Richard Dawson (raucous experimental UK folk racket w/ intense picaresque realness vox)

actually, I laugh with Randy at the person that asked Randy to write that type of song, i.e. "Sing a song of long ago"

Yes we're on the same page

"Robert Wyatt doing George Benson" is a wonderful observation.

yeah the first thing my wife compared "The Vile Stuff" to was Wyatt

An over-reliance on locations and names in lyrics is not to my taste. But: Dawson does it so much and so arrogantly I feel he's doing it deliberately to mock American songwriters who have interstates and national parks they'll namedrop without thinking about it. I mean, I think he's "taking the piss"

I think more specifically, the apocalyptic content of The Vile Stuff, wouldn't be as apparent if he didn't name all of the apostles [Thadeus, James and James Solicitors = James Son Of James, Miss Bartholemew…] so whether he's mocking or not, the list of names is kind of what the song's all about and it wouldn't work without them.

I dig this and I love the place-naming. His lyrics remind me of Nigel Blackwell although straining for a darkly surreal and wild poetic quality rather than Blackwell's comedy of the mundane.

amazing detail about the apostles - I totally missed that

well i'll be...

^

Listening to this record with a bit of a wobble on this morning, s'got me all over the place, am a mess

:)

think this might be my favourite music of the last few years. Nigel Blackwell gone art-folk makes sense as a comparison bit there's something more wide-eyed and Romantic about Dawson's outlook (not that Blackwell lacks these qualities entirely). I don't think Dawson would be overly given to snipe at things he disapproves of.

I like the press of accumulating, involuntary and unwelcome minutiae vs. and I don't care about these things
Why do they remain so clear while the faces of my loved ones disappear? That's life, kid, more and more: the memories you have vs. the ones you *should* have, even want to have. But there can be a liberation or release, relief, in submitting to that, in art, at least.

Although he doesn't sound relieved yet. Letting it spew, though.

The delivery and placement of that line is so great

Olllld karate trophies

just listening to The Ice-Breaker Baikal on the way home, magnificent

The theme of the apostles - and other religious matters - came up in an interview I carried out with Richard Dawson last week if anyone's interested.

god's work, doran

He knocked on the door and my brother answered. I was frightened so I hid behind the door. I peeped around and saw that he had come in a big old dragster car (we actually had a little dragster racing board game at the time). It was parked at the end of the drive and the engine was still growling. I remember I was really scared. The Easter Bunny understood this and leaned around the door to look squarely at me. He was very serious and not like a cartoon bunny. He was a very realistic looking rabbit, but human sized and wearing quite simple clothes. He looked at me and was very solemn. Then he slowly nodded and handed me a chocolate egg. I cannot stress how melancholy an air this giant rabbit had about him. Then he got back in his dragster and roared off.

brb going to create a sort of cultish wallchart with dawson, julian cope, cardiacs, oliver postgate, dylan thomas and some others until british pastoralia leaps forth connected as a sort of salvation

dawson on religion is as close to my own position as anyone i've read

he is beyond, a marvel

great great interview, thanks doran

cheers, i've 'pocketed' this for later reading.

Excellent interview, that.

yes, thanks

That's great.

Great interview. Fascinating that he works on the lyrics for so long. Apart from maybe Leonard Cohen, I don't think I've heard someone talk about working on a lyric to a single song in that way.

Fucking hell, that's an amazing interview.

just broke open a coconut and because of the cautionary tale on this album all I could think of was not to use a screwdriver under any circumstances

ftr I hit it with a big wrench and did not injure myself

Who's going to the Lexington tonight?

sold out by the time I found out - but hunting a spare ticket today & strongly tempted to go along and see if can get one there

Ruth Flecknell We did go on a ghost hunt at featherstone but the real spirit was definitely in that bottle and the trip to haltwhistle was in my car- a helicopter would have been much more well driven! It was definitely a weird experience for the adults as well as the youngsters we took. The genius is in the way you narrate the event and from the adult perspective looking back I can see how bizarre it was on so many levels for some of the children on the periphery of events. Good luck with your tour, I will catch your next one, the tickets were sold out this time before I woke up to how in vogue you are
Like · Reply · 1 · 10 February at 15:05

RICHARD DAWSON Mrs Flecknell - there will always be room for you at a gig, please remember this!
Like · Reply · 10 February at 15:15

Ruth Flecknell I will. Thanks richard. You deserve your success.
Like · Reply · 1 · 10 February at 15:16

the best person. 'Mrs Flecknell'!!!

didn't get a ticket for tonight :( and scarletmist is gone :(:(

thinking there's no great hardship sitting in a pub for a couple of hours and keeping an ear open for spares & returns.

maybe we might join you tbh

how big is the venue? slightly surprising he has such a following
city boys paying high three figures on the secondary no doubt

by 'we' i mean me and my fifteen friends, all of whom like to barge in front

the lexington is what i'd call a 'large pub venue'

i reckon I'll recognise you lj, so I'll say hello, shake hands before the fight to the death over the single spare.

Vile Stuff as city boy drinking anthem, I can see it

If I wasn't feeling like shit I would have joined you, but no doubt he'll be playing Cafe Oto at some point soon.

how big is the venue? slightly surprising he has such a following

I'm not at all surprised!

we are here (it's near my gf's work)...let the hunt begin

Awww man Mrs Flecknell

He was incredible last night. Did an 80 minute set, felt too short. I got a little overexcited and drank a whole bottle of red wine during the set and could barely walk afterwards, I blame him doing The Vile Stuff last, if he'd done it first I'd have felt forewarned.

http://photos-f.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t51.2885-15/10979611_1413180728981101_1236214605_n.jpg

Had to leave the Lexington after four songs because I was getting besieged by texts about Steve Strange and had to go and sort out coverage. Unfortunately I was right at the front in the corner, which made getting out horrible for me and everyone I had to get past.

Didn't scrounge a ticket, but booked in for May at Bethnal Green WMC.

the qawali element of the vile stuff hadn't really struck me before, but hearing everyone clapping along to it and with dawsons voice wailing high above the rhythm, it was so damn obvious. Could have done without people tunelessly moaning along to poor old horse though, felt like dawson was altering his phrasing every time on that chorus just to try and shake them off his tail

The Lex gig was amazing. Poor Old Horse. What an upsetting song.

Cambridge gig tonight was so good. I've been ill for a few days and thought about not going but reading this thread convinced me - thanks guys! Highlights included stories about his cat, Poor Old Horse, when his guitar string broke halfway through The Vile Stuff and he ended up singing "In Dreams" instead with audience participation.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8654/16555073335_29d5b781a3_z.jpg

seandalai i had no idea he was playing cambridge. damn!

Joseph an 84/100 in carpentry? ridiculous.

Saw him last night at Bethnal Green WMC. cannot remember being transfixed like that in an age. ghost of a tree…

woah just announced playing in bristol next month with eek and islam chipsy

fuck fuck fuck are tickets on sale?

yep, just £10
http://musicglue.com/qu-junktions/events/12-dec-15-islam-chipsy--eek--richard-dawson--kit-wilmans-fegradoe--dave-howell-dj-arnolfini/