rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (04/17/84)
The term "no wave" was coined to describe a music scene in New York that had its roots in avant garde art and post punk. It is a reaction to "new wave" schlock that predates the "hardcore" explosion (and exceeds it, in my opinion). The music was found on a number of independent labels in the NY area (99, Fetish, ...) Among the first no wave bands was Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, which gave us James Siegfried (who called himself James Chance in "James Chance & the Contortions" and James White in "James White & the Blacks") and Lydia Lunch, who went on to form 13-13 and Eight-Eyed Spy. Lunch is a very weird and often intentionally obscure artist, who recently co-wrote a book of poetry with Exene Cervenka of X. She has appeared in the "B movies" (an offshoot of the no wave movement) filmed by Scott and Beth B, including Black Box (a film about torture--a black box is a name for an apparently common torture device in Latin America) and Vortex (a bizarre detective film). James Chance, as he now likes to be known, is an artist of multiple musical personalities. James White & the Blacks was a more commercial orientation (or so he said) that later found its home as a genre on ZE records (home of Was Not Was). James Chance & the Contortions was a brasher, noisier configuration, and in this persona Chance would play the part of rude, revolting prima donna asshole star to the hilt. Both groups did a song called Contort Yourself--one a "no wave" version, the other a "no disco" version. The interview with Chance in the New York Rocker a few years back is an absolute gem. (As James Chance, he revived the old Iggy Pop standby of crowd-falling-into, again predating Jello Biafra et al.) Despite the harshness of the genre (or perhaps because of it), it produced some great artists. Jody Harris and Don Christensen of the Contortions later worked with the Raybeats, a modernist surf-oriented instrumental band (from NY???). George Scott, the bassist who worked with Lydia Lunch, the Raybeats, and John Cale, later died of a heroin overdose, but left some great music behind. Pat Place, the snakey slide guitarist of the Contortions, later formed an (almost) all-girl band (definitely NOT like the Go-Go's) called the Bush Tetras, who do an excellent cover of Lennon's "Cold Turkey" among other things. Arto Lindsay, founder member of DNA, later joined the Lounge Lizards and the Golden Palominos. Enough rambling (YAY!! -ED.). Some discography: NO NEW YORK - produced by Brian Eno (????) ; contains work by Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, the Contortions, DNA, Mars. Now a budget album almost everywhere. Interesting noise. "Not Moving" (DNA), "Can't Stand Myself" (Contortions). LYDIA LUNCH - "Queen of Siam" also a frequent budgie bin fave, worth the price just for the cover. "Atomic Bongos" (jungle wave), "Lady Scarface" (avant garde detective jazz), "Spooky". JAMES CHANCE - the original albums from the Contortions and the Blacks were merged onto one compilation LP, which contains "Contort Yourself", "Stained Sheets", "Tropical Heat Wave" Also recommended: ZE Records original no disco compilation "Seize the Beat", anything by the Bush Tetras, the Raybeats. -- "So, it was all a dream!" --Mr. Pither "No, dear, this is the dream; you're still in the cell." --his mother Rich Rosen pyuxn!rlr
malik@helos.DEC (Karl Malik ZK01-1/F22 1-1440) (06/07/85)
Subj; article on No-wave For all you No-wave fans with an intellectual bent, this month's 'The Atlantic' has a short (2-page) article called 'No-wave Nihilism'. Neither pro or con. Sort of a mini sociological history of punk & new wave, where they came from, their subsequent commercialization, and the current vangard reaction against that. Short, but well written. - Karl
ned@SCINEWS.UUCP (Ned Robie) (06/11/85)
> Subj; article on No-wave > > For all you No-wave fans with an intellectual bent, this > month's 'The Atlantic' has a short (2-page) article called 'No-wave > Nihilism'. Wow! Just in time! -Todd Jones, logged in as the infamous Ned Robie.