I WOULD RATHER HAVE METHADONE THAN KEN DONE

Oh dear here we go again.
Melbourne's own Bill Henson, who had an exhibition shut down earlier this year in Sydney is in the news again after it was disclosed that he had been invited to look for kids to photograph at an inner city primary school.
Now all hell has broken loose.

A Supreme Court decision this year said that NO he was not a child pornographer.

A rare moment of intelligence from a sportsman as reported by The Australian today;

"Six-time Olympic rower James Tomkins, whose daughter Jess is in Grade One at St Kilda Park Primary in Melbourne's east, said he supported the school's decision.
"I've got no problems whatsoever as long as the school knows what the situation is," Mr Tomkins told AAP.
"You rely and trust their judgment, their responsibility.
"The scouting I don't have a problem with, it's then what it's used for - that's another question.
"But having someone like a well-known artist go to a school, no problems whatsoever.
"You don't know what he's going to produce. All he's doing is looking for appropriate kids.
"I think if Jess was chosen, then it's the whole question of are you going to agree or not?"
He said the school was popular for its diversity.
"There's all these artists, actors, designers, sportspeople - it's got an eclectic mix," Mr Tomkins said.
He said Ms Knight (the Principal) had been fantastic for the school.
"You talk to any of the parents at the school and I would be surprised if you heard a bad word against her," he said."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd when asked what he thought of the Sydney exhibition said that he thought it was "disgusting."
When asked what he thought of Bill Henson going to the school he said that he thought it was "disgusting."

You just know that he would love Ken Done's 'artwork'.

It was the late Brett Whiteley who supplied the heading to this post.

The image above is 'Untitled No. 8' by Bill Henson.

Michael Gira

This link here will get you some songs by Michael Gira. If you are only aware of the work he did with the Swans then you are in for a pleasant surprise. Their pulverizing (thanx Chris!) sonic assault has been left behind for a much more acoustic sound though his lyrics can still get into those dark places. There are two tracks 'Black River Song' and 'Sunflower's Here To Stay' from the Angels of Light's last release 'We Are Him' which was definitely in my top-ten-of-2007. 'Blind' from 'Drainland' and 'God's Servant' from 'Solo Recordings' which were both issued under the name of M. Gira and finally a version of 'I Want To Be Your Dog' from the Skin album 'Shame, Humility and Revenge'.

I even forgive him for giving the world Devendra Banhart.


The live photo was taken by Niblox at the Indian Summer Festival in Glasgow (July 2007). He has a blog called WORDS ARE MY WEAPON that can be found here.

The editorial team here at 'Exile' digging 'Rocking The Cradle' which finally got delivered today.

(and YES they did make a silk purse from a camel's ear!)

ALL TOMORROWS PARTIES Australia 2009

The Nick Cave curated ATP is coming to the Victorian alpine region and with artists such as Spiritualized, Michael Gira, James Blood Ulmer, the original line up of The Saints, the Laughing Clowns, Fuck Buttons, The Necks, Silver Apples, Robert Forster and Roland S. Howard joining The Bad Seeds, it is looking good. Full details can be found here.



Here is a recording of The Bad Seeds from 'Pandora's Box' at De Doelen in Rotterdam in 1985.
I caught this tour in Amsterdam and Blixa (I didn't join a rock'n'roll band to play rock'n'roll) Bargeld's guitar is just amazing. Tracks are: I Put A Spell On You, Well of Misery, Sad Dark Eyes, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Wanted Man, Train Long Suffering, St. Huck & Little Girl Tree.

CHIX WITH GUNZ # 2

...and a big shout out from Sarah in Alaska to 'Joe Six-Pack' (wink-wink)



if you go here you can find out what your name would be if Sarah Palin was your mom.

Global Mix 1

A mix of musical styles though predominantly north African.
After opening aptly on this Sunday morning with Baaba Maal's 'Call to Prayer' we find ourselves 'tranceported' by music from both the mountains and medinas of Maroc, by the psychedelic sounds coming from the Congo in the mid seventies and by the present-time desert blues of Tinariwen and Group Inerane.
From Algeria by way of Paris to the Ju-Ju lands of Nigeria.
From London to New York via Turkey.
Also featuring those bass-masters Jah Wobble & Bill (Have Bass Will Travel) Laswell.

If this compilation doesn't want to make you dance barefoot under the sky then you are already dead.

It can be got from here.
Left click on picture above for list of featured performers.

As an extra bonus you can get Tinariwen's performance from Womad of 2004 here.

DOT...DOT...DOT.

With the news that Dot Allison is the new paramour of that well known scallywag Pete Doherty, I thought it a fitting time to revisit her first band One Dove. You will find here a couple of remixes of the tracks 'Fallen' & 'White Love' from their one and only album 'Morning Dove White' as well as a track from the film 'Unleashed' where she collaborated with Massive Attack, although this track 'Aftersun' was not on the soundtrack 'Danny the Dog'. There is also a demo from her and Pete Doherty entitled 'I Wanna Break Your Heart'.

For everyone that is put off by the drug-taking, having gorgeous girlfriends (bastard!) side of things of Mr. Doherty, do try and investigate some Babyshambles, Libertines or solo stuff-there is some amazing rock'n'roll to be found.

OOPS...MAJOR MALFUCTION (SIC) RE: COMPUTER. HAVE TO BE REALLY NICE TO MY TECH SUPPORT GUY (SON # 2) HAVE I TOLD YOU RECENTLY THAT I REALLY REALLY LOVE YOU CAL!
NORMAL SERVICE WILL BE RESUMED ASAP.

dot..dot..dot.

Samidah Sound

Ms.Mayfield oop north in the jungle asked me for 'Home of the Whale' by Massive Attack the other day and here it is.

This will get you a version of Fred Neil's 'Dolphins' by Beth Orton with Terry Callier, as well as 'Live With Me' by Massive Attack also featuring Terry Callier and an almost perfect cover of 'Live With Me' by those well known Gutter Twins Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli, this time masquerading as The Twilight Singers.

Please Mr. Postman...

While I am waiting for the new Grateful Dead album 'Rocking The Cradle' to wing its way to me from America, I thought that today I would lay on you a track recorded on the 15th of September 1978 at the Gizah Sound & Light Theatre that is not on the album. So here is 'Ship Of Fools' by the Grateful Dead and here is Elvis Costello covering the same song taken from the album 'Deadicated'.

When The Two Sevens Clashed!

This tune, the dub of Culture's 'Two Sevens Clash' here will always remind me of Eric's and then the long walk home to Wavertree.

Two more Eric's thingys and the flyer will give you some idea of the quality of gigs put on there. Check out the price of tickets, those were the days when you could go out practically every night and still have change left.

Story on 'Eric's - The Musical' here.

Ah! Good old Eric's in Liverpool. Somewhere in the bowels of Matthew Street is my name sprayed on the dressing room wall with a can borrowed from Ivor Hay the drummer from The Saints.
Eric's one day, North Wales the next and my Grandma freaking out in Blissworth St! Here is a set from Echo and the Bunnymen and here is a set from Teardrop Explodes both from September 1979. Oh and if the bastard who stole all my music back in London 20 odd years ago is reading this. I truly hope that you enjoyed it especially the tape that I got from the mixing desk of both those bands supporting Joy Division at the YMCA in Tottenham Court Road. The photo above is of The Save Eric's Rally in 1980. Finally here is the very last song played live at Erics by (The Mighty Shambeko) WAH! (Heat). This is just for you Chris.

The other day at her blog here, the Australian artist Hazel Dooney mentioned Dudu Pukwana, a musician that I was extremely lucky to see countless times in London in the 70's. He was one of the expat South Africans who came to prominence first as The Blue Notes and then as Brotherhood of Breath. Here is a version of Mongezi Feza's 'Sonia' by him. One by the Brotherhood of Breath here. And finally Robert Wyatt's version that features the late great Mongezi Feza on trumpet here. Dudu has also unfortunately since passed on.

The image above is by Hazel Dooney and is a detail from 'Strategies of Modern Survival'.

For any Americans reading this. Here is John Martyn with 'Black Man At The Shoulder' and to think that this wasn't good enough to get on 'One World'! McCain and Palin worry me (a lot.)