Sun Mar 28 20:37:31 EST 1993
Hello once again, Cope fans! This is Travis, your friendly MailMaster, saying
hi to all you avid readers out there!
As of Friday the 26th, this cope list is over a month old! I am glad so many
people have subscribed to it, and am also pleased by the participation of
several of our readers.
These past couple weeks have been hectic for many of us: exams fall down upon
us and I got this voting thing going, so it sounds rock-quiet from the Culture
Bunker except for an occasionaly insistant message from me for the votes. I
tried! I really did! I aimed to get as much input as possible so that I could
compile a "Favorite Cope Album" list for people that don't already have a bunch
of Cope albums. Many people are wondering, "Is Skellington worth getting?" and
the vote's results will let people know if Skellington is popular and cherished
among us. So that is why i have been begging and screaming for people to write
me. By no means stop writing! There are three days left for me to talk your
votes! So keep 'em coming! I got 2 today, which made me really happy, and
hope to get many more as the week starts up again!
So, with all this voting going on, the list has been relatively quiet. There
isn't much discussion going on because people are busy too. I have said this
before, eh?
So I'll throw up some topics for you to chew on!
Travis
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How many people have lots of Cope albums, but no B-sides or EP material? WEll,
as Cope non-album tracks are almost impossible to come by in the United States,
unless you work at a radio station (like me), I have a suggestion:
Why don't we try to put together a "Best of the EP's" compilation tape? Or
two? We'd put it together neatly and cycle it among the "newbies" who want
to hear non-LP Cope. This would be fun, like a sort of FLOORED GENIUS II...
Tell me if you're interested in helping to pick/dub songs for this!
Travis
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is another suggestion that might appeal to the busybodies among us. Let's
start a lyrics tree. There could be four or five "branches", each assigned to
an album or two that don't have the lyrics written out for them. The branch
leaders get two or three "leaves" to help them decipher the lyrics (so we're
not just stuck with one person's interpretation of them)... Then, after they
finish transcribing, the branch leader can mail the complete lyrics file for
his/her branch here, and I'll start distributing lyrics files to whomever
wants them. Jo hart already chipped in a song: "Fear Loves This Place" which
was very cool of her! So let's get organized! Mail me if you're interested
in taking charge of a "branch" - an album or two that you think you'd be able
to get deciphered.
Write me and tell me what you think!
Travis
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Articles! If you have some articles you want to transcribe, go for it!
I did a couple last month, and they didn't kill me, and several people
thanked me for them!
Travis
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If anyone else has any more ideas on what we could do to add to our archives,
then please post your suggestions here!
Take care everybody,
Travis
Mon Mar 29 07:55:53 EST 1993
From: brian <Brian.May@mel.dit.csiro.au>
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 93 14:15:05 +1000
Anyone have an 'other-than-fan-club-mailing-list-address' contact for Julian
Cope? I'mm really going to give the 'give us an interview' thing a proper go
(if I can)
regards,
brian
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For that matter, does anyone have a fan club address for Julian Cope?
Travis
Mon Mar 29 10:24:15 EST 1993
From: David Caldwell <davecal@microsoft.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 93 10:12:50 PST
What do you think about a Cope FAQ? This is something I have been
mulling over and begining the compilation of for about two weeks now
but of course so many women and parties, so little time ;-). It's
Monday and I'm out of my mind . . . so I probably won't like this idea
when I wake up....
David C.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, just a reminder: The format for the votes is:
ALBUMS - write down all the albums you've heard and give 'em a grade
from 1 - 10, ten being totally awesome, 1 being crapola. Try to
inlcude as many teardrops and Cope albums as you can!
SONGS - write your 5 favorite album songs, 5 favorite non-LP songs.
These can be from Cope and Teardrops. Don't worry about ranking the songs.
I assume they'll all be 9's or 10's...
Thanks!
Wed Mar 31 07:41:06 EST 1993
Today's the last day for your votes! Tomorrow morning I will release the
results. No more votes will be counted after Thursday morning! It's not
as if you haven't had enough time or anything...
So until tomorrow...
Travis
Wed Mar 31 17:21:18 EST 1993
Hi everybody! I just got RITE in the mail today, courtesy Jo Hart. I've
listened to it once through, so... here's my review!
RITE, by Julian Cope
----------------------------------------------------------------
"The Indians Worship Him, But He Hurries On" opens up the album.
It is pretty neat, for instrumental work (the whole album is
instrumental) and is as long as its name (about 7 to 10 minutes).
The second song, "Amethysteria" is another long, repetative song.
I emphasize *repetative*. These are not pop ditties.
The third song is over twenty minutes long, and is entitled,
"Cherhill Down." I've heard this song before, again courtesy Jo
Hart. This 20+ minute version is pretty neat, not much different
from the other version.
The last song (that's right - only 4!) is super-repetative just
like the rest of them. "In Search Of Ancient Astronomies" is
more rhythmic than most of the other stuff.
OVERALL: This album is in much the same spirit as "Carnage Visors"
by the Cure. It'd be good sleeping/studying music: it's kinda
groovy no-think. no-sudden changes music.
Some people likened it to The Orb. I haven't heard this group yet,
so I can't guess if that's a good comparison.
Well, the big question is: Should You Get It?
And the big answ
Wed Mar 31 23:28:06 EST 1993
Okay! The results are in! Here's two sets of ALBUM poll data:
Teardrops albums and songs are in ALL CAPS.
ORDER OF PREFERENCE BASED ORDER OR PREFERENCE BASED
ON TOTAL NUMBER OF POINTS ON AVERAGE OF TOTL POINTS
------------------------- -------------------------
ALBUM TOTAL AVG ALBUM TOTAL AVG
------------------------- -------------------------
Peggy Suicide 111 8.54 Floored Genius 28 9.33
KILAMANJARO 73 8.11 Peggy Suicide 111 8.54
Jehovahkill 69 7.67 WILDER 65 8.13
Saint Julian 69 7.67 KILAMANJARO 73 8.11
WILDER 65 8.13 Saint Julian 69 7.67
World Shut Your...59 7.38 Jehovahkill 69 7.67
My Nation Underg. 58 5.80 World Shut Your...59 7.38
Skellington 43 7.17 Skellington 43 7.17
Fried 42 6.00 Rite 13 6.50
Droolian 32 6.40 Droolian 32 6.40
Floored Genius 28 9.33 Fried 42 6.00
EVERYBODY WANTS...24 6.00 EVERYBODY WANTS...24 6.00
Rite 13 6.50 My Nation Underg. 58 5.80
PIANO 10 5.00 PIANO 10 5.00
------------------------- -------------------------
FAVORITE ALBUM TRACKS
--------------------------------------------------------------
SONG ALBUM # NOMINATIONS
--------------------------------------------------------------
Reynard the Fox Fried 4
BOUNCING BABIES KILAMANJARO/PIANO 4
Strasburg World Shut Your Mouth 3
Elegant Chaos World Shut Your Mouth 3
Safesurfer Peggy Suicide 2
Easy Easy Rider Peggy Suicide 2
Head Peggy Suicide 2
Leperskin Peggy Suicide 2
Las Vegas Basement Peggy Suicide 2
Charlotte Anne My Nation Underground 2
World Shut Your Mouth Saint Julian 2
Metranil Vavin World Shut Your Mouth/EWTS 2
--------------------------------------------------------------
FAVORITE NON-ALBUM TRACKS # NOMINATIONS
---------------------------------------------
I Have Always Been Here Before 2
I've Got Levitation 2
SPQR 2
---------------------------------------------
Some notes:
Someone gave FRIED a "2", thus killing it's marginal lead over
WORLD SHUT YOUR MOUTH.
Not enough people wrote in their favorite non-album songs for us to
have a top five. I figured it would be pointless to list all the songs
which only had one nomination, so i set the cut-off at 2.
Jehovahkill and Saint Julian were perfectly tied! So I put Jehovakill
first in the TOTAL POINTS list, and Saint Julian first in the AVERAGE
POINTS, just to be inconsistant.
Well, I wouldn't really call FLOORED GENIUS the best "Album" by Cope
and the Teardrops, but it certainly is the best compilation!!! So if you
want a best-of album, go get FLOORED GENIUS!!!
Looks like PEGGY SUICIDE is the overall winner, hands down. It was
the most-heard album of the bunch. PIANO was the LEAST HEARD, tied with
RITE.
Well, I can't think of many more explanations to give you! Thanks to
all who voted, and I hope the newcomers to Julian Cope and the Teardrop
Explodes will find the results of this poll of value.
Travis
Thu Apr 1 16:48:16 EST 1993
From: "dan(n)" <V134PFZD@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu>
Date: 01 Apr 1993 12:15:35 -0500 (EST)
Subject: out of my mind on dope and speed
Hello, all.
I just received this past weekend, through Columbia House, FLOORED GENIUS.
I remember someone on this list saying that "Reynard" sounds slightly different
- no kidding! The clarity of the FG version is amazing!
I also am very fond of "Out of my mind.." and "Jellypop" (even with its
extremely cheesy drum-track!) And I haven't yet gotten ST. JULIAN, so I
enjoyed listening to the three songs featured from that album. (Of course, I
have heard World Shut Your Mouth before...)
And the Teardrops stuff is excellent, too.
Would anybody agree with me that, in "Out of my mind..." after, I think, the
second verse, JC shouts "Paul Weller!"?
(Columbia House is offering the "World Shut Your Mouth" album, and they
advertise it as including the hit title-track!!!)
In the latest Q magazine, there's an article about Mr. Cope, and he says the
name of his next "commercial" album will be "Auto'geddon Blues." Of course,
first he has to find himself a label...
As far as following themes in song titles, how about puns on women's names?
(Trampolene - Charlotte Anne - Pristeen (Peggy Suicide for that matter?))
All for now.
-dan
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALBUMS CONTAINING THE MOST "Favorite Song" NOMINATIONS:
-------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL # OF NOMINATIONS TOTAL # SONGS NOMINATED
--------------------------|----------------------------
Peggy Suicide 13 | Peggy Suicide 8
Kilamanjaro 11 | Kilamanjaro 7
World Shut Your... 11 | Wilder 7
Wilder 8 | World Shut Your... 6
My Nation Underg... 6 | My Nation Underg... 5
Saint Julian 5 | Saint Julian 4
Fried 5 | Jehovahkill 3
Jehovahkill 3 | Fried 2
Everybody Wants... 2 | Everybody Wants... 2
Skellington 1 | Skellington 1
Droolian 1 | Droolian 1
Rite 0 | Rite 0
--------------------------|----------------------------
I didn't include Floored Genius or Piano, the two
compilations, in the tallying.
Kilamanjaro has the highest ration of favorite songs
to non-favorite songs, as PEGGY is much longer.
Poor Rite!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do tell us more about Cope's upcoming album!!! This is the first I've
heard of it! (Or are ya pulling an evil April Fool's joke on us???)
Travis
Thu Apr 1 21:56:44 EST 1993
From: Chris Pudney <chrisp@cs.uwa.edu.au>
Date: Fri, 02 Apr 93 10:13:25 +0800
G'day,
If anyone's interested, from the used-music-server@cs.ucsb.edu:
Julian Cope CD Saint Julian $8 22-Mar-1993 bcm1@cec2.wustl.edu
Tue Apr 6 00:54:05 EDT 1993
Wow! This place is dead! It's almost as quiet as the jbc list!
Does anybody know anything about the "Auto'geddon Blues" album that was
mentioned last week? I'm curious as heck about it.
Anybody have any comments about the non-LP compilation Floored Genius II idea
I tried to toss around? How about lyrics? anything? Did the big bouncy
conversation ball just pop?
Fizzz.....
Are Cope fans usually so reserved and silent?
Someone posted a question on usenet about whether or not the Sundays singer
appears at the end of "Gimme Back My Flag." Any ideas?
Anybody out there?
Is everybody on ACID?
Travis
Tue Apr 6 09:34:26 EDT 1993
From: mbed@wimsey.com (Manjit Bedi)
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 1993 00:15:55 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Thoughts on Jehovahkill
The more I listen to this CD the more fond of it I grow.
The stuff does strike at brilliant at times. I never had any real
deep education in music and composition but I know what I like.
Those bleating saxaphones those bits of noise. The way Julian
does things with his voice. I really like the songs:
Mystery Trend
Poet is Priest
Poest is Priest is one of the most brilliant songs I have
heard this year. I love all the changes and bits going
on in that song. It appeals to my sense of music.
(and Travis I not out on ACID somewhere ;-); I will try to be a more
active participant on the list )
One thing that is interesting is: people will say how good an album or
artist is. I am curious to know how the music affects other and what
do you think while listening to some of Julian's aural delights.
What bits are you getting off on...
Let us pick out favorite bits and lyrics and talk!
I really must investigate the earlier works by our esteemed
Mr. Cope.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hmm, feelings we get when listening to the music..
Well, Jehovahkill is a very strange album. It's totally un-pop, and totally
ragged-sounding. I'm amazed that the feel of the album is so consistant. I
really like the PHASE ONE stuff - it's the most solid, vocal-focused work.
PHASE TWO is more instrumental and dittyish. Like "Julian H. Cope" - that's
a very "dittyish" song. And "Poet Is Priest" along with "Necropolis" and
"Gimme Back My Flag" are all semi-instrumentals, very neat to listen to.
PHASE THREE is (and I've told Jim all this before) in my opinion a "best of"
the first two styles of music. We've got the instrumental-weirdPHASE TWO-
type ones (Subtle Energies Commission) and "The Tower" and "Peggy Suicide Is
Missing" and we've got the almost-pop not-so-experimental but still excellent
PHASE ONE representatives "Fear Loves THis Place" and "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fine."
Cope's earlier stuff, if you haven't heard it, is at times very different from
anything on JEHOVAHKILL. He used to be more pop-oriented, more melodic, more
"air-headed" compared to JEHOVAHKILL's dark sound. The early Cope, WORLD SHUT
YOUR MOUTH and FRIED, is fun becuase the songs are all sing-along. Beautiful
stuff exists on those first 2 albums. SAINT JULIAN has that butt-kicking
almost-a-sellout feel, since it and MY NATION UNDERGROUND are by far the most
dancy-pop oriented Cope (they make JEHOVAHKILL seem like a funeral). I like
SAINT JULIAN better because it's long, more unique, and it's the first COpe I
ever heard. MY NATION UNDERGROUND does not give me any feeling when listening
to it. It's not very intimate. It sounds like he's practicing dance-grooves
for his REAL album, which would be PEGGY SUICIDE, a totally cool-with-everyone
undertaking. Does anyone NOT like Peggy Suicide? It's the fast, fun version
of JEHOVAHKILL. Jim was right in that it sounds like an album of singles. It
does. THere are so many cool, energetic songs on it. If you don't have
PEGGY SUICIDE, well, I suggest you get it. Don't you love people who type
really looonnnngggg paragraphs? I hate 'em!
SKELLINGTON and DROOLIAN are "masturbatory," according to Cope. THey are helf-
formed jokes with a catchy musical paper-machet (sp?) quality. If you're into
experimental, weird JEHOVAHKILL music, you'll probably like most of DROOLIAN
If you like the ditty "Julian H. Cope" then you'll probably get along well with
SKELLINGTON.
RITE is... well, I already described RITE for everybody.
The Teardrops are not as immediate (to me) as Cope, but they are very fun,
very energetic. Cool as heck music.
Well, I hope I expressed my views as to the "feel" of Cope's music.
Travis
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: brian <Brian.May@mel.dit.csiro.au>
Date: Tue, 06 Apr 93 17:04:49 +1000
# Is everybody on ACID?
I've an old old interview at home with cope where he said that he'd
given up the acid (post "Saint Julian") for many reasons (fans used
to taunt him at gigs even). He was into a health kick (yeah, right)
ans was telling the interviewer how he ran 5 miles a day (or something like
that) and was getting pretty good. However, the other day he took a tab
(of acid) and cut 3 minutes off his time!
Wot-a-card Julian is.
brian
Tue Apr 6 09:40:27 EDT 1993
Hmmm, I think maybe there was a period on a line by itself in the beginning of
brian's lettter. yep! There is! That's why it didn't print the whole
way. Here's the rest of his letter:
I've an old old interview at home with cope where he said that he'd
given up the acid (post "Saint Julian") for many reasons (fans used
to taunt him at gigs even). He was into a health kick (yeah, right)
and was telling the interviewer how he ran 5 miles a day (or something like
that) and was getting pretty good. However, the other day he took a tab
(of acid) and cut 3 minutes off his time!
Wot-a-card Julian is.
brian
-------------
Sorry about the screw up.
--------------
Wed Apr 7 15:12:17 EDT 1993
From: j.hart@ic.ac.uk
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 93 14:00:43 BST
Subject: Long Marsden
I'm quite impressd that someone managed to think of some reason
for the partition of Jehovahkill into 3 phases, as I thought
they seemed quite arbitrary. The other explanation is that
on vinyl, it is a 3-sided album (ie. 2 discs, but one side
is not etched). I had thought that 'phase' was just a hip
way of saying side (ie. side 1)
By the way, is anyone (UK side) thinking of going to the
Phoenix festival (Cope is supporting Sonic Youth on the first
night)? I must admit, I'm very tempted...
Jo
Wed Apr 7 23:03:16 EDT 1993
From: Carrie <OGRADY@ac.dal.ca>
Date: 07 Apr 1993 20:14:26 -0300
Subject: jehovahkill lyrics
I'm pretty new to the whole "net" thing, so I don't know about a mailing
list...how much mail does it generate, usually? Sounds interesting,
though. As for Julian Cope, a friend of mine just turned me on to
him recently, so the only stuff I have is _Jehovahkill_, the EP with
"World Shut Your Mouth"on it, and a Teardrop Explodes EP, the name
of which has slipped my mind.
I like the idea of putting together some lyrics for _Jehovahkill_,
though. When I was on a long plane ride in February, I wrote down
the lyrics for most of phases one and three, but I'm sure I missed'
lots of stuff (especially all the little background bits in "The Tower".)
Do you feel like collaborating here? I could send you the stuff I've
got on e-mail if you like.
- Carrie O'Grady
ogrady@ac.dal.ca
p.s. what does the "X" stand for? --I bet you get asked that all the time.
Wed Apr 7 23:42:23 EDT 1993
Carrie -
Welcome to the culture bunker!
Yeah, go ahead and show us what ya got
I have a lyrics archive and so far we have "Fear
Loves THis Place" but that's about it!
Thanks for writing.
Travis
Thu Apr 8 09:27:06 EDT 1993
Here's a cool interview, typed up by Jo Hart.
Does anyone have any recent stuff? Like JEHOVAHKILL-current or later?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: j.hart@ic.ac.uk
Date: Thu, 8 Apr 93 09:58:27 BST
Subject: INTERVIEW
I finally finished typing this in, its a bit long and not 'specially well
written but it has got an interview with Julian and Bill Drummond which
is quite interesting. Feel free to edit bits out or post in segments...
(from VOX, September 1992)
A RUNE WITH A VIEW
------------------
High on a hill at Hoy in the Orkney Isles sits a squat, isolated block of red
sandstone, which is known as the Dwarfie Stane. It's 5000 years old if its a
day. On closer inspection of old Dwarfie, your correspondent recognises a
familiar smell of herbal origin; then a booming, fruity voice echoes out of
the miniscule doorway: "Climb in-- its a treat in here! I've gotta warm fug
going..."
Julian Cope is lying in semi-recumbent posture, spliff in hand, surrounded
by the gubbins of his exploratory calling: video cameras, note books, tape
recorder, all-weather gear. Cope is in the middle of compiling a book about
the ancient monuments of England, Scotland and Wales, called 'The Modern
Antiquarian', which is the result of a two-year obsession and a growing
belief that "ancient man was an amazing psychologist". His intention is
to reclaim these mystic places "as an antidote to cold, factual,
archaeological books. All that stuff will be included, 'cos its required.
So there'll be maps and measurements, but it will be more of a book for
people who want to go for a drive at the weekend. It'll be a gazette,
highly practical, with a wipe-clean vinyl cover so you can skin up; a
total head's book. Archaeologists will pooh-pooh it as pop star dabbling
bullshit, but even they'll learn something."
As well as notes and legends, Cope is writing a poem (with a stanza
dedicated to every site) in the rolling rhythms of Robert Browning.
"Ridiculous but funny. I'm using all sorts of terrible hippy devices
too, like rainbow paper and a flick drawing on every page, which is me
walking past the monuments. Its going to be 'Look and Learn' annual
meets 'International Times'. It will be so over-achievingly comprehensive
you won't be able to slag it off."
High falutin' ideas aside, Cope is in deadly earnest. His monumental
perambulation is being part-financed by a small tour of the Highlands
and Islands, where he plays for oil workers, crofters, and "even a few
people who know my name and the odd song..."
In truth, the idea is not entirely new. In the early '80s, Echo and the
Bunnymen undertook a smaller jaunt to Skye and Lewes, which was
organised by former KLF high priest Bill Drummond, himself a devotee
of stone circles, ley lines, crop circles and other supernatural
phenomena. Drummond seems to have left a lasting impression on Cope,
as the focal point for the new Liverpool explosion in the late '70s,
and as the man who managed Cope's first successful pop career in the
Teardrop Explodes.
He is also notorious for instigating the recent, dramatic dissolution
of the KLF. Breaking his silence for the first time since then, Drummond
recalls Cope's early interest-- or lack of it-- in supernatural
phenomena:" He was more into psychedelic rock then."
As set designer for character actor and all-round weird performer Ken
Campbell (currently touring in his own one-man tribute show to sci-fi
writer Philip K Dick), Drummond had worked on the backdrop and props for
a stage show based on The Illuminatus Trilogy, and concocted a theory
for visiting jounalists to absorb "that was completely bogus. I was
bored with the pat socio-economic account of Liverpool music so I
made up all this bullshit about ley lines that started in Iceland-- where
I spent 3 months in 1970-- that came whopping through space and hit
the world at Matthew Street"
"It all tied in with Jung calling the city 'the Pool of life', and
Liverpool FCs position as the best team in the world. Later, I built
on the story in my head and started writing a book in 1986. Then the
KLF came along so I never finished it."
Drummond says he has a love/hate relationship with arcane mysticism.
"I hate all that inner city 'Let's go down to Stonehenge' crap, and
all the corn circle stuff, but I also love any art that draws on the
natural, though I never bought a book about it in my life apart from
'The Golden Bough'."
Drummond now insists that the corn circles attributed to KLF were already
in place before he and Jimmy Cauty ever made theirs. "When 'What Time is Love'
was released, I was facing financial ruin if it wasn't a hit, so Jimmy
suggested we could get publicity on News at Ten by making a circle with
our logo in Wiltshire. When we got there the story had already broken
and somehow we'd been linked to a circle made by a group calling
themselves 'The Justified Ancients of Mu-Mu'.
"I pretended to be all mysterious about it to the papers and we got the
publicity. We didn't make our circle until the following week, and it
looked crap. I remember the farmer whose land we used being completely
pissed-off because there were no access roads to his field, so he couldn't
charge visitors. We gave him #200 which he put towards a new church roof."
The 'bogus' aspects of the KLF and JAMMS (building Wicker Man on Jura and
so on) don't appeal to Julian Cope, even though he and Bill Drummond retain
a mutually guarded respect for each other--
"Bill Drummond was a great producer just because of his attitude and feel;
he was like Andy Warhol,"-- but the pair would appear to be travelling in
opposite directions. They conducted a kind of correspondence by song
(Cope's 'Bill Drummond Said' was answered by Drummond's 'Julian Cope is
Dead') but years of rivalry, stemming from Drummond's decision to stick
with the Bunnymen after 1981's Club Zoo Teardrop dates, have left their mark.
"Bill called me to try and effect a reconcilliation," Cope recalls, "We
were going to meet half-way on the Ridge Way, between my home in Avebury
and his in Aylesbury. He walked for 28 miles, but got so exhausted he had
to stop and get his wife to take him home."
To do all that unusual stuff you've got to be very prepared. "He's not
really doing what I do at all. The corn circles were done to make the
KLF look good. They used all the trappings and none of the righteousness
and that eludes me. I said to him:'I've been listening to your music
for a long while and I just don't get your trip".
Watching Cope onstage at Orkney Art Theatre, it could be argued that not
everybody would get HIS trip either. Clad in a leotard and what may well
be his wife Dorian's bloomers, the barefoot singer cuts an extraordinary
sight, his flowing locks tied up high like a fountain. He tosses sweets to
the audience, munches nectarines between songs and generally cavorts
like a cross between Nureyev in the Sugar Plum Fairy [JH: I have no
idea what he means, maybe the Nutcracker Suite?] and Mick Jagger blessed
with a sense of humour.
Its a camp tour-de-force that gives Cope's feminine side ample rein,
while emphasising also that he is 6'2" of red-blooded male. At one
point he bellows a punkish rap in mock Lydon-esque tones:
"I'm here to see the chambered cairns of Ork-nee/ I wanna have bairns
in the cairns."
Fatherhood has stabilised Cope. He's come to terms with no longer being
the centre of attention and has poured the emotional supercharge of
parenthood into his forthcoming album 'Jehovahkill', like 'Peggy
Suicide' a double LP with vast pretensions-- many of them realised.
"I think I'm on one at the moment, and it gets a bit scary," admits
Cope." After Peggy Suicide I had an increase of strange psychic experiences
that were overwhelmingly life-changing. Last year after the Liverpool gig I
astrally projected. I had my eyes open and I shot into the heavens.
"I left my body so far behind that it was an all-time moment. Recently
that's been happening again, but rather than spout: 'Fucking great, me',
I'd rather people think: 'Oh that's good; I find that inspiring.'
"I even find David Icke inspiring, despite him going mad. It made people
realise: 'Oh, he's not just a football commentator'."
Julian Cope is certainly not just a pop star, although there is a 'best of'
compilation--Floored Genius-- to remind one what might have been. "I
played Jehovahkill to Island. They said:'Not another double, people don't
have time to wade through those any more.' I think they've got all the
time in the world. Island imagines my career is in tatters after every
record, but Peggy Suicide sold 60,000 copies. Now this is my eleventh
album, and I'm just about to blow it. Again."
So there you have him. Julian Cope, the Modern Antiquarian. No-one knows
how he got here or what he's doing-- but they can try to find out.
=========================================================================
Cheers,
Jo