Saturday, March 21, 2009

a Beer & a Fag

Today the opposite of tomato is 'as cool as Kim Deal'


graphite & putty eraser/30x20cm

Being the second example of the 'pop art roadkill' drawings, this, in fact, is a composite image processed from two original sources - a photograph of the 'double black lines' road markings &, dating from some three years later, a photocopy of a recently roadside-found flattened aluminium can, obviously bearing the evidence of having been subject to the compressing weight of a vehicle.

Soundtrack:


Portishead 'Third'
Black Box Recorder 'England Made Me'
Duke Special 'Songs From the Deep Forest'
Neil Young 'After the Gold Rush'
Scritti Politti 'Songs to Remember'
& 'White Bread Black Beer'
Dandy Warhols 'Come Down'
Belle & Sebastian 'The Life Pursuit'


In addition to the music listed above should be added the contents of the truly wonderful & awe-inspiring TV compilation accompanying last weekend's documentary, 'Rough Trade at the BBC', featuring a mighty cast including both fondly-recalled & shamefully forgotten acts such as Young Marble Giants, The Raincoats, Delta 5, Robert Wyatt, Microdisney (with the fabulous 'Birthday Girl', one of those classic should-have-been-a-hits), Camper Van Beethoven (ditto 'Take the Skinheads Bowling') & Mazzy Star in addition to, of course, The Smiths (also including their alternative version of 'Hand in Glove' as sung by Sandie Shaw): one forgets, a little, with time, just how essential a particular source, such as the record label in question, might have been to one's musical & wider cultural & aesthetic education, making such a reminder all the more important & precious: gladly & gratefully recorded for the archives.

No comments: