Outlandish!

[imomus]

The true eccentric never believes herself to be so; all she sees is that other people seem increasingly bland, and have a tendency to brand her in increasingly exaggerated, lurid ways. The same day I was berating the world for wearing jeans, the London Evening Standard's free commuter paper London Lite ran a review of my Thursday night show at the Spitz which, while essentially positive, painted a rather frightening picture of a person way out on the margins of society, flirting with madness.



For reviewer Joe Muggs, my performance was "tiring, even uncomfortably close to insane". "Scotsman-turned-world-citizen Nick Currie - aka Momus - took the stage in pyjamalike suit, ludicrous Beatle-wig and his trademark eyepatch, with only a laptop for accompaniment," Muggs wrote, mentioning my "mind-boggling" blog and "unashamed wonkiness". The headline to the piece ran "Mad Momus is an inspiration".

"You do look pretty close to madness!" commented my mother, who famously refuses to walk down the street with me these days, afraid that people may throw a straitjacket around her. "Glad they are saying some good things though."

At the Tate Gallery last night the "uncomfortably close to insane" line was running through my head as I lay face down on a table in the august and imposing Room 9 of Tate Britain, filled with heroic Victorian military and naval scenes, early Turners, and a screen showing scenes from "Funky Forest". My hands, bound at the wrists by invisible ropes, twitched violently as I simulated being anally raped by an invisible medieval knight. In my mind it was perfectly clear that I was playing The Lady of Shalott, and that exactly such scenes could well appear in any one of the paintings hanging on the walls nearby. Early Momus songs were inspired by exactly the kind of perversity I'd see in paintings at the Tate and the National Gallery.

Apparently when No Bra played this same room, the sudden appearance of Suzanne's breasts almost made the organizers halt the performance -- again despite the fact that many of the paintings and sculptures nearby featured scenes of bare-breasted women. The Tate also requested the artists performing to "please decline from using any pornographic or violent video footage within their performence". I immediately cancelled plans to show images of The Rape of the Sabine Women and Judith with the Head of Holofernes, or make any reference to The Bible or, indeed, the new Stephen Fry comedy series, the trailer for which features a parrot shouting "Fuck me! Fuck me! Come on my tits!"

A great range of normal human behaviour veers "uncomfortably close to insanity"; even the most eccentric or extreme art doesn't show the half of it. Still, I'm grateful to the Tate (in the shape of funky culturepreneurs Adrian Shaw and Dexter Bentley) for letting me perform under the paintings. You can also hear me today live in session on Hello Goodbye, Dexter's show on Resonance FM, between noon and 1.30pm UK time. The webstream is here. I promise not to sing any rude words or be at all mind-bogglingly mad in the interview.

Comments

[jermynsavile.livejournal.com]

Call me nostalgic, but I rather miss the days when the British had at least a couple of inhibitions left. Now the only thing that differentiates many of my compatriots from rutting pigs is their tattoos... but then again, maybe not even that.

[beketaten.livejournal.com]

That joke's incongruous buildup is obviously only for that ridiculous photo. Oh my.

I think the British have plenty of inhibitions -- hence the nervous reactions on the Tate administration's part.

Funny how they get horrified when something is part of a musical performance, and not just a painting, the like of which they'd normally thrust forth. No pun intended, oh snapp. Oh I lie--Sure it was intended. I'm just depraved.
But Momus is depraved in the best way there is, which is better than the best people at not being depraved.

[jermynsavile.livejournal.com]

Believe it or not but the ridiculous photo was an afterthought prompted by the line, which I'm not making any great claims for, not the other way round. I was also particular in referring to 'many' not 'all'. It employed irony, which is a characteristically British trait, sometimes lost on others.

I think the British have plenty of inhibitions -- hence the nervous reactions on the Tate administration's part.

My comment also referred to the world portrayed in charleshatcher's clip, not the reaction at Tate Britain.

However, I don't think that this reaction, which in the British arts world is strangely atypical, is anything to do with inhibitions. It is more likely to be a fear about public funding and possible leering interest from the tabloid press.

British public and media life may now have little in the way of inhibitions but still manages to retain a generous amount of hypocrisy.

[jermynsavile.livejournal.com]

Another afterthought here:while I'm not doubting that Momus was told the No Bra performance might have been pulled I don't really believe it. The idea of crusty old members of the estabilishment and young transgressive artists sounds much more like a band's attempt at self-mythologising than something that really happened.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

This information didn't come from No Bra, but from an organizer. In fact, I believe it might be the same person who posted anonymously the "overheard" exchange above:

"This appears to be getting out of hand. We could have our 2008 funding compromised. And the repercussions if the press get hold of this...shall I pull the show, sir?"

"Hmmm....no...no...let her continue..."

[jermynsavile.livejournal.com]

Thanks for clarifying the source. It does confirm my "more likely to be a fear about public funding and possible leering interest from the tabloid press." I just couldn't imagine any member of the ruling arts establishment worrying about whether a pop singer gets her tits out or not. The sad thing is that I couldn't really imagine any member of the ruling arts establishment considering a whole range ethical/moral/political issues either - issues of commerce and publicity seem far more likely to be on their agenda.