the vile arts radio hour SpinOza gets busy....

DJ SpinOza has always been a maverick presence in the Vile Arts: unlike the rest of the team, he never speaks, and can operate machinery. With big plans in the pipeline for the Radio Hour, SpinOza took control of this week's show, matching random beats with fragments of a lecture by Foucault. 

SpinOza's attempt to use a funky commercial house beat as a leitmotif dominates two thirds of the show, fading in and out between songs by Dan Lyth, Flying Lotus and, of course, the wonderful Kemadrin. Rather than building a set that follows a lineal narrative, he slips between moods and throws in snatches of Kemadrin to rescue him from the less interesting tracks. The sudden appearance of Kate Tempest and Shonen Knife are intrusions of more 'pop' elements, and the set climaxes with full on commercial techno from some outfit no-one at The Vile Arts knows.

the vile arts radio hour

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playlist

I Belong to You
Caro Emerald	Dramatico
Forgiveness Step 1
Martyn	Ninja Tune
Voice of the Bird
Reteo Sound Machine	Sound Way
Over Light Earth
Daniel Bjarnason	Bedroom Community
Posted by Anonymous
Shilpa Ray	White Label
Card Trick
Red Snapper	Lo
This Time in November
Dan Lyth	Armellodie
Cognetin
Kemadrin	White Label
The Truth
Kate Tempest	Big Dada
Low
Young Fathers	Ant
Kemadrin
Kemadrin	Unclassed Media
About that Time
Flying Lotus	White Label
Robots from Hell
Shonen Knife	Damnably
rec
Serocell	White Label
Liquesce
Illium Sphere	Ninja Tune
T'aint No Sin
Daniel Bjarnason	Bedroom Community
Desert Night
Rufus	Sony
Golden Calf
Doldrums	Souterain
Occupy Your Mind
THE VILLAGERS	Domino
Flute Dance
Vazz

Caro Emerald

Polished cabaret music that deservedly gets bumped before the second chorus.

Martyn

Relatively enjoyable ambient introduction to his album that is a relief after the poptastic beginning.

Daniel Bjarnason

Intriguing neo-classical music, probably from Scandinavia.

Dan Lyth

Pastoral and rather like Perfumed Genius (according to Lorna Irvine...)

Red Snapper

A return, but not to form, from the formerly jazzy club band.

Kate Tempest 

Doing her best impersonation of Lily or Kate N. Not hip hop in my opinion. Discuss.

Young Fathers

I liked them when I saw them live, but this is insipid and full of easy couplets. It's all a bit 1980s, but people love them, don't they?

Flying Lotus

Responsible for some of the most tedious DJ sets of all time, FL hits the target on his own tracks. Gets a bit 8 track.

Shonen Knife

A bit of a refreshment for the palate before...

The Villagers

It deserved no more than a wee tinkle. 

Illium Sphere

Doldrums

More dark electronica... a little bit generic but filled with intriguing noises. Doldrums give it some beats.

Rufus

Commercial techno, does what it is meant to. I suppose.

Vazz

A post set whisper.

Kemadrin and Serocell

The best bits that litter the session. Noise given content. 

into and out of the body: The Vile Arts Radio Hour

Sometimes, it is as if I had a plan: this episode of the Vile Arts Radio Hour - with brief guest appearances from DJ Hush and dramaturg Elliot Roberts - features two interviews: one with Josh Payne, prepping for Out of the Body with Cryptic and another with Barry Esson, getting ready to drop Arika's own episode. 

Between my desperate plugs for my own Uncle Vanya: In Dub and thoughts on why ballet is better than ballroom, both Payne and Esson are articulate and intriguing - and the body, as the place where art happens, comes up frequently. But while Payne is trying to create an experience that gets away from earthly feelings - it sounds like some techno-magic will be happening in the CCA, Esson's selection for Arika is getting jiggy with it. 

Consequently, the soundtrack is a mash of electronica (courtesy of Payne), operatic subversion (M Lamar) and r'n'b (from the first lady of crump, Miss Prissy).

And the theme: essentialism, abstraction and the like. As usual...

http://subcity.org/shows/thevileartsradiohour/6a74b/?play

Problems

If there is one word I'd like to keep from the vast lexicon of pretentious art speak, it is "problematise." I haven't seen it so much lately, but it used to be fashionable. Performers in the Live Art area would frequently claim that their work intended to problematise their content - effectively taking accepted ideas and finding out what was wrong with them.

My current explorations into comedy have led me to conclude that comedians often problematise matters to get a laugh. Stewart Lee's good at this - better than he is at being funny, at any rate. When he talks about nostalgia, for example, he deconstructs the lazy attempts by comedians like Peter Kay to squeeze the chuckles out of supposed shared memories.

Science, in its methodological foundations, is very good at this. When Darwin took a break from marveling at life's diversity, he asked how the hell it came about. Posing problems presents a powerfully positive process for positing possible practical projects.

This is one of those rare bits of jargon that illuminate rather than mystify. And it seems that the critical project is a process of problematisation. When critics objected to Jim Davidson's assumption that a joke excused all manner of obnoxious language, they identified a battle-ground that has probably done more to expose the dangers of racist language than any number of amendments to Hate Speech legislation.

This rather tedious soul-searching does have a purpose. Over the past year, I have made various comments mocking Marxism, despite having tremendous sympathy with aspects of its attitude towards the oppression of capitalism. I have also expressed irritation at the way wonderful art is frequently obscured by the bullshit that serves for explanations.

Very slowly, I have realised that it isn't enough to complain. I have to have some solid foundation to my objections. I am championing the word "problematise" as a sort of credo. This is what I do. The reason I can bear Lee's rambling journeys around his ego is that they are frequently challenges to the simple assumptions that I live by.

But of course, this soul searching came up after a real life event. Following the election of the new Pope, my Facebook account had a rash of friends' updates - friends whom I value and share certain political and social values. Most of these had something negative to say about the Pope.

It's not that I have a great deal of time for any organisation that doesn't pay me, or have me in a leadership role. And I have a harder line on the Vatican's attitude to women than many of its critics: where they are content to call it "sexist," a term better used to describe the script of On The Buses, I regard a hierarchical structure that systematically excludes women as misogynistic.

But Pope Francis is going to problematise matters. It wasn't enough for him to break with tradition and wash the feet of some criminals on Maundy Thursday. He washed some women's feet. He washed some Muslim's feet.

It doesn't make up for two thousand years of oppression. But it is a start. It might even be a sign.

Another one of Stewart Lee's monologues praises Political Correctness. He notes that Political Correctness has, at the least, encouraged the Conservatives to be more creative in hiding their racism. He sees PC as being a basic attempt to get people to talk about each other in a respectful manner.

I guess Reginald Hunter hasn't heard this particular routine - his rather bizarre campaign to normalise the N-Word seems to laugh in the face of the most commonly accepted resistance to hate speech.

I guess my defence of the Pope is PC gone mad. It's living in Glasgow: anytime I hear anti-Catholic talk, I don't assume it is bold atheism making a claim for a rational morality. I assume it is a sectarian chant and that a bunch of Rangers' fans are about to come around the corner.

When Frankie Boyle launches into one of his rants about the Church, I always see a fourteen year old boy trying to convince a circle of six foot lads wearing blue and white scarves that he isn't a Tim.

Still Buzzin'

It was good fun on the Radio Hour last night with  //BUZZCUT//: Nick Anderson and Rosana Cade came on and we chatted for an hour about the history of... well, it's not just an event, more of an organisation. We managed to get ourselves in a nice tangle trying to define Live Art, and both Nick and Rosana were unsure as to whether they were comfortable being defined as producers. Still, they brought along some good tunes and I realised how far //BUZZCUT// has come in the past year.

Although we didn't get into it too much last night, //BUZZCUT// evolved, at least in part, due to the disappearance of New Territories, a rather excellent festival of provocative art that had made the Glasgow Spring joyous for well over a decade. //BUZZCUT// doesn't replace New Territories - it is far more DIY and has an emphasis on emerging artists - but it does fulfill a need in the theatre arts programme. 

At the moment, though, they are making a call-out to artists for the next festival: it runs March 27- 31, and I'll let them explain what they are seeking...

//BUZZCUT// is an artist-led performance festival in Glasgow, which celebrates and supports artists from all stages of their practice.

We are so excited to be returning for our 2nd festival next March! We've been asking ourselves the question: ‘What do we know? What do we still need to learn?’

Between 27th – 31st March, we aim to be programming over 50 pieces of work over 2 venues and having  be a meeting point for all kinds of communities across Glasgow and further.

We are accepting proposals from live artists from across Britain. We’re really keen to hear from as many people as possible and also how your piece responds to the same question we’ve been asking ourselves: ‘What do we know? What do we still need to learn?’

//BUZZCUT// will provide artists with:


· The opportunity to create a new piece of work, show an existing piece of work, or try out a new idea in a supportive environment

· A platform to showcase work to invited producers and programmers from across Britain

· The opportunity to become part of a new performance community

· Free, homemade, hot food each day of the festival from our //BUZZCUT// chef

· Specially created artistic meet and greet events every day

· Full documentation of your work through film and photographs

We would also like to pay for your travel if we’re able to accept your application for the programme. This can’t be confirmed at the moment but we will let you know as soon as we know.




If you are coming to the festival from outside Glasgow, there will also be the opportunity to stay with a Glasgow-based artist with no accommodation costs.

//BUZZCUT// is about people. It’s about art and it’s about sharing.


Love //BUZZCUT// x


You can email us for an application form glasgowbuzzcut@gmail.com

Or you can copy and paste it from our website.

Twitter: @glasgowbuzzcut

Or find us on facebook.
--
Two artists making space for more art

glasgowbuzzcut@gmail.com
07932654960
www.glasgowbuzzcut.wordpress.com
Twitter: @glasgowbuzzcut


//Upcoming events:
//Buzzcut @ Fresh Faced, Tramway, 15th December
//Buzzcut @ Into The New, The Arches, 16th January
//Buzzcut @ Manipulate, Summerhall, 3rd February
//Buzzcut 2013, Glasgow, 27th - 31st March//

Radio Hour Today! Listen in on Subcity!

Today

Vile Arts coming atcha! All new guests, with a few old favourites: if it ain't on The Hour, it isn't happen', bra.

Say what? Who are our guests??

Haven't you got any? I thought you were talking to Miss Hell's Bell to talk about the Gatsby Club?

No, she is too busy to make it. She's put us on the guestlist for Saturday though!

Too busy for The Vile Arts? Ah... lucky I managed to round up an all star cast: starting at 6pm with... hang on... let me just do some emails...

You forgot? Or are you lying?

You haven't got guests, have you?

Yes! And a big thank you to the Matchbox Cineclub for saving my bacon. We'll be talking about their Halloween showing of one of my favourite films - if you don't include Russian black and white numbers - The Warriors!

Saving your bacon? What about my bacon? The warriors sounds exhilarating! So who are our guests?

Apart from the Mighty Cineclub? We have a guest who is not only a fixture on the Glasgow clubbing scene, but was voted as one of the 66 most influential people by Attitude Magazine... shame it wasn't 666 because that would mean the Halloween theme would be all sinister...

am I meant to google this and track them down or do you plan to tell me?

That doesn't really narrow it down, Vile.

It's Lady Munter. OMG, you are so not Glasgow... the star of the Fierce Ruling Divas Ball. You'd like that, it's at The Forbidden Gentleman's Club.

of course, I am so not Glasgow! I got here two months ago! And have spent most of those two months hanging out with you. Lady Munter sounds excitng! Also, how forbidden is this Forbidden Gentleman's Club?

More forbidden than your access to my other Facebook account, the one that has all the secret friends... but that's not all...we have some live music today...

Hey, you wanted me to find that account... you left it there on display!

I feel inclined to test this Forbidden Gentlemen's Club.

Live music? Why do you tell me this all at the last minute? Who's coming in to play for us?

It's Howie Reeve, an old friend of the show, promoter of Frost and Fire and a mean solo artist in his own right... well, not mean, as he is very lovely. I mean, he rocks...

yes, 'mean' like 'wicked' has a completely shifted meaning nowadays...

Is that all? Do you have any more guests hidden up your sleeve?

Plus, plus, plus... Acting Cubed are coming in to talk about their production of Autobahn, a sinister American tale of lives on the road.

Like I said... if it ain't on The Hour, it ain't happenin'... although it might literally be happening, I suppose, it ain't happenin', ya dig?

Vile, is there something you're not telling me?

Vile Arts Radio Hour (22nd October)

From our secret base near the River Clyde, The Vile Arts prepares for the latest episode. Eric's in the corner, checking out music, Vile is wondering around, doing his special voice exercises, Margaret Kirk is typing up a playlist, and Producer Harry broods, silently, communicating through the magic of telepathy.

Three guests are lined up so far, making the top five events for the week easy to pick. Joining Vile at the start of the show - and then chatting to Eric, in the hope of intelligent conversation - are Tranny and Roseannah from Frock On, Frock Off. 

A new strand within Glasgow - and coming from the same stable as Buzzcut, Glasgow's own alternative performance promoters - FOFO is all about the Live Art, and is spreading across Rose and Grants with a series of idiosyncratic performance.

 Highlights include a solo from Foxy - a guest on the show last year, and currently lamenting the absence of partner Husk - and Lucy Hutson mending herself through the magic of the W.I. before ending on Sunday with an all day party at The Glue Factory.

24th + 25th October @ Rose and Grants, 7.30pm: Foxy - Fox Solo and Dame Fanny Day Glow - The Angina Monologues

26th + 27th October @ Rose and Grants, 7.30pm: Tom Wells - Engage and Lucy Hutson - Make Do and Mend Myself

28th October, The Sunday Bizarre @ The Glue Factory, 3pm - late

Following Tranny and Roseannah, Michael John McCarthy - sometime of Zoey Van Goey, and one of the two most versatile and hard-working musicians in the theatre community - pops into chat about... well, as usual, the man has plenty of projects. Expect conversatin about Grid Iron's latest play, Govanhill Baths and his limited edition online release of music for theatre

Last, but far from  least, regular co-host Matthew Whiteside gives the lowdown on classical happenings this week - the rumour is that the composer will be talking about some of his own work - an opera that deals with something a little more contemporary than Italian lovers... he will talking about a special weekend up in Aberdeen, and the connection between Scottish Opera and the mighty Said Ensemble...

Red Note are Quite Social

Quite obviously, the mind behind Social Media Week is a fan of The Vile Arts Radio Hour. The Hour lasts for at least one hundred and twenty minutes every week - sometimes I try and see how long I can broadcast before the station stops me, and Social Media Week has been running from Monday 24th September and ends on Saturday 6th October.

So, it's either respect for the concept busting pioneered by me, or an inability to count. I'd be careful about their statistics when they start talking about how many people got involved.

One of my favourite classical ensembles have done a project for the Week, though. That said, I thought this was supposed to be a Glasgow event, and it's Edinburgh's Red Note that are getting involved. That John Harris is not a man for boundaries, I guess. The ensemble's repertoire proves that much...

Anyway, here's the invitation... Red Note are looking for noise. 

To take part in Noisy Noises please record 20-30 seconds of your favourite noise on your phone and email the mp3 to noisynoises@rednoteensemble.com by midnight on Saturday 6th October and we'll upload them. The ones we like the best we'll make in to a collage and play them at Noisy Nights at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh on Monday 8th October, so come and hear your sounds played in public...

I'm just getting Eric to record this week's Radio Hour on his phone... well, the bits where I am talking, anyway. They are my favourites... if we divide them up... say, an hour of my voice... then cut to around 20 seconds each submission... I think we can submit 180 different clips...

So unless you really want the performance on Monday 8th October to consist of an extended mash up of me talking about hip hop, anime, Amanda Monfrooe and the SMHFAF (it's some episode tomorrow, and some people might even prefer it with guests, please take up this chance...

 

Criticulous thanks Grant

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.

You know who the really important guys are in theatre? Really... I bet you think I am going to say the critics... Yeah, well, right. Think again.

It's the technical guys behind the scenes. Seriously. Sure, there is always that nice moment when the cast points to the sound and lighting people  - after they have had their own applause, of course. And they sometimes get their names in the programme. But no-one really takes the time to thank them. And even if they did, the tech guys are usually too busy to hear it. They are cleaning up the bloody mess the "creatives" leave behind.

I've just spent some time with my personal tech guy, Eric Karoulla, and chatted with the wonderful Grant from The Arches. Eric's reward will be to get to be part of the show tomorrow - I can't wait until he sees the outfit I've designed for him - but Grant just arranges stuff and never gets a just reward.

On the other hand, if Grant wasn't so efficient, Criticulous would still be an idea in the back of the Vile mind. But don't hold that against him. Criticulous can give thanks, but accepts full responsibility for the consequences...

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!

VileArts Radio Hour: Episode 3 etc

Tomorrow's show: Episode III of the Vile Arts 2012 (Autumn Season) is pretty theatre heavy. We have the magical Magnetic North coming in for a chat about Sex and God, plus Vanessa Coffey who will be talking about the SMHFAF...

But do you want a guest to talk to?

I already have one! Peter McMaster has agreed to come in for a chat about his all-male performance based on Wuthering Heights. He's performing next week at Arches Live.

I know Peter McMaster. He washed me once, when I was naked.

I'm not sure I want to picture that.

But what makes you want to talk to him? I mean, he does have a good track record and all... he has worked with Nic Green, and has an interest in environmentalism. But why is he the first guest for our new slot, Eric's Cafe?

Aye but his latest show examines what it is to be a man today and it intrigues me to know. It seems easy to define biologically, but when asked what a man is, different people will give you different answers. Apparently, his collaboration with Murray Wason, Chris Hall, Nick Anderson and Thom Scullion looks at the character of Heathcliff who basically disappears from the story for a while and then returns as 'a man'.

So - you identify with Heathcliff?

Actually, I don't know that much about him - I've only seen the film, and as far as I recall he is violent. But some people might identify with him. Do you identify with Heathcliff?

What, you mean a grumpy, over-sexed, hairy and vicious bumpkin, of uncertain racial heritage, a sense of intellectual inferiority and constantly misunderstood by sentimenatlists as a romantic hero?

...

Goes without saying.

Well, you're hairy and misunderstood...

Maybe I should bring 'Don't let me be misunderstood' by Nina Simone for you on Monday...

Okay. We'll start the show with that. We've got Jer Reid coming in for a chat at the end of the show...

we've got loads of people coming in for a chat!

He's going to be our exception then?

(music versus theatre)

Also, did you steal the inspiration to invite him from listening to the Black Sun Drum Korps?

Jer Reid is certainly our musical guest. He does have a bit of previous in the theatre world, though: he has worked with Curious Seed, the dance company... and he did this Winter Cycle, a series of duets that had actors, artists and musicians teaming up to rock against the cold.

Where do Magnetic North and Vanessa Coffey fit in though?

Hey, it's the show that's good everything! Masculinity, Sex, God, Improvisation, Mental Health...

What more could we want in life?