Mittwoch, 22. Juni 2016

Throbbing Gristle Questionnaire: The Space Lady (5/11)

Very early pressings of Throbbing Gristle's "Second Annual Report" (1977) came with an official questionnaire by Industrial Records, consisting of 39 (un-)related TG questions.



1. How did you first hear about T.G.? My late, ex-husband, Joel, mentioned them back in the 80s, probably after reading about them in Melody Maker or New Musical Express, which he bought regularly when we lived in Boston. And being vegetarian, both of us were repulsed by their name, so we never considered buying an album. We were still all about love and peace from our hippie days in San Francisco and were pretty disheartened by the nihilism of the industrial and punk movements, and we assumed T.G. was yet another band of that type.
2. Did you buy "Second Annial Report" L.P.? No.
3. If so did you buy it from a record shop? If "Yes", which one? N/A
4. Did you buy the L.P. from I.R. mail order? N/A
5. What equipment do you use to play records? Eric and I bought a cheap phonograph (a vintage replica) when The Space Lady's Greatest Hits came out, but it didn't play albums at the right speed so we gave it away.
6. Is the equipment yours or do you share? If you share it, with whom do you share? N/A
7. How much approximately do you spend on records each year? Probably less than $10.00 at used record stores.
8. What were the last 5 records you bought (apart from TG)?
Piano pieces — Frederic Chopin
"The Messiah" — George Frederic Handel
"Joan Baez in Concert"
"Liege and Leaf" — Fairport Convention
"Twice Removed from Yesterday" — Robin Trower
9. Would you say you were happy with the kind of music/sound currently commercially available? I think there is probably something for everyone out there, and almost any record can be found if you look hard enough, thanks to the internet. On the other hand, radio stations here in the U.S. seem to comprise a vast musical wasteland, unless you're able to find a decent oldies station that plays more abscure tracks that haven't gotten played to death already. I think people of each generation love hearing the music they heard from their younger years, the years when they "came of age".
10. If NOT, state why not and what you'd like.
I'd like to hear less:
• whining
• vocal gymnastics
• pounding repetition
• anger
• self-pity
• ego-promotion
I'd like to hear more: 
• melody
• soaring vocals
• gentleness
• sensitivity
• humility
• a universal message in the lyrics.
11. Have you seen TG live? No.
12. If "Yes", where? How many times? N/A
13. Do you regularly go to the cinema? No, but Eric & I do go several times a year. However, we watch videos or DVDs almost every evening.
14. What was the last film you saw? David Attenborough's Gandhi on DVD.
15. Do you regularly buy any newspapers/magazines? Yes.
16. If "Yes", which ones? I subscribe to High Country News, an environmentally oriented, free-lance magazine about the ecology and politics of the Western United States. We support PETA and get their magazine regularly as a result.
17. Do you regularly listen to any particular radio show? Yes.
18. If "Yes", which one(s)? I listen to National Public Radio almost every day, including interviews by Terry Gross on her show "Fresh Air". I also listen to a local, commercial-free oldies station, KRKV, out of Las Animas, Colorado, that plays rarely-heard musical gems.
19. What was the last book you read? The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible by Charles Eisenstein
20. How long ago was it? A few months ago, although I've read it (and listened to it) several times over the past two years.
21. What is your occupation? (if student, please state place of education). Musician/performance artist.
22. What kind of school did you go to? Mixed or single sex? Comprehensive/Grammar/Public? Mixed-gender public school throughout childhood; University of Colorado; and finally Otero Junior College School of Nursing (all public schools).
23. Do you practice any religion? If so, what? Yes, Zen Buddhism, as taught by Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
24. Do you live with your parents? No, not since 1967.
25. If you play the TG album or single, what time(s) of day and under what conditions do you play each? (e.g. night whilst drinking coffee, etc. N/A
26. Do you have any special skill? Photographing birds, nature, and wildlife; rescuing drowning bugs; catching and releasing spiders, insects, and occassionally birds or bats that have strayed into the house; drawing; writing songs/poetry; caring for our two beloved animal companions; performing as The Space Lady.
27. Do you have a regular girlfriend/boyfriend? No, but I do have a husband.
28. Do you have any pets? Yes, a cat named Pussy Willow and an adopted Tibetan spaniel named Lhasa.
29. Have you ever been out of the U.K.? If "Yes", which countries have you visited, how often? Yes, I've been (out of the U.S.) to the UK and Europe four times visiting the following countries at least once:
1. Netherlands
2. Germany
3. Belgium
4. Czech Republic
5. Poland
6. Austria
7. Estonia
8. Latvia
9. Hungary
10. Spain
11. Portugal
12. France
13. Italy
14. Greece
15. Switzerland
16. Norway
17. Sweden
18. Denmark
19. Finland
20. England
21. Scotland
22. Ireland
23. Wales
24. Canada
25. Mexico
26. Uruguay
27. Argentina
30. Do you have any definite political stance? If "Yes", what is it? I am most closely aligned with the platform of the Humane Party in the U.S., although I was planning to vote for Bernie Sanders in the upcoming U.S. election. I can't vote for Hillary Clinton in good conscience, so I'll probably write in Clifton Robert's name, even if it's "throwing my vote away". Perish the thought, but if Donald Trump wins, I can only say America will get what it deserves for being so out of touch with the rest of the world...to whom I apologize for the consequences of our elected officials' poor decisions, made out of ignorance, hubris, and arrogance.
31. What type of food do you eat most often? Lots of salads made of leafy greens and myriad other fresh vegetables, quinoa, brown rice, all kinds of steamed or baked vegetables, nuts and seeds — in other words, exclusively vegan foods with very little salt and sugar.
32. Do you use alcohol? What types? I occasionally have a glass of wine with food.
33. Do you use tobacco? No, never have.
34. Are you engaged in any form of musical activity yourself? If so, what? Yes, I tour as The Space Lady.
35. Are you engaged in any athletic/physical activity? If so, what? I play a daily game of tennis with Eric, unless we're on tour.
36. If you were writing this questionaire, what other questions would you ask people? If you have a lot of suggestions add another sheet to this with them on it. "Is it important to you that artists/musicians convey a message to their audiences? If so, what kind of message do you look for in the bands or performers you listen to?"
37. What is your greatest ambition? To raise people's consciousness about why animals deserve the basic rights we grant ourselves, and to help convert humanity to veganism in order to decrease suffering, restore health, and begin to reverse global warming.
38. Do you have a very special obsession/fetish? Yes.
39. If "Yes", what is it? Watching birds, who not only can sing beautifully, but fly!

Please complete this questionaire and return it to Rock City Wankers