The WIP #4: Sturm und Drang
The Week in Photos (20-26 January 2024)
Isha and Jocelyn visited this week.
They are not bad girls, but can cause havoc.
It was much more peaceful once they left.
It has been a bad week for music journalism. The website Pitchfork got ‘folded’ into GQ and critic
died of a heart attack aged 51. The Melody Maker was a revelation in the 90s, using music as a lens to see the culture at large. On Monday, DeForrest Brown Jr, who also grew up reading such things, gave a talk at the Infrastructure Humanities Group on the genealogy of techno music.
Social media killed the music press, but new forms have emerged … like, um, this diary, which sometimes leads me to get invited along to events. Avid reader, Professor Angela Daly, mentioned
‘s presentation on making AI art was happening on Thursday.I was enjoying it but had to dash mid-talk to address a haggis for a Burns’ Night supper. I don’t know many Scots who care for the ritual but it was an honour nonetheless.
This week I listened to the audiobook of Jarvis Cocker’s Good Pop Bad Pop, a loving celebration of fanzines, jumble sales, and the influence of the Velvet Underground. Art and Pop Music feel far apart these days. At least there didn’t seem to be much crossover in audience between The Modern Institute and McChuill’s where we saw 3 bands, including CEEFAX who reminded me of Dry Cleaning.
Middle Class Guilt, an angsty band with a Velvet Underground-style violin and post-punk edge.
Finally, Eat the Friek who I really enjoyed when they supported Wild Cabin a year ago but who have changed tack completely and introduced a saxophone.
