Eric versus Vile at Stereo (part 3)

GKV: Okay. The mood shifted while I was uploading the last blog. A woman is dressing on stage. She was saying that she feared...

EK:  In the silence of the Stereo basement, she began to speak, and undress. But this was no ordinary striptease. She essentially exposed herself, in a literal sense, while also exposing her thoughts. It was about fear. As human beings, we fear many things, especially in a social environment - we fear being humiliated, we fear forgetting someone's name...

I don't think this had anything to do with the sexual element of the removal of clothing. Removing clothing is like peeling the layers off an onion, exposing what lies within; so how does one expose what lies within the 'onion'? Beneath the skin, beneath clothing? I guess that was a taster of it right there.


'I fear forgetting this moment.
I fear your judgement.'

GKV: And I am back. The next band are up: Big Hogg. They have a flute and a trombone, and come from a muscular, progressive rock angle. It's good to find such an eclectic range of bands on one bill: I was expecting a couple of acts sounding more like Natalie Pryce, but this evening's curation emphasises difference. It does have a cabaret aesthetic - diversity of arts, diversity of sexualities. What the artists seem to share is a seriousness.

EK: Yeah, but they also seem to enjoy what they are doing. The last note of the first tune barely has time to reverberate into silence before the audience clap in approval. Big Hogg have no connection to the metal sound of Dog Moon Howl; although they have an electric guitar thrown into the mix, they're using it completely differently.

GKV: I think this is getting to the core of our partnership. I am a jaded old man, and  can't help pointing out how I have heard everything before. These guys are giving me memories of Jethro Tull - although the flautist isn't just giving it showy solos - but you can  hear things through fresh ears. And you can probably hear the higher frequencies that I lost by standing too close to a speaker stack at Instal in 2004.

There's something about a trumpet that lends a band a triumphant sound. They are jamming an instrumental here... build and falls, solid chord slams. Yeah, that's a big 1970s, pre-punk.

Anyway - what's your overall feeling of the evening so far? And is that air piano?

EK: It is a very interesting evening. I'm enjoying it - especially the variety of stuff on show. Look, Derek McLuckie is enjoying it too! Anyway, it feels remarkably relaxed; there's no high-adrenaline stunts going on, or any particular distance from the performers. I suppose the venue set-up sort of helps with that.

Karoulla takes control...

Show Name: I Love Criticulous and Criticulous Loves Me
Artist: Gareth K Vile
Venue: Arches LIVE 2012
Date: Sat 29 Sep 2012 |2pm onwards | Foyer| Free

Descriptions (from The Arches Website): He took confession, investigated murder, chatted to stars and was locked up in a basement for his art. Now Criticulous faces the ultimate challenge: collaboration. 

Unwilling to admit that criticism is not the original art form, Criticulous fights his ego and mounting anxiety to present a series of pieces that brings dance, radio, dialectics, sculpture and the audience into his relentless quest to understand a world he did not create but reflects.
Contains desperation. 

To whom it may concern,

Eric here. Vile is out for a cigarette, with Criticulous nagging at him about his divine qualities. 

I can't say I know what Criticulous is up to, although he mentioned tomorrow is to be "the final Criticulous performance" and "supposed to be the last part of the Criticulous Trilogy". 

But then, how does Vile plan to expel or retire Criticulous? 

Also, he intends to wrap up a trilogy, which doesn't adhere to the structure of our beloved Classical Greek tragedies (prologue, parode, episode, stasimon, exodus, epilogue) and doesn't even consult the ancients. 

Furthermore, he has broken all unities - unity of place and time as well as continuity of action (albeit one might argue rules were made to be broken).

Betrayal!

Then again, the parode, episode and stasimon would require the unified voice of a chorus, for a dialogue to occur, and I don't see anyone stepping up to the plate to represent that. 

Where does that leave us?

Well, tomorrow, I will be busy being part of the furniture, while our audience members  (aka willing victims) will step in as actors, therefore once again there is a gap to be filled.

What's more, the agon (literally: struggle, fight, debate) between our two main characters rests between Vile and Criticulous. 

So is Mr. Vile simply externalising an internal dilemma, torn between two identities (he's lucky there aren't more) or is he asking me to mediate in his interrogation of the audience of our chosen artform?

(well, he chose it and I was sucked into the black hole...)

Vile Magic... (And Eric's Cafe...)

This is a public apology to the always wonderful Niall Morris. As head of Subcity Radio, he has introduced a smooth new logo, made the first foray across to Edinburgh (broadcasting On The Fringe) and add an extra forty minutes to the end of this episode of The Vile Arts Radio Hour.

This apology is followed by a second apology to Eric Karoulla. Eric's debut interview, with the lovely Peter McMaster, is repeatedly interrupted by Vile, who was supposed to be off looking after his next guest, Vanessa Coffey. Before Eric even got to start the interview, Vile had bumped it back later in the programme, so he could talk to Nicholas Bone, who is the director of Magnetic North's Sex and God.

Perhaps I could apologise to Mr Bone for getting the name of the show wrong at one point. And to Ms Coffey for not recognising her from the show I had seen her in a week ago, the Promethean Fire Into Song.

While I might wish to apologise to all listeners for my tone of voice and persistant lack of research, I am specifically apologising for the length of this episode. But it is worth a complete listening. There's some really creative swearing on the Azaelia Bank's tune, and the exclusive track from Lou Prendergast is a rare chance to hear some reggae on the hour.

If I had done some research, I might not have been so surprised at the amount of stuff my dear friend Jer Reid is up to this week. Another apology...

And sneaked away at the end is a chat with Johnny McKnight and Julie Brown. The full version of this interview will appear on our Soundcloud very soon (as soon as I find My Producer Harry). In the meantime, The Adventures of See-Thru Sam is touring Scotland.


Listen here!