Throbbing Gristle by Paul Heartfield

When I discovered industrial music as a tender, spooky-goth teen, my introduction to the genre (and favorite ever since) was, appropriately, Throbbing Gristle. They pioneered industrial music, using samples and special effects mixed with distorted guitars and vocals to create a unique sound, and used disturbing imagery in their work, much to the consternation of proper British society in the ’70s. (In fact, even their name is offensive to some, as it is Hull slang for an erection.) Their last performance in the U.S. was in San Francisco in 1981, but they did reunite a few years ago to record new material, and have played a few shows in Europe since then. To the delight of U.S. TG fans, they embarked on a U.S. tour this April, starting and ending here in NYC, with stops at Coachella, San Francisco, L.A., and Chicago.

On April 28, at the last show in their sold-out tour of the U.S., TG really went all-out, with a longer set than the first show at the Masonic Temple on April 16 and a really phenomenal performance. I, along with the rest of the audience, was transfixed by Genesis P-Orridge’s vocals and performance and the intensity of the music, so much so that I neglected to write down the set list (naughty blogger!). I was especially thrilled with the performances of “Hamburger Lady” and “Persuasion”, as the acoustics of the venue perfectly reverberated GPO’s eerily haunting voice and the distorted sounds of Cosey Fanni Tutti’s headless guitar, Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson’s tapes and effects, and Chris Carter’s synth. They also debuted the new Gristleizers, re-created by Charles Howes with the guidance of Chris Carter of TG after the recent demise of the last original one. Each member of TG tested out their new Gristleizer during a sort of experimental jam session (which is the closest term I can possibly think of to describe the wonderful cacophony that ensued) during the set.

Throbbing Gristle will be touring in Europe in June, and with airfare so low, you may want to head over there and see them. I think it’s worth it.

More photos (taken by Atom) after the jump.

Genesis P-Orridge by Atom Moore

Throbbing Gristle by Atom Moore

Genesis P-Orridge and Chris Carter by Atom Moore

As someone who enjoyed Gaiman’s Sandman comics/graphic novels so much that I got a tattoo of one of his characters, I’m bummed that I’ll have to miss this. Everyone I know who has attended his talks has enjoyed them immensely.

The talk is Saturday, May 2, at 1 PM at the Great Hall at Cooper Union, 7 E. 7th Street. Tickets are available for $10, or you can get tickets for all three graphic novelist talks for a discounted rate of $25. You can’t buy them online anymore, but tickets are still available by calling 212.868.4444.

Neil Gaiman has given several other talks this week – anyone who attended, please let us know what you thought!

Photo courtesy: theatrenotes.com

I went to watch Exit the King yesterday on Broadway. It was a matinee and I happened upon the tickets as a gift. The lower mezzanine, first row seats were a welcome surprise.

To the historic theater, I brought a can of seltzer water to take with me inside. I also purchased a candy bar (from England) as a snack which I didn’t end up eating.

The play has Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon and Lauren Ambrose. But I felt that the 3 character actors stole the show. Well, Geoffrey Rush was spectacular but the rest were not utilized to the best of their ability. Susan Sarandon’s fan club must have been in the audience because despite a lousy and monotonous delivery, she received the greatest praise. . . which leads me to believe that the matinee going public in NYC is hungrier for the stars than the actual content of what they go see. This is based on when I saw Rosie O’Donnel’s horrific performance in Fiddler on the Roof…and she received huge standing ovations.

I thought the play had a great ending, smelly jokes and it was OK overall. But the experience of being in that theater with the specific crowd which happened to be there was most inviting. The antique chandeliers, the sound guy, the folks behind me who thought that every single moment was uproariously funny, my guest who warned me that I’d be kicked out for drinking a can of seltzer water…but that it’s OK to drink a bottle of water that you’ve brought?

Broadway is a weird place. You’re inside this gorgeous theater where people are pretending to be someone they’re not and they’re applauded for delivering lines to one another. I guess it’s acting overall that is intriguing to me. But when witnessing a master of his craft like Geoffrey Rush, it makes you wonder what makes people tick.

Photo credit: Jeanne Fleming/Wikimedia Commons. Picture from the 1998 Village Halloween Parade. Notice the Twin Towers lit up in the background.
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Thank you Pamela Skillings, About.com’s Manhattan guide.

Anyway, their tour schedule is on Myspace and they are in town for a couple shows. I will probably check them out tomorrow at 10 PM at Don Pedro, in Williamsburg. Let me know in the comments if you come over.

If you can’t make it to the Saturday show, he will also be appearing with the regular sideshow cast during their normal hours doing selected short acts 8/1-8/3. Their weekend hours are Friday from 2-8 PM, and Saturday and Sunday from 1-9 PM.

Admission to the Saturday night show is only $10 and the admission to Sideshows by the Seashore during their regular hours is $7.50. Directions and more information can be found at the Coney Island website.