In writing snacks on ‘social media’ I too often neglect to provide a complete meal.
Striking occurrence of the moment – we completed the ButchCrutch Ebolaball LP. I’m very happy – it’s a lovely thing. I sent out a mail letting people know that it’s available, and by the way, the 32 year old Rotund For Success LP will be vinyl soon, so download the digital files from your Bandcamp copy.
Of course everyone panicked and bought Rotund instead.
[RULE ONE: WE ONLY WANT WHAT WE CANNOT HAVE]
Very lucrative – but stupid.
I sent out gift copies of Ebolaball to friends and ‘friends’ with a ‘thank you for your support over the years’. I don’t often do that because of RULE ONE. As could be predicted only two people even acknowledged the mail. Instead I recognise many purchasers as people who have unselfishly supported all that we have done over the years. Thank you.
I’ve been far far luckier than most people, which demands that I should publicly talk about this. It’s needed a few walking circuits of the local parks, thinking.
RULE ONE is the overarching one, the big cheese. There’s also
[RULE TWO: THE PAST IS YOUR GILDED CAGE]
where people above a certain age are trapped in their history with vinyl and vintage toy collections. The medium is truly the massage, and by engaging with ‘albums’ at all I’m back with an audience that stopped listening to new things years ago. On examination it’s just that I have reached the expected moment where you must grow. It’s OK. Nilamox must now start the more risky and challenging work that was the intention. Reciprocally, the Sevcom shop and museum must be better employed. I provide a list of future releases below.
‘If there is hope, it lies in the proles’
‘If there is hope, it lies in the young’. By this I mean I wanted to identify the ones that have not yet built a gilded cage to crawl back into. You can’t glibly sum up everyone in this group but after much reading and asking questions the majority seem to use a mobile phone as a dummy. Like a poker machine, the phone scrolls and every now and then coughs up a small endorphin reward. Instead of animated coins, you get little yellow smileys spilling down the screen. If you are entertained by Tik Tok I don’t think we will have a place in your heart.
The influencer model is another popular path. I could make You Tube videos about shitty synthesisers, how to drop watermelons etc. The people I watch seem nice – if a bit too keen on overeating. But I always wanted people to look at my work and not at me, I don’t think that will change. I don’t want to be the subject, I just want the work to be appreciated, and it needs to be seen for more than 30 seconds at a time.
Upscale your order
The other path has its own peril. It has the smell of the gallery system, sitting in a white room waiting for people to come in and put little red dots on your paintings. That’s even older than record shops – but in a way it’s more honest. It’s [RULE ONE] in your face. If you want it and somebody else puts on that red dot you are shit out of luck.
And it brings up another useful rule
[RULE THREE: ITS NOT UNDERGROUND ‘TIL IT’S OVERHEAD]
That’s to say that everyone did great out of Van Gogh except Van Gogh. But if you’ve already had a really good run like me, well, fuck it, pomp it up, go for the museums. They love people that are ‘outside the gallery system’ with a love you don’t find most places 🔴
JUST OUT:
Ebolaball by ButchCrutch
COMING UP:
Rotund For Success 2LP through Medical Records
Living Museum CD reissue through Klanggalarie
SOON GONE:
Fabriqué au Japon EP by IKE EAR
