A frightful catalogue of haircuts and trousers

[hirez]

Prompted by a question about Dexion, I dug out the few old photos I've not destroyed and scanned the things. Lord alone knows why I didn't cleanse them with fire, but there we are.

Jon's probably going to come over here specially to kill me.

So. First we have this. Which features Jon programming the drum-machine in front of a Three Johns poster. We wore our influences on the music room wall in them days. (I'd pulled down the hand-made 'Bela' poster by then. Then being 1985, I think.) Note the much-modified nasty B&Q shelving, holding up records, four-track, sampling delay, digital reverb, various stomp-boxes and a Casio keyboard. The Moog is out of shot, pity the bass wasn't. You kids with your computers and sequencer-malarkey divvent know yer born...

Then there's the impressive Hostile Implant backline, pulled out of the dairy (the building behind) because it was a nice day outside. Yes, I lived in a large house with many outbuildings. (Horrible diesel Orion provided by work)

I was thin and had a rubbish haircut. On the other hand, I've never been far from wavy tin and big rusty bits of steel.

Finally there's this. 1977, probably. On the piss with Grandfather Barrett. We were 'testing' some homebrew I'd left to fester next to the Rayburn.

Comments

I really like this one

[thunderbox.livejournal.com]

[(Anonymous)]

You managed to mention "Jon programming the drum-machine" without cursing and ranting uncontrollably. You've mellowed... or forgotten the horror of "the gig".

[hirez.livejournal.com]

I've carefully forgotten the skittle alley of the Farmer's Arms, Guiting Power. Yes.

The problem is that if I went on about (say) the SpecDrum, people would enthuse about 'cool lo-fi 8-bit sounds' and then I'd have to beat them to death with a Speccy, which would take a very long time.

Re: I really like this one

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Um, jolly good. It's a bit Dumpy's Rusty Hawkwind, though.

(You'd wear anti-laser goggles if jarkman sent you a self-immolating musical rat-trap as a Christmas present, too.)

[edwards.livejournal.com]

I spy a TR505?

That Orion looks suspiciously clean, too.

[edwards.livejournal.com]

You could use a 128. Nice heavy heatsink on those.

Does anyone actually enthuse about SpecDrums? They're possibly the most unmusical device ever produced. Stylophones are better. Hell, Stylophones are better drums.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Yes. Shiny and new, then. And a Midiverb (God they were noisy), Bel BD80, Tascam PortaOne...

I used to get regular hassle from work if I didn't keep that Orion clean. Sounded like a tractor. Went like one, too.

[oryctolagus.livejournal.com]

I still have my TR505. And I'm still using it - albeit as a rehearsal click track.

I've just sent the Tascam PortaOne to the big studio in the sky. I paid a bloody fortune for it but it all wore out in the end :-(

[(Anonymous)]

Wasn't it that Orion that you rolled onto it's roof white trying to change tapes?

[(Anonymous)]

I was going to wax lyrical on missing the old kit but I realize I don't. Give me Garageband any day. Still doesn't make me sound like I have any musical competence though.

Head on over to www.myspace.com/itsadreammusic to hear two newish tracks using Garageband and two old things from JM and JHR. Dark Star is the "professional studio" version but Fungus uses (I think) all the bits of kit mentioned in this stream (and probably the kitchen sink). I was inspired to put this up on MySpace after Cutler passed and forgot to take it down again.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

That would be the Orion I rolled when avoiding another car while half-asleep. I still have the tape that was playing at the time (Big Black 'Sound of impact' - appropriate, really) because I had to climb in through the windscreen with a screwdriver to rescue it. Probably.

[eljaydaly.livejournal.com]

1977 is some serious skinny!

[siani-hedgehog.livejournal.com]

for some reason i'd always pegged you as younger than that '77 pic implies.

also, i quite like the bad hair. it suited you.

[jarkman.livejournal.com]

Sterling stuff. Especially the last.

I'd forgotten the full splendour of the fridge, too. We should do some more.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Futurist Jamie Hewett (http://www.libeljournal.com/album/Construction/tn/fridge2.jpg.html), wasn't it? Miles better than that Biscuit bloke.

Yes. More. A Futurist kitchen of Dexion and aircraft parts, fit for the purpose of constructing meals of speed! and power! to be served to heroic aviators by means of piston engines.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

'Fungus'? Lordy. I'd forgotten about that.

I wish I knew what happened to my copy of the 'Apology' compilation tape.

[jarkman.livejournal.com]

Biscuit who ?

Otherwise, yes. More steel. More welding. More knife-edge corners and the kind of colours they don't allow inGap.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Basquiat. Painted up a couple of fridges in the course of his career.

[outerego.livejournal.com]

That haircut has a bit of the Bobbie Gillespies going on...

[inulro.livejournal.com]

I was thin and had a rubbish haircut.

Good lord, you just described my life until the age of 30! Not that I'm having much luck getting rid of the rubbish haircut either.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

I'm going to firmly differ, and if I find that photo of you + Maria (No idea why I have it, mind) on your way out to ruin the lives of several young men, I shall wave it in a triumphal manner.