GET AWAY FROM THE WALL...

Current mood: WORLD DOM...

The now sadly departed Radio 1 DJ John Peel, was responsible for airing some of the most peculiar, diverse and experimental music ever to be played on a mainstream pop radio station...

Unwilling to follow the party line and spin out the pre-packed, marketed crap the like of which most mainstream DJ's succumb to, Peel played exactly what excited or confused him - and it did his career no harm whatsoever..

No boss, as a result of resolutely sticking to his guns and playing the decently odd stuff, Peel became Radio 1's longest standing and most loved DJ and a cult hero to boot..

There's surely a lesson in there..


Anyway, one act Mr Peel took great delight in playing, was Ivor Cutler.

Ivor Cutler was as far away from the kind of trendsville GOB-KACK, most normally played by the bad and getting worse Radio 1 as was (and is) possible to find...

Cutler was a middle aged Scot, who on occasion played a Harmonium and sang minimal wierd songs about obscure and unpop topics...

I heard Peel play Ivor Cutler aplenty back in the days when he was about the only easy link to new sounds, but I only properly 'got' how good Cutler was very recently.

Firstly, I read a great and vividly imagical little book of his called 'Life in a Scotch Sitting Room'

I then heard his track Get away from the Wall...

Get Away From The Wall is a gem of minimalism and obvious wisdom...

Yes boss, a better, more concise and accurate depiction of the history of the human world, I doubt you'll ever hear...

(Get Away From The Wall features on Casa Hasa Giovanna Episode 3) Click the below image to hear and/or download...)

Currently listening : Life in a Scotch Sitting Room 2 By Ivor Cutler Release date: By 05 April, 2004

02:09 - 8 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

	Mister Trippy	Oh Cutler is very good, and Peel had a role in popular music but he is over-rated, I used to listen to him in the late seventies but got bored with the predictability of his shows, views and the acts he championed so never listened to his late night show after about 1980.... nothing wrong with it, I'd just been through it... but when I came across that Radio 4 show "Home Truths" (well it sure wasn't my real Home truths), I couldn't stand it, he just acted out the tedious ex-public schoolboy twat role that was obviously a part of him on that... I dunno, if Peel had been better he'd have gone more with electro, hip-hop, house and go go sounds in the 80s, instead he was more an indie man.... which is one reason why I think he's over-rated, although I'm happy he did at least some of what he did.... Posted by Mister Trippy on Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 19:06 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I take your points. I never tuned in every week. In fact as a boy I was far more interested in Tommy Vance and Alan Freemans Radio 1 shows. I probably listened to Peel about 30 or 40 times in total over 10 years. At times I got tired of it, because I felt he was trying too hard to play the obscure (for the sake of it) and this was why Cutler didn't grab me straightaway... Peel would also play some risable crap at times... But that he got away with playing such music at all on that kind of a station for so long is (like you say) to be admired. I also figure that playing the obscure for the sake of it isn't really a bad thing.. Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 19:13 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	simon	I love Ivor Cutler and have many of his albums and books they are all worth finding especially his George Martin produced album Ludo that was part of his major label deal in the 60's when he was on Parlophone! Imagine someone as odd as Ivor getting a major label deal these days! He was also pretty damn good live at the readings i saw and even did a very weird New years eve show one year back in the late 80's that was certainly among the oddest things I've done on new years eve! He also did many very odd TV appearences with flowerpots on his head while he read I'm sure if you search him on youtube you will find some gems! As for Peel I listened and learnt loads from him over the years, I hated lots of what he played and loved a little but he stretched my musical boundaries more than anyone and yes he played plenty of techno and house in the early years of those movements and far too much drum and bass, pretty much all over the place, tagging him for too much indie can only be levelled at him by someone who didn't listen often enough! But the public school buy twat act is spot on! Posted by simon on Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 20:13 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I think the key with Peel, is that you didn't have to tune in every week to realise his value... That he existed and stayed on Radio 1 for that many years without any constraints (whilst all the big name pop djays came and went) is a huge achievement... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 21:13 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	REX MUNDI	Both great men 2 of my heroes,i luv Ivor Cutler so witty i love his spoken word stuff & his mad music,im trying 2 think of some of the bands he played in henry cow was 1 i think i have 2 consult my brother he has more knowledge of the great mans work,hey do u like fred frith by any chance, as 4 mr peel i only know his work from the fine peel sessions lps he put out i wish i couldve heard his radio show he had such good taste & balls 2 champion the sorta stuff he played. Posted by REX MUNDI on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 00:18 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I don't know Fred Firth, but I think you're right with Henry Cow.. As with another of Peels favourites, The Fall, I find Cutler to be so dense with levels, he has to be taken in small doses so as to get the maximum out... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 00:26 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	simon	Rex yes Ivor played with Henry Cow for a while and there are some very strange bootlegs of the concerts they did together in 1974/5 that also featured members of Gong and Soft Machine, at least one of which might have got an official release a few years ago. Fred Frith is well worth checking out, he played at one of the most bonkers gigs I've been to when he performed with Holger Czukay and one of the Frank Chickens girls and played his guitar that was nailed to a table with chains, grains of rice, broke bottles over it and lots of other mad mad things, while the woman played with assorted wind up toys before destroying them! Ah gigs in London in the 80's Those were different times!!! Posted by simon on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 09:35 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I believe there's too much fear in the western world these days for people to take risks - musically or otherwise... The balls are being squeezed out of people.. Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 11:05 [Remove] [Reply to this]