civilization" by a member of Parliament, and with all these major global problems seemingly caused by, for lack of a better term, greedy elite fat cats, do you feel the irony is rich now?
I'm afraid I know nothing about economics, except that drug dealers often live with their mothers.
How long have you lived in Thailand?
Four years permanently, but visiting for longer and longer periods for 20 years before that.
Can you speak about your vantage point of being removed from Western society but viewing it from afar? How is life in Thailand different from Western life?
Certainly it is sometimes easier to see something when removed from it -- unlike the frog in the ever hotter water.
Returning to the West for any length of time means a period of sad discomfort for me now, and it's because I see it differently now. My perception of it has changed.
Maybe it's human nature not to want to see "the big picture of our lives," because it would show us what dumb decisions we continue to make for whatever reason -- fear of the unknown, embarrassment, pride, face, etc. This is just as true here in Thailand as anywhere else, but the main difference in Thai life from Western is a kind of (Buddhist) acceptance of the impermanence of everything.
We may be rich one day, poor the next, healthy today and dead tomorrow, laughing one moment and crying the next, and vice versa. This understanding liberates one from the two main fears that make so many people in the West miserable -- that one day things may change for the worse AND/OR that they may never change for the better. Freed of these fears, life is instantly better.
Did you leave the Western world because of idealistic differences with it?
I left the West because I found Thai life so much nicer, happier, and more fun! Is that idealistic? I guess it is! :)
You and Gen started Psychic TV as both a band and a multimedia arts project. It became an early outlet for your video work and video art. Did your work with video start with PTV or was it something that you were already working on?
PTV, MTV, and my work in video all started at about the same time (1981?). The first TG videos became possible because of the invention of the domestic video recorder (even though it weighed a ton) and were edited at the company that went on to form the basis of MTV in Europe. My hope was that PTV could become some kind of alternative underground video network to counter the mainstream TV business, just as TG had done with the music business, but I didn't factor in how much more work and people are required to make interesting TV than to make interesting music.
Also, that and TV is watched around the clock 24/7 without having much effect on the viewer, who takes it for granted, whereas people only play records when they want to. Together, these factors should have put me off the medium a lot quicker than they did, but I guess I wasn't looking at the Bigger Picture.
Looking on Wikipedia, it lists many of the music videos you've directed. In fact, anyone watching VH1 or MTV in the '80s has more than likely seen your videos. Can you talk more about your video work and what your philosophy is concerning the medium?
I directed music videos and commercials for far too long -- basically 1986-2000 -- the most memorable for NIN and Rage Against the Machine in the '90s, as well as maybe Marc Almond in the '80s and '90s. At the time, I made the mistake of thinking I was offering my clients a service and therefore tried to make something original that also suited them. Only later did I discover I would have done better if I had been suiting myself alone. The best videos of that Golden Age were made that way. It was my mistake.
Do you appreciate any specific video artists like Nam June Paik or others?
Generally I have not seen much "conceptual video" that I like, because too often it seems either obvious or not saying very much. I like things that have meaning, or at least a resonance that leaves you feeling improved/better somehow. This applies to music, movies, pictures -- any creative work -- and is the basis of my own life's work.
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"We are all ultimately responsible for our own actions, and any organization, religion, sect, cult, NGO, army captain or anyone else that tells you any different is lying."
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What are some of the notable videos you directed, and can you please just tell me a little something about directing Yes' "Owner of a Lonely Heart" video.
In fact, that Yes video was directed by my then-partner Storm Thorgerson from Hipgnosis. I was the Director of Photography, although for a couple of days during the shoot, I was hospitalized with a high fever. Storm was ahead of his time, in that he directed as though nothing mattered except capturing ‘his vision' on film , even if it meant shooting 24-hour days, and going endlessly over-budget.
When I started directing I did NOT run my sets that way, rightly or wrongly.
I heard Storm had a stroke a few years back, which partly paralyzed him, and I believe he now has a rare cancer, as well.
Regarding your statement about what the message of the Temple of Psychic Youth was, can you elaborate? What philosophically were you trying to achieve with PTV and how did Gen's actions conflict with that?
I don't want to get into ‘muck-raking' – what's done is done.
For me and Geff (Jhonn Balance), the Temple was about doing what you believe is right, even if it contradicts what you are told or the prevailing ‘wisdom.' For us two at least, this was the paving stone of our future work -- in our case as Coil. The Temple was an ‘anti-cult' that specifically did not require figure heads or leaders, to whom one had to send money or offer allegiance or respect of any kind.
We are all ultimately responsible for our own actions, and any organization, religion, sect, cult, NGO, army captain or anyone else that tells you any different is lying.
"I was only following orders" just doesn't cut it on this planet, never mind on all the other planes of existence we have yet to reach. When you deceive someone who trusts you, or take the money not due to you, or shut the gas-chamber door, it's the same thing. YOU did it.
You mentioned continuing to work on Art of Naples and other Coil releases. People worldwide are atwitter with expectations of these pending reissues. Any other future issuance plans you wish to divulge?
With Coil, I only want to make sure all the decent archive remains available. Some things were released only as limited editions, and I would like to see these generally available in some format. Having said that, it is not my intention to record any completely new Coil material. Coil was one entity as I said before, and I do not feel it would be right to make any more new Coil songs without Jhonn's contribution.
The last major as-yet unreleased Coil item will be the video boxset. Coil live was often very different from Coil on CD and visually quite a rich experience, not only with new projections from the first date to the last, but also with Pierce and Massimo from Black Sun Productions appearing live (and visceral) on stage with us for several tours. Also, we almost always wrote new material for the shows, so some songs never appeared on CD at all. I know I have been promising this "will be out soon" for years now. Hopefully I will get it together next year. Whenever it does come out, it will be exhaustive and complete and will include separate discs of the projection material in a kind of ‘Karaoke' style, along with all the backing tracks as well, which the listener will be able to sing along with or modify as they see fit. Maybe even to make into new works...
As with all such data/products these days, I hope to make it available economically online, as well as in an ‘exclusive material' version for anyone wanting to have something solid to hold in their hands and hopefully, treasure in the future.
Musically, my new work concentrates on SoiSong with Ivan Pavlov. There will be a new and, I believe, extraordinary (even Classic -- as good or even better than anything I have been involved with so far) album out in the spring, as well as occasional releases from the Threshold HouseBoys Choir, although I find working solo much more difficult and so likely to be more infrequent.
The Brainwaves Festival is likely to be my last THBC experiment for some time and should not be missed if at all possible.
You seem to be quite obsessed with technology. Are there any burgeoning technologies you wish to work more with?
I would love to be able to spend more time with 3D software, making new characters, but the line charting my availability (currently remaining fairly level) and the line describing the user-friendliness of those software packages (slowly improving/moving upwards) have not yet intersected. There's a great comment in the introduction to one of those high-end art books dedicated to making 3D female models (usually scantily clad and in provocative poses) which goes something like, "If you can take your image as a photo, you should. It's SO much easier!"
You mentioned some interest in broadcasting via the internet. Are you involved/interested in the field of computer transmission at all?
I do NOT view the internet as a suitable medium for live broadcasting. By definition in BROAD-casting, additional viewers place no extra strain on the system. It doesn't matter if one or one billion viewers tune in. The net currently does not work like this, and the fact that millions of people (especially me!) have to wait longer to get on with their work (okay, it's seconds, but they add up) for someone who wants the latest edition of Lost on their iPod, rather than their TiVo, is fundamentally wrong.
Wanton waste of resources (of whatever kind) will only bring on man's downfall sooner. Many would argue that if I was looking at the Bigger Picture, this would not matter much in the long run.