Gavin Friday

He hasn't been very active since The Boxer, or at least not in the studio.

Finest Virgin Prunes album: If I Die...I Die

http://www.peterwolf.org/about.html

though I have no idea what it sounds like. If anyone ever gets it, I'd love to know what they think.

Be warned --- there's a lot of stylistic real estate between If I Die...I Die and Gavin's solo stuff. Where the `Prunes were clearly more inspired by Siouxsie and PiL, Each Man... owes more to cabaret ala Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf, Bertold Brecht etc. It's highly melodramatic stuff, but also highly enjoyable (well, for me anyway). Adam'n'Eve has a bit more of a Eurodiscoey feel (especially the single, "I Want to Live," later covered by....er...Naomi Campbell). Shag Tobacco, meanwhile, came out in the post-Trip Hop world of `94/`95 and has lots of said trend's earmarks. The title track and "Caruso", though are HUGELY great, though.

http://www.macphisto.net/phonecalls/photos/macphisto-pic-09.jpg

They sure are.

He also guested on some records by Coil and the Fall before Each Man Kills....

http://www.gavinfriday.com/ goes Iron Maiden!?

Psst... Just announced (like, an hour ago, but I've known about it for months):

http://gavinfriday.com/2009/09/11/hal-willner-presents-an-evening-with-gavin-friday-and-friends/

Hal Willner presents:
An Evening with Gavin Friday and Friends

Featuring Laurie Anderson, Antony, Elizabeth Ashley, Bono, Adam Clayton, Andrea Corr, The Edge, Flo & Eddie, Joel Grey, Bill Frisell, Guggi, Courtney Love, Lydia Lunch, Patrick McCabe, Maria McKee, Shane MacGowan, Eric Mingus, Larry Mullen, JG Thirlwell, Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright, Chloe Webb, Plus Special Guests.

Sunday 4th October 2009
Carnegie Hall – New York City
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

Tickets go on-sale Wednesday,
September 16, 11AM EST

!

Well deserved of course but why can't there be something as equally deserving on that scale over here for Marc Almond, dammit.

I do like how that lineup is all 'oh btw U2 WILL BE HERE BUT WE CAN'T SAY IT DIRECTLY thank you drive through...'

Isn't more a case of "U2 will be here, but as far as this show goes, they're no more or less important than anyone else on the line-up?"

It's a fiftieth birthday thing for GF, BTW. So Marc has missed his chance!

Hahah well there you go.

If I was there, I'd go -- I'd even suffer through Antony and Rufus W. for it. (And I *would* suffer.)

Funny I just listened to "Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves", which I adored the first time I encountered it but it didn't strike me as amazing anymore. Still very good but not as revelatory. The title track and the Brel-via-Walker cover of "Next" are the standouts.

Odd. I saw Gavin perform in little rooms like Sin-e, CBGB, the Bottom Line and the WestBeth. If I can score a ticket, this will be quite a change.

Plus Special Guests.

Word from my friend who does the GF website: the members of U2 are listed separately because they won't be performing together as U2.

Not to sound cynical, but do enough people in NYC even know who Gavin Friday is for him to be playing at Carnegie Hall?

Why, isn't he that Thank Gavin It's Friday restaurant chain guy?

New album: Catholic (released on Good Friday in Ireland, of course)

http://gavinfriday.com/myspace/gavin-friday-myspace-960x250.jpg

http://gavinfriday.com/shop/

(btw, the title's on his collar)

An honest to god new album at last? Kinda shocked here.

Yeah, it's only been 16 years since his last real studio album, don't know what he's thinking. The sample track is maybe just a little too boring to be very excited about this but any reason to listen to Each Man Kills is a good one so I've done that instead for now.

Gavin! "Friday" is hip again thanks to that Rebecca Black song, quick, release something!

It's all a bit "quiet U2" on first listen

This is how I waste my time these days.

Good stuff, Alex. Did you ever write for The Big Takeover? You certainly seem to run in the same musical circles as Jack Rabid.

Never wrote for it, no, but I know Jack from years back.

What is up with guy? Anyway, "Shag Tobacco" is great stuff, like U2's "Zooropa" with Bryan Ferry singing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2-T4Wnq5JM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaufK-b2DkQ&nohtml5=False
(with Mr. The Edge and Bono)

Heh, of course the last post was from me. Anyway, I've always wondered how peripheral pop figures like Gavin Friday (or, say, David Sylvian) even pay the bills, but yeah, five years later, "Shag Tobacco" is still pretty cool.

Yeah it's a good one. Should dig it out again.

co-sign. really like all of his pop albums. think my favorite is adam'n'eve, but they all have some amazing highlights.

"eden" from adam'n'eve still gets me movin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjBeSKwKL8U

With GF, as I recall, the bulk of his income comes from U2 tours; he’s involved in their design/styling.

Gavin's allegedly working on a new solo album as we speak. Purportedly all electronic. We'll see.

Sylvian I suspect is making money in the professional art world, doing sound installations and that sort of thing.

THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR "KING OF TRASH" HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE ONLINE WORLD

I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Ycw8sn27k

BRING BACK THE REAL KING OF TRASH VIDEO

SUCH MASTERFUL WORKS SHOULD NOT JUST BE "removed" DAMMIT

unless he had a good reason for doing so. then, well, shoot friend, i understand. still a great jam.

(ahem)

friends,

if you will recall the last time i wrote you, it was in distress as i had been informed that the music video for "king of trash" was not available anywhere for viewing.

i'm quite happy to inform you with the following update: we have located a replacement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuBU2zM9ljM

just an unofficial upload, but reasonably good quality. fantastic. one of my favorite song+video combos of all time. if there was allowed to be "good fake bowie" in the 70s that gets remembered, surely by the 90s i'm allowed to appreciate "self-consciously ironic fake morrissey." i love this song. those first three albums are so satisfying (+all three are personal classics).

wild, I am a huge Virgin Prunes fan but have heard almost none of GF's later work

worth noting that there is a Virgin Prunes song called "King Of Junk" from circa 1985 iirc?

(edit: it's from 1982)

it's very cheesy music. prunes are unlistenable by comparison.

i recommend all of it very highly.