These are my programme notes for Particles. Kinda.
One thing I like is when theatre programs put suggested reading or films to watch alongside a play that was on in the main house. It’s a nice little touch and gives you a greater context as to what you were about to see lived in. Made it feel less exclusive to the theatre and showed how it sat alongside film, music and other forms of art. Usually it was the intern In the marketing department having a bash at suggesting things, I think I once saw a suggest to watch the Ghandi film alongside a production of Death of a Salesman, in a hope to sell a couple of more tickets but it was something I always enjoyed reading.
You never really get many performance artist/theatre makers/ drama dudes wear their influence on their sleeves. In interviews with these sorts, it tends to be things like y’know life and shit that inspire them. BORING AM I RIGHT (I’m not right). An article in the guardian or an event In their life Is usually what is discussed (watch out for a contradiction later one folks!). You don’t usually get an acknowledgment out of them about other forms of culture that has inspired them to write or devise a show. I know Simon Stephens does it a lot. He mentions the films Elephant and …it as inspirations for Punk Rock and it does help you in understanding a few thoughts and ideas that are explored in the play. The soundtrack that Stephens’ pops alongside the text as stage directions is another indication for the inspiration of the text. The ricochet between guitars and drums during Kersone gives you a bit of a hint at the bile building up in the characters and their need to get out of Stockport. Reading that play got me into Big Black. I’m thankful for that.
So these are my programme notes. A list of things that inspired the creation of the show. The real life events that influenced the show are actually referenced in the show so I’m not going to tell you what they are. You’ll just have to come to see the show.
Album - The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
I remember being fairly young and listening to this in the car with my mum. It filled me with giddy adrenalin that made the lyrics burst out of my mouth anytime Do You Realize?? was being played. It reminds me of a time when I was first discovering things and since then this album has had a bit of an influence in everything I do. Particles is about challenging apathy with optimism and watching the clip below I think you can see where the influence lies.
Song – Sleaford Mods – Tiswas
I really like this band. A lot of bands I liked growing up with provided more of an escape to where I lived, it was usually hip hop albums or shitty brit pop revival stuff. There wasn’t really much music about living in a shit town that confronted that. It was usually a ‘I live in a shit town but gee whizz mister I’ll do something about it’. Sleaford Mods attack what they see. They aren’t happy about how shit things have got and they’re not going to sit by and try and escape it. They are going to confront it. Particles is a fairly cheerful piece but was inspired by sitting around in Bolton and Lancaster, seeing the misery dripping off peoples faces and nothing happening to support these people. Seeing council giving the free reigns to the town to Warburtons as they invite David Cameron to stand in front of a loaf of bread because Mr Warburton gives the conservatives a bit of money and it’ll act as a great advertisement to crumpets. Who needs to support a local community when you can get Rambo in to do an advert!
Comedy – Daniel Kitson
Love Kitson. That’s not a rare thing and if you’ve ever seen me perform before you’re probably thinking “yeah, duh”.
I never really got into theatre until I was about 15, which doesn’t sound that late but I know a fair few people similar age at a similar level as me who treaded the boards at the National before their voice had dropped, and that was through plays. I never saw a one person theatre performance until I was 19 or 20. That’s not a long time between first exposure and then stating to do it myself which means I didn’t have much reference as to how to perform alone on stage. I’ve always really been into my comedy. I remember getting really into Bill Hicks when I was about 14 and that triggered a deeper interrogation of what I thought stand up should be. I found Daniel Kitson and boom. Hooked for life.
This, I feel, has been the most significant influence as to how I make a show. They usually take some stand up structures and fuck around with them. I saw the Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church when I was 18 and it was perfect. I wanted to do something like that but I knew I wasn’t actually funny. Maybe funny in a laughing at kinda way but not funny ‘he’s good at jokes’ funny.
The structures of his performances are a key influence to Particles.
I also accidentally stole a joke of his in the first couple of r&d showings of Particles . It’s now replaced with a joke Eddie Stobarts.
Article – Artists getting angry.
I fully support everything in this article. Me and director James Varney are going to use this when we’re re-rehearsing Particles next week.
I’m just going to leave it here for you all to read. You’ve probably already read it. Read it again. Go outside into a public square and read it aloud. Next time you see a shit piece of apathetic, self indulgent theatre; stand up in the middle of the show and read this out aloud.
I think every artist has either written about this or sat in a corner of some coffee shop staring into the bottom of a stained mug contemplating this. It’s a fairly inevitable thing when you decide to become a fully fledged artist as that you will get more rejection emails than jobs. It’s something you’re confronted with pretty much every other day. Other the past few weeks I’ve spent hours in front of the glare of my mac trying to bash out application form after application form. Some of them will provide the next step I need to do that theatre thing properly and others will offer me the opportunity to do a gig in some exotic location like Ipswich. Unfortunately, I’ve been a bit on the unlucky side this time around. I was also a bit unlucky around September/October last year with applications. That explains why I’m not on a train to do a get in for a show but instead sat surrounded by empty boxes asking me to describe in 50 characters the premise to a show. It’s a bit of a cycle.
Don’t worry though Josh Coates Fans! (….yeah…) this isn’t a post where I question if what I’m doing is the right thing. I brainwashed myself during university to be stubborn and continue trying to become a full time artist man regardless of any failure. That’ll probably catch me out one day but a day like today it’s proving to be a necessary survival technique. Instead I thought I’d share a few things I do when I’m down in the dumps. When I’ve had more rejections than hot meals. When opportunities have been pulled under my feet like a shit magician at a butlins. So I’m going to Buzzfeed it a bit no so I’m sorry…
YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE THE 5 WAYS THIS SAD EYED MAN GETS OVER HEART BREAKING REJECTION….IT’LL CHANGE YOU’RE LIFE.
GO SEE STUFF 1 ) Got a spare day now you didn’t get a 10 minute scratch in Margate? Go see something. Visit a gallery or go to a gig. Go see the Am Dram society do Anything Goes or even watch a new film on Netflix. Push yourself to go and see something that you may not have seen before. I think one of the best ways to learn more about your own practice is to see as much art as you can. There is two sides to this. You can either see work that will change your perception of your own art or you may strongly disagree with a Rothko and decide that the art you will make will never be like that because you think Rothko is shit. Take those thoughts into the rehearsal room and see what happens.
READ SOME REVIEWS FOR SOME GOOD THEATRE 2) I love seeing people get excited over theatre or over any piece of art. It’s almost infectious when overhearing someone talk about how excellent they thought Little Shop of Horrors at the Royal Exchange was. It may not have been your cup of tea but you share that thrill that the person exclaiming their love for the show has. If you find yourself at home and unable to over listen to a conversation about art. Go read some reviews. Good reviews though for good things you like. A daily mail review will only get you angry so go seek out a blog. The dizzy way the reviews can describe a piece of exhilarating theatre may give you a breath of fresh air. If that reviewer can be like this for a show than I want to make a show that creates the same feeling. For me, it’s kinda given me the kick up the arse to make better theatre. I don’t know if that’s a good thing but I would love to see some online theatre critics discuss some show I made in the same excited way as the reviews I have bookmarked.
3) MAKE YOUR OWN OPPURTUNITIES No one wants to programme my show? Fuck it. I’ll make my own venue. With a dog in it that sleeps on the stage. That has a Wii to play on after shows. Wine is cheap. I didn’t get a job around Christmas time so I wanted to make a pantomime in my own house based on Peter Pan called The Fun Machine Took A Shit & Died. I don’t think many venues in the North West would be happy if I did a show like that.
4) RE-LIVE YOUR FAVOUTIES. There’s a reason you got here. You didn’t drop your spoon into your cereal one morning as you pronounced to all in attendance that you wanted to make performance art that questions the ethics of a post audience society. You got there after spending hours researching and looking up artists you admired. You even read an essay or two. But I bet those essays where the best essays you ever read. Maybe pick it up and have another read of it. I have a playlist on youtube of theatre I love and I put it on when I need that adrenalin shot. In a way, it gives me the encouragement to try harder. If those guys can do it surely you can.
5) WRITE SOMETHING This is my outlet. I feel like I haven’t created anything for a while. I can get a bit flustered when I haven’t spent at least 3 days out of 5 in a rehearsal room or on a train to a venue to perform. Even if I did a show about 3 weeks ago that went down well I find that if I haven’t built of those experiences by redeveloping certain aspects of the show then there’s a good chance I will feel I’ve wasted an opportunity. This blog post isn’t going to add to a greater conversation happening. In fact it’s fairly indulgent. I have spent far too long writing this though and my first draft of this blog post was nearly 4 pages long. I have found this helpful though. There’s some phrases in this blog post I may steal for a show in the future. Also if you are reading this there’s a good chance you’re probably having the same sort of day as me. You’re sat with a lot of coffee by the side of you wondering if you should bother sending off an application.
Don’t worry. Those receiving it will be lucky to have got your proposal. And if you don’t get it then they are idiots and the smell bad. If you’re feeling bad just come over to mine and we can hang out. My cat will sleep on your lap as we shoot the shit about everything creative. We may even come up with an idea we want to share with people. I’ll pop on the kettle.
Keep on.
NOTE: I do have dyslexia so if you’re reading this laughing at my grammar and shouting “THAT’S WHY YOU DON’T GET GIGS. YOU CAN’T SPELL YOU DICK”…that’s why.
I’m going to do a one off show in a few weeks time in a car park in Manchester. At the moment it’s called Rot but apart from that I don’t really know what it’s about. I think it’s a punk coming of age story and about sex but that may change by performance date.
I’m doing this because I’m getting a bit bored with wanting to make work and being held back by either lack of funds, failed application or just the fact there isn’t the space. I don’t see where this show fits into the wider Manchester theatre scene( that’s not a negative thing on Manchester scene. I literally don’t know where this show fits) and rather than sitting on my hands and waiting for the stars to align I thought: Fuck it.
When I made that decision it opened up a lot more opportunities to make a show that completely engulfs itself in Manchester and picks away at it’s carcass. I have a few things planned that I don’t think I’d be able to do in a theatre and that really excites me. I know that we are going to walk to the car park together and listen to a mix tape together.
It’s only going to be a one off for the time being. It’s kinda a work in progress version of the show that I may make a full-fledged beast at some point. The date is 22nd January and we will meet up at Oxford Road train Station. There will only be 15 tickets for this and it’ll be completely free. You’ll get more information if you book tickets. There is a link to book a ticket after the little blurb I wrote.
Rot
by Josh Coates
Eddie and Suzzy are queer. They don’t know this but that’s what everyone calls them behind their backs. Eddie is a virgin and Suzzy fucks to get into the heads of her enemies. One night their lives crash into each other when they get chased by a group of lads in to a car park. This is where we meet them.
Cutting lyrics by Kathleen Hannah, Martin Crimp and Kathy Acker ; Rot is a punk DIY show presented in a car park about sex, how we define ourselves and PEZ dispensers.
Christmas eve 2012 I got told that I have depression. Since then I’ve had a reserved approach to Christmas.
Hanging around town centre and being caught up in the swarm of people doing their present shopping wearing christmas jumpers makes me a bit anxious as I associate a lot of christmas imagery with a really rough time. I tend to remove myself from the celebration of it all by trying not to over compensate how you are supposed to celebrate christmas and spending it alone. That could mean staying in my room a bit more or avoiding those who are really delve in to the festive spirit. If I go anywhere thats a ‘Christmas do’ I convince myself its more a party with friends then a celebration based around the time of the year. I don’t do this because it makes me sad or because it’s painful for me. It doesn’t really feel like anything. It’s just static. It is something I do.
Don’t get me wrong as there are elements of Christmas I admire. I love people unwrapping presents and listening to xmas rap songs. But there will always be that distance I have between myself and this time of year. I like seeing people happy during the holidays because I know then that at least someone is having a really special time and that makes me appreciate Christmas a bit more.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently and going off this article (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-30433361 ) it’s comforting to know that it’s not wrong or un-merry of me to feel like this during Christmas. In fact a lot of people share a similar process. It’s not the way Josh is - It’s the way his mind works. I like knowing that. I don’t define myself by my depression ( even though I do enjoy making jokes about it ) and I don’t define my depression with Christmas by it. It’s just a unfortunate case of bad timing.
I wanted to add to this conversation as well as just putting down my thoughts somewhere. Also, I like reading things about mental health and Christmas as it reassures me a little. Hopefully this might do the same for someone.
It’s that time of year where every newspaper, magazine and overtly fanatical people release their top 10’s of the year. I’ve seen and listened to some cracking stuff this year so I thought I’d jump on to the hype train. I was going to make a just north west based thing but there’s a few I am desperate to write about. So, without making any more excuses as to why I want to chuck my top 10 onto the ‘we need to list everything to keep order in society’ pile – Here is my top 10 ( which isn’t in order because I AM THE MOST POWERFUL MAN WRITING THIS BLOG)
1 ) Western Society by Gob Squad – Live at Lica, Lancaster
This wasn’t their best show by a long shot. In fact I found it a pretty safe and simple member of their repertoire yet I adored this show. I’ve been a Gob Squad fan boy for a bit now , one of those companies you wish you worked with, and this was the first chance I had to see one of their shows. The reason it’s on the list is because of the audience. It was full of Gob Squadians ( fan name I’ve just given them) who were eager to participate and potentially embarrasses themselves in front of their mates for the sake of art. I took my mate Ross who had no idea about them. He was picked out of the audience to participate and , as a mate, watching him awkwardly stumble around a living room and doing typical Ross dance moves ( which are the strongest dance routines this side of the m61) was utterly charming. It was clear he was safe and comfortable up in that stage with this bunch of theatre makers. They made an alive, risky yet safe space that allowed their participants to truly immerse and bring themselves into the on stage world Gob Squad was creating. And it was ace.
2 ) Divide and Exit by Sleaford Mods
This isn’t my favourite album of this year but it felt like the most important. Sleaford Mods hold the essence of punk in the way you wish still existed in popular music today. They attack and they don’t give a fuck if they win or not. They probably would win with anyone they had a fight with. Their tongues are razor and their beats blow a heavy punch. It’s exciting to listen to an album of such political ferocity because we simply don’t get many of them any more. Listen to Tiswas or Middlemen and It’ll make complete sense. Also they swear fantastically. I like a good swear word.
3 ) Men in the Cities by Chris Goode – Traverse, Edinburgh.
The only show I’ve ever seen of Goode’s is Hippo World Guestbook. I love it and it’s utterly charming while perfectly capturing how self destructive we can all be. I was expecting Men in the Cities to be in the same ilk.
Fuck me.
It’s brutal beauty swam around in your mind for days after. I honestly can’t give the show as much praise as I want to as I don’t think I’m a good enough writer to even begin to explain how good this show was. I have about 3 draft blog posts dedicated to this show somewhere on my laptop but the show just stunned me. It affected me in a way no other show has.
Possibly the most quotable exhibition I’ve ever been to.
Here are my favourites
“ You’re so left of centre”
“oh my god they’ve waivered my rights”
“ You’re basic. Did you hear me? You’re basic. I’m going to say it again. You’re just a basic bitch”
“ I have the best stunt chickens. They’re animated like so animated”
It was the Mean Girls of art exhibits. I mean that in the best possible way.
It was the nightmare of sophomore college students you wish you were invited to. I mean that in the best possible way.
5) Nothing by Barrel Organ - Summerhall, Edinburgh
This is the type of show I want to see. It ticks all the boxes. It was a massive fuck you to the passive, bland theatre that emerges. The fact it’s turned into a big fucking deal gives provides me with so much glee I would insist you all go buy the script. It came it existence because some people were angry and wanted to get their voices hear. They fucking roared what they wanted to say and we all listened. I want to more. We should all rally behind these guys and support them anyway we can. They’re ace.
6 ) Playtime at the Cornerhouse
Swings in an art gallery. That’s all I’m saying.
7 ) Confirmation by Chris Thorpe – Northern Stage at Kings Hall, Edinburgh
I live in Bolton which is known for being a fairly conspicuous place in regards to how certain members of the community treat it’s Muslim population. It was what I saw growing up and is still something I see in the Bolton News. I see Glenns on the bus, train and outside the town hall holding National Front flags alongside Nick Griffin.
Confirmation reflected a society that was just outside my front door. It felt vital and important.
I want Chris to take this show to Bolton. I want to share this show with Bolton somehow.
I reckon that’s a good sign of a cracking show.
8) Shake it Off by Taylor Swift
Best pop song this decade. Shut the fuck up I don’t even care. *shakes off all the haters*
9 ) A little constellation by Quarantine – Contact Theatre, Manchester
The act of walking around the city you love to just take it all in is very rare. To be given that opportunity for four hours made me reflect on why I constantly feel at home in Manchester. Thank you Quarantine
10 ) The Events by David Grieg – Home, Manchester
AT FUCKING LAST. I wanted to see this show since it first premiered. The premise and the execution of the idea, from what I read, was the sort of thing I could imagine myself really getting behind.
I did get behind it. I really fucking did.
I’m not going to add to much of the conversation of this show because I know it’s already been had but I’m going to chuck in some praise towards HOME from programming it. It’s the type of show that I believe appeals to a lot of people and if you didn’t like it well…at least the songs were pretty, hey?
Honourable mentions
I didn’t add these to the list because I wanted to be more Manchester based but instead I wanted to talk about Taylor Swift….ooops.
River of Fundament by Matthew Barney and Adler and Gibb by Tim Crouch. They were both extraordinary for their risk taking and their execution. These are shows that push you to think about how you make art which I think is vital.
Wish list for the new year
Christopher Brett-Bailey to come to Manchester
For HOME to let Tim Crouch, Andy Smith and Karl James go wild and let them do anything they want.
For Scuttlers at the Royal Exchange to be really fucking good
For you all to come to see my show at Camden People’s Theatre in March as part of Sprint. ( I’m already sorry I added this)
For Manchester to have a good art year.
Cheers for reading. Now hear is a song you can swear along with
I’ve just read that Tim Walker piece for the Guardian. I’ve also had about 4 hours sleep because of a niggling anxiety about work next year and I’ve just come from the most frustrating JSA advisory meeting since signing on. So if this comes across a bit ranty ,well…don’t say I didn’t warn you.
In his article, Tim Walker completely discredits online theatre criticism because west end theatres don’t use their quotes on their adverts. He also says the seats usually taken by the likes of Charles Spencer are now just full of spotty young things who were probably forced to reviewing theatre or they’d get their sexual organs electrocuted. I may have made that last part up but if you read the article you can imagine that was probably Tim Walkers trail of thought in his first draft.
I’m responding to his comments as an emerging theatre artist. The jargon filled label usually given to the spotty young sorts I share bills with. We’re neither here nor there. Some of us will make one show then go into a ‘proper job’, some of us will make the one show and then do 2k15 remix’s of them and then there are some who make a show every 6 months to perform to our own reflections on train windows. We’re an odd bunch but we’re here *waves from a café surrounded by coffee cups and empty application forms*
It’s rare we get reviews. We never get emails coming in from all major newspapers who send us lists of all the reviewers who want to see our show at The Gregson Centre in Lancaster or The Kings Arms in Salford. We can send emails out asking if they are interested to pop in to give our show the once over but they end to be ignored. If we do get reviews it from those mystical online theatre bloggers. They like to sound of your jip and want to pop into the room above the pub and see your show. To get anyone to see your show when you barely have made a name of yourself is a real plus. To get someone in to review it, who’s willing to take that risk along side you, is a thrill.
If you’re at the stage where you are still counted as an emerging artist it is fairly exciting to get your first review. It’s also that chance to see if people have ‘got it’. Your parents and friends will laugh at the funny bits and cry at the personal bits but there is always that sense they’re doing it because it’s your hobby. Like the way your mum used to watch you play footie at Moss Bank Park in Bolton now comes to see your shows in the rough parts of Salford. It’s brilliant they can come but they’re not going to write a blog for you, writing objectively about the thing you spent months crying,bleeding pissing out of your system. That’s one reviewers come in handy. They’ll pick apart your baby like a sick cannibal. They may say something you never even imagined about your show. They may just chew away at it’s ribs.
Yeah at times the reviews can be “yeah, the show wasn’t the show I wanted to see. He didn’t do any characters.” or “Josh is a tall man and he speaks in a northern accent.” But sometimes there is the odd one from someone you never knew existed before the review came out. Someone with a shit url like www.iliketheatreLOL.com but they hit the nail on the head. It may be a negative write up or a glowing review but when reading it it validates all the worry you had In the back of your head that as an emerging artist you struggled to answer. When you’ve not got a huge institution behind you, you’ve had to put a deposit down on the venue and you’re on stage by yourself for an hour, it’s nice to have someone to make the effort to truly critique what you’ve done. It makes it feel like what you doing is worth it’s while. It’s not just a hobby to pass over the time between graduating and getting a real human job. It’s your job.
Tim Walker would never come to see any of my shows. I don’t want him to either. The Telegraph of The Times will probably never review my show. I’m fine with that. I don’t like star ratings and I’ll never perform on a west end stage so I don’t need them to sell tickets. I like playing rooms above pubs and other odd little places. I want people to come in and see my show to have discussions with each other over a pint after. If they carry that on and write a blog about it then excellent and I’ll be incredibly thankful. Even if the review is just “Josh scratched his bollocks an extraordinarily amount during his performance “ It’s still something I think is valid.
Online theatre criticism is the conversation after the show. It’s uncensored and it’s exciting. It’s not there to sell the show it’s reviewing. It’s there to be that dialogue between audience and performer. It’s also a bit sexy.
Note – I do like some newspaper criticism as well. Just prefer blogs cos I’m young and spotty.
Also here is the article if you are curious - http://www.theguardian.com/media/media-blog/2014/dec/02/critics-theatre-press-newspapers
And if this has made you shake in anger. No fear, have a look at this. It sounds great - http://northeastreviews.com/
Tin Tin Theatre want to put on a Theatre Uncut event at the Kings Arms, Salford. There aren’t that many of us to do them all. So we are inviting YOU to come and join us.
What we are wanting are 4 theatre companies and/or directors to present one of these texts in a 4 night run In Kings Arms Vaults form the 10th December until the 13th. We are also looking for 1 theatre company to devise a new 20 minute piece to sit alongside these texts. The devised piece should be inspired by the theme of “Knowledge is Power, Knowledge is Change”.
This is an opportunity to build a small community of North West theatre companies who engage with the current political issues and to address them head on.
If selected to take part you will have complete control over how you tackle the text. We will meet on the 10th October to discuss which company/director will do which piece and then it is entirely up to you what process you take. If you want to hold auditions or if you want to cast from people you have worked with before – either is fine.
For the devised piece : be as inventive as you like. We welcome all sorts of work and invite you to be as ambitious as you want. Just be aware that the Vaults at the Salford Arms does have it’s limitation regarding tech. Also we won’t be able to provide certain materials. We are looking for a company who want to devise a piece from selection as opposed to an already pre existing show.
If you want to be involved send tintintheatre@gmail.com with the following
1. Name and contact details
2. Why you want to get involved in Theatre uncut
3 A bit about yourself
4. Examples of work
5 .Anything you want to tell us
and if you are going for the devised show
6. what do you plan on doing with the theme?
Obviously we would love to accept everyone who would want to take part. Hopefully from this first call out there will come more opportunities regarding casting. We also plan to organise more workshop/open forum type events around these dates to include as many people as we can.
Deadline – 10th October
First meeting – 14th October
WIP and discussions – 6th December
Performance dates – 10th-13th December
Any questions then email us on tintintheatre@gmail.com
I grew up on music videos. When I came home from high school the first thing I would do was turn on mtv2 and not move until my mum or sister came home demanding to watch the Simpsons or something else. I was gripped by what I was watching. I would sit in the same seat for ages flicking through different music channels to find a video that captured me and wrapped me up in it’s images. I loved how people interpret my favourite musicians songs. Watching them introduced me to the work of a few of my favourite directors now, spike jonze probably being the one who has stuck with me the longest, and some of the images I saw are now stitched into my memory. I remember running out of the room screaming at the sight of a dancing bear in Bjorks Human Behaviour video ( looking back on that video ; That bear is pretty adorable. I was a drip as a little kid)
I’m starting to make a new show and like I do every time I start the process I compile a playlist on youtube of music videos and other little things. The one I’ve put up this time around is a fan made video for Daniel Johnston’s Some Things Last a Long Time. It’s a slow mo clip of Daniel in a casper the ghost costume, his arms stretched out, walking towards the camera. It’s one of my favourite fan made videos. It captures the child like lovestruckness(fuck you that’s a word) of Johnstons lyric while establishing the haunting tenderness to how fans view him. It breaks my heart seeing that video, watching Johnston aimlessly walking across the screen holds a bizarre resonance with me. Not a clue why but yeah. That quality is something I want to bring to the new show I’m making.
I then started thinking about theatre and music videos. Lots of theatre makers try and replicate the aesthetics of film auteurs and try book adaptations but I’ve never seen a show that has a distinctly music video feel to it. Mainly because music videos last about 5 minutes at a push and that’s a short amount of time to establish some sense of story/theme/issue/self indulgence. But there’s a few pieces of theatre that has some links,be it aesthetic quality or similar thought tracks to some of my favourite music videos. So I wrote dis.
ENJOY IT
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Babe I’m on Fire/ Forced Entertainment – 12am
There’s a few links in this. The first one that connects is the whole changing identity with multiple of costumes that become a bit of a cluster fuck of a mess. A shared sense of play is established through this and instantly hooks you in both. The identities in Cave’s are those that are brought up are constant figures in his iconography. He weaves together a dark, backstreet world that after you’ve listened to a fair share of his albums you become familiar with. He makes these characters relatable and real. This video fucks about with these identities of the characters and places them a total contextless world. 12am presents with familiar personas we get in pop culture and media and again places them in conextless world. The lists of people we are presented with allow us to build our contexts around why they are presented together on stage or in the video.
Also the sheer length of both of these is pretty similar. 15 minutes in music video world is pretty fucking long. 12am is also pretty long. Forced Ent are kinda the linchpins of endurance performance so the length of 12am is a fairly regular thing for them. 15 minutes of pure music video isn’t that regular though. Gaga may make music videos that same length of Ulysses but the song never starts till about 10 minutes in. This is 15 minutes OF NON STOP NICK CAVE AND HIS SLIPPERY HIPS AND HIM PRETENDING TO BE AN ALIGATOR. I really love Nick Cave and Forced Ent are pretty high on my heroes list.
Interactivity is key in this one. Looking at James Murphey being forced to wear a wig and a dress by a gang of Pandas just fills you with the urge to run outside and pour buckets of cake mix onto peoples head whilst screaming into a microphone. It invites you to want to be a part of this autonomous panda gang. You can be ridden of a pesky identity and fuck shit up. Then when you’ve finished you can cheers and drink champagne with LCD Soundsytem. King Kong Club has that similar vibe. You’re completely removed of what makes you who you are. Everyone looks like King Kong. You are invited to help Gob Squad remake King Kong from the eyes of King Kong. You have no idea who your co-stars are. You’re mum might be the one who is the frontmonkey of the band and you’re dad could be the romantic lead. This removal of identity frees you up for participation ,which if you are worried that when you get up on the stage to be the volunteer with that face you own and that name your mum gave you , is a god send. You don’t have to be embarrassed. You can just get on with it and cause a ruckus. I haven’t seen the full version of King Kong Club. Only little snippets. So if there is a big reveal moment that completely changes what I’ve said then do tell me.
I was scratching my brain then to see if any other piece of theatre reminds me of a music video and I couldn’t. Struggled a fair bit. Songs remind me of some ( Dark Side of the Universe by Modest Mouse has a completely different meaning to me now because of The Shipment) and certain bands remind me of some of my favourite artists. But I put myself in a bit of a hole with this music video and piece of theatre. I tried to link NeedCompany’s Lobster Shop with a Bowie but couldn’t. I think they just happily sit next to each other as idols. Imagine if Jan Lauwers and David Bowie shared a fishbowl at Wetherspoons. I wonder what they’d chat about.
Anyway. If you have any other music videos that remind you of pieces of theatre then drop us the links.
