The Return of Psychic TV

Late last year Genesis Breyer P- Orridge announced the reactivation of the legendary Psychic TV. More good news: they have regained their master recordings and are reissuing same, and are playing live dates in just over a week:

Sat. 6/26 – Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Sun. 6/27 – Pittsburgh, PA The EYE
Sat. 7/3 – New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
(w/ Michael Gira opening doing a solo, acoustic set)

The current lineup of the band is:
Douglas Rushkoff (!) – keyboards, vocals
Electric Eddie – drums (of “The Toilet Boys” and “Candyass”)
Isaiah Singer – Lead Guitars, vocals
Alice Genese – Bass Guitar, vocals (also of “Candyass”)
Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge – Sampling Keyboard (also of “Thee Majesty”)
Genesis Breyer P-Orridge – lead voices, noise bass guitar (also of Throbbing Gristle and “Thee Majesty”)

The Psychic TV story:

Psychic TV was first born in 50 Beck Road, Hackney in 1981. Guitarist Alex Fergusson was trying to convince his longtime friend Genesis P. Orridge to return to active duty making music following the “termination” of Throbbing Gristle, the seminal Industrial ensemble the latter had fronted. One day, he found P. Orridge’s poem “Just Drifting” lying on a water heater and challenged his friend to form a band with him if he could successfully set it to music – which was done within 24 hours. Adding Peter Christopherson, the group commenced a career of creating profoundly influential, highly innovative, and unflinching provocative music, with the details of its packaging, marketing and lifestyle of the musicians creators being crucial components of the aesthetic package.

Although at the beginning, PTV’s output could at times be compared to Throbbing Gristle’s experimental wall of sound; their music would quickly evolve over time, refracting a great many musical styles along the way. With the singles ‘Roman P’, a cover of the Beach Boys’ ‘Good Vibrations’ and the stunning ‘Godstar’, they even touched upon the UK singles chart. Dreaming of ultimately creating their own TV station, the group produced many videos along the way, some of which were made commercially available and are well worth seeking out. Often repulsive, often beautiful, the images contained within these films would mirror the musical atmospheres the band was creating.

Then, in 1987 PTV were in crisis both financially and productively. They were without a record deal at the time but had a legion of fans, all eager for some new material. The band solved this by announcing a new project: over the next two years they would release a live album on the 23rd of each month for the next 23 months. Although they never finished the series (17 albums were brought out), they did succeed in annoying the record companies and journalists, whilst pleasing many fans who had a new cut-price album to look forward to every month. The albums each contained a written message from the band, almost like a monthly newsletter, and featured concert recordings spanning PTV’s entire career. A selection of these albums has now been re-released for the first time on CD by Voiceprint Records, each in a strictly limited edition of 1000. Each is individually numbered, and reproduces the original cover and written content of the LPs, with the addition of a newly penned insert from Genesis himself.

Thee first release in May 2004 will be “GODSTAR – Soundtrack to a Film Based Upon Thee L-if-E And Times Ov Brian Jones”. This is a double CD with thee hyperdelic era PTV songs, instrumentals, previously unreleased sequences and rarities finally arranged as Genesis always intended in thee order they would be to illuminate each scene in thee film. There is a large booklet with never before seen photographs and facts about thee project, Brian Jones, why Genesis became obsessed with Brian and then how Brian came to represent one ov thee pantheon ov growing Icons ov PANDROGENY. This is an amazing release, If you are a fan ov BRIAN JONES, ov thee SIXTIES, ov thee STONES or anything to do with thee journey ov L-if-E revealed by Brian’s tragedy and triumph. For thee first time too you can hear, first hand, Brion Gysin describe to Genesis Brian Jones’ first visit to Jajouka and thee events that followed with Anita, Keith and thee others. A unique “publication.”

But, you know, what about the weird stuff? Genesis and his wife are becoming one:

“PANDROGENY” is a series of new work, where both Genesis P-Orridge and his wife Miss Jackie undergo plastic surgery to achieve increasing similarities in order to create and become a third being: Breyer P-Orridge. To celebrate this 21st Century project, they both had same-sized breast implants for Valentine’s Day 2003. “Suddenly the immaculate conception of the p-androgeny, identity and gender re-materialisation; re-union of the hermaphrodite into a perfecting state before the fall and separation of male and female, all became clearer and unfolded with symmetry,” P-Orridge explains. Suffice to say, all artworks and art actions as of 2003 are now created by the artist Breyer P-Orridge (this being Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and Lady J. Breyer P-Orridge).

The Breyer P-Orridges have an exhibition of their transformation in Berlin right now:

BREYER P-ORRIDGE ART EXHIBITION in BERLIN closes 20th JUNE

There is a marvellous new exhibition of artworks, which is thee first T.I.M.E. a lot ov these works have ever been seen at thee KUNSTLERHAUS BETHANIEN, Kreuzburg, BERLIN. Thee artist went to thee opening on June 3rd 2004 where they supervised thee installation.

I.T. reveals thee surgical and mystical processes at thee core ov BREYER P-ORRIDGE’s transmutations in large expanded polaroids mounted on plexiglass in stunning configurations. Thee exhibition ends at 7pm on June 20th so if you can possibly go, especially if you are in Germany. GET THERE!

Thee installation includes a video exploration that was a collaboration ov BREYER P-ORRIDGE and was rendered by SUCK_DATA’s Sam Zimmerman.

As Genesis is off to BASEL ART FAIR today! That is all for now. If you are in Basel, S/he will be curating an evening of video and film and discussing thee impact ov cut-ups on thee Astory ov art and cinema. Inevitably this will touch upon thee fictional nature ov “reality” and identity.

We shall try and upload more data before this Sunday when thee evening takes place. But if you are going to be in Basel it should be easy to find out where it will be. As far as we know it will be at:

TWEAKLAB – tools for media and art,
Huningerstrasse 85, CH-4056 BASEL, Switzerland.
Look under www.ArtBasel.com for more information.

Eccentric spelling, his and hers breasts, magickical worldview aside, the Washington, Pittsburgh and NYC shows should be something to behold.