Pulse Field playlist

Title: Humanity is a Virus: Psychic TV

Date: Thursday January 30^th

Description: Genesis P-Orridge conceived and founded the visionary Performance Art and Behavioural Aberration group COUM TRANSMISSIONS during the Summer of 1969 in Shrewsbury, England. COUM was destined to be at the forefront of radical body-art actions and exhibitions throughout Europe during the early 1970's by which time Cosey Fanni Tutti had become an active element.

Whilst writing regularly for the influential art magazines "ART & ARTISTS", "STUDIO INTERNATIONAL" and "FLASH ART" he meticulously Co-Edited (with COLIN NAYLOR - Editor of "Art & Artists") "CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS" for St. James Press published through MACMILLANS. This was a vast 1000 page encyclopedic reference work of new 20th Century artists that was later distinguished as Best Reference Book Of The Year by the American Libraries Association.

His COUM art actions and installations during 1969-1977 were featured at many Arts Festivals and Art Galleries around the world including the Paris Biennale at the Musee d'Art Moderne, Paris; the Musee Des Beaux Arts, Brussels; the Hayward Gallery, London and as part of the Performance Art section of Arte Inglesi Oggi, in Milan along with Gilbert and George.

All this ever more socially provocative and sexually transgressive exploration culminated in the now "infamous" and incredibly influential retrospective exhibition "PROSTITUTION" at the I.C.A. Gallery in London in October 1976.

For the very first time ever the British public, via the daily British newspapers, witnessed visions of Punks for the first time; Industrial music for the first time; and even transvestite security at a venue owned by none other than Her Majesty, Queen Elisabeth 2nd of England! The uproar was enormous reaching absurd heights with questions being asked in Parliament (one now deceased M.P. calling COUM "The Wreckers Of Civilization"!) and diplomatic suggestions to confiscate Genesis' passport.

At this precise moment Genesis chose to reject the complacency and covert protection of the Art world arena and what promised to be a notorious but secure "career" as an artist. Instead he chose to quite consciously conceive and found instead the equally modern and seminal "Industrial Music group THROBBING GRISTLE, Industrial music as a genre, and its accompanying aesthetic in 1975. Cosey Fanni Tutti, "Sleazy" Christopherson ( a late coming but influential member of COUM and a new individual with technological genius Chris Carter all participated obsessively in this new cultural venture.

It is important to understand and be aware that it was, in fact, an ongoing Californian artist, friend, influence and collaborator of Genesis, MONTE CAZAZZA, that was a vital key to, seminally central in, the naming of "Industrial" and theoretical positioning and styling of this project at it’s inception in the months prior to it being presented to the other eventual members.

"T.G." produced several albums of unique experimental electronic music on their own independent INDUSTRIAL RECORDS label until the termination of the mission in May 1981 in San Francisco. Since Genesis coined the term "Industrial Music", inspired by Monte Cazazza in 1975 this concept has since become an established, taken for granted musical genre in the same way as jazz, or rhythm and blues did worldwide.

Significantly, none of the early Throbbing Gristle studio recordings have ever been deleted since their original release over 20 years ago and remain a key influence on countless bands to this day including Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails. In early 1999 Mute Records in England re-mastered, re-packaged and re-launched the entire back-catalogue of official THROBBING GRISTLE recordings under the technical supervision of Chris Carter. All of which next-new-way-on recommend you purchase for your collection and education.

Ever one to seed a cultural phenomenon and then move on, Genesis proceeded to found PSYCHIC TV, a looser, even more collaborative project combining music and video work. Simultaneously he initiated "THEE TEMPLE OV PSYCHICK YOUTH" as an autonomous, non-hierarchical, cyberian anti-cult. In its ten years existence "T.O.P.Y." conducted co-ordinate researches through its international network into integrated, cumulative sexual ritual and a deconstructed "occultural" symbiosis leading it to become a worldwide, individualist, pro-sexual, libertarian movement of over 10,000 people.

In 1985 Psychic TV released the first 12 inch record in the world to include the phrase "ACID HOUSE" in its title. "TURN ON, TUNE IN, TO THE ACID HOUSE" featured samples of Dr. Timothy Leary and was a call to techno-psychedelic arms. During the mid to late eighties Psychic TV were instrumental in fomenting and championing the Techno and Rave movements both in Britain and in urban America through detouring their multi-media live "disconcerts" and 6 hour spectacles. Unique and visionary post-Industrial dance label, Wax Trax Records of Chicago, recognized, released and financially supported these templates from the temple.

Parallel to all this site-specific "CULTURAL ENGINEERING" during the 1970's and 1980's Genesis became a close friend of, and collaborated on events and other projects with, Beatnik luminaries William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin; and with seminal gay English film-maker Derek Jarman who were all very critical influences upon all aspects of his L-if-E, which, of course, is also his mode of expression and creativity. Genesis and Derek Jarman were both involved in "THE EXPLODING GALAXY" (later known as TRANSMEDIA EXPLORATIONS) in 1969 and in the course of their lives would continue meeting again, remaining friends, and occasionally collaborating until Derek’s death.

Genesis first met William S. Burroughs in 1971 in London after a brief correspondence. Later, in 1981, Industrial Records would release their last record, which was the first to anthologize, document and eulogize the incredibly culturally important tape-recorder and literary cut-up techniques of Burroughs, Balch and Gysin in particular. Experiments which increase in significance in our digital, accelerated, sound-bite, sampling age. This album was prophetically called "NOTHING HERE NOW BUT THE RECORDINGS" (a line from a Burroughs text) and includes Corso and other Beats discussing cut-ups in the infamous Beat Hotel, Rue Git Le Coeur, Paris. It has recently become available again, still illuminated by Genesis’ sleeve notes, as part of the essential boxed set of four CD’s "The Best Of William Burroughs" on Giorno Poetry Systems through MCA Records.

As the 1990's came around Genesis chose self-imposed cultural exile from Britain after one too many ironic and inflammatory and alienating artistic conflicts with the Established order there. He relocated to the California,U.S.A. on the advice of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche a Tibettan Lama and the Agori Baba whilst studying comparative religion and ritual in Kathmandhu, Nepal.

He ended up under the nurturing eyes and roof of Michael Horowitz and through him met Terence McKenna; the pioneers of Cyber-prophecy of MONDO 2000 and Dr Timothy Leary. For a while, utilizing a temporary ad hoc "Psychic TV" collective he aided and abetted Leary with his live multi-media events "How To Operate Your Brain" supplying "HYPERDELIC" video mixes, live-mixed audio improvisations and even speaking himself and chairing as he chaired the question and answer sessions.

He also met and collaborated/performed with many of the early Rave organizers in Los Angeles and San Francisco (as part of "SHIVA’S EROTIC BANQUET" which drew 10,000 people and co-organizer of "DON’T DRINK THEE WATER" which lasted 24 hours for example) as well as meeting countless other musicians, writers and artists from everywhere and/or going everywhere.

Genesis has regularly lectured at numerous Universities; Colleges; Seminars and Arts Centres in Europe, America and Japan from 1969 to the present. His essays, texts, theories and interviews have appeared in literally thousands of newspapers and magazines; he has also been featured in over fifty books on art, writing, culture and cyberspace since 1965. Collections of his writings have been published under the titles "ESOTERRORIST"; "THEE PSYCHICK BIBLE" and "TO BE EX-DREAM".

***please use linked websites for further details of recordings. http://www.genesisp-orridge.com/html/biography/bio-p2.html is especially extensive.