The KLF


While I was growing up, I only really had access to radio and to my parents’ LP collection (yeah, I know, old). So my primary go-tos were, embarrassingly (or, SUPER COOL! depending on who I’m talking to):

It wasn’t until I started growing up that I started coming into my own musical tastes. Because of social forces at the time, I got into all the 80s bands to some extent, but rolled into college with distinct, somewhat sophisticated, tastes: Sting, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, The Talking Heads, The B-52s, The Grateful Dead, Cyndi Lauper, rock stars who largely stayed in the scene, who made interesting careers for themselves.

But I was an still am a huge geek. I lived in London in the early 70s with my parents, and I had the privilege to see (I didn’t know it then) Tom Baker as The Doctor, in the original broadcasts, on weekends and after school. When if I’m not mistaken, there were like 6 channels we could pick up on the aerial on the telly. So of course I first encountered The KLF because of their trash hit single, as the Timelords, “Doctorin’ the Tardis” which I read with amusement this very morning was a piece of music they engineered to succeed in the music market, ratings, and sales industry, and which they themselves hated. But that’s okay for a couple of anarchic Illuminatus Discordians, right? Hail Eris!

But later I grew to know their very limited discography when I bought their “Justified & Ancient (Stand by The JAMs)” single and marvelled at their collaboration with Ms. Wynette. (Honestly, how could a person be as cool and awesome as Tammy Wynette?)

Later in life, I had occasion to know some Discordians (Hail Eris!), and to study up on it myself, and I can only say that if you are looking for cussed and willful individuals of low moral character and high intellect, go to the Satanists or the Discordians (Hail Eris!). I never really formalized my relationship to the Discordians (Hail Eris!), but I greatly admire then.

Speaking of Discord, a few interesting things that I found out about them recently:

  • The website that is about them seems to be waking up as of the past couple of years. For them, anyway. Lots of activity in 2017, 2018, and early 2019. In November (23rd, yes), 2018, they announced The People’s MuMufication Pyramid, made partially of cremains, which they’re building in Toxteth, in Liverpool.
  • There is a post from yesterday about a book about half of The KLF, Bill Drummond.
  • At some point, and this is super cloudy, given bootlegs, unauthorized sampling, and other copyright and attribution-confusing issues that The KLF has arguably intentionally made more murky, somewhere between yesterday and 10 years ago (or more), unknown parties (some of whom were probably The KLF) released samples and lists of The KLF’s samples. Some hobbyists and DJs went out and found missing samples, and now there are hundreds of mixes attributed in some way (or not) that use and reuse The KLF’s samples and tracks for mixes, remixes, tributes, challenges, and other kinds of musical artifacts, especially on Soundcloud. Were I you, I would search Soundcloud for phrases like “The KLF” and “The Timelords”, as well as phrases and track titles in The KLF’s original repertoire. There are SO MANY.
  • Honestly it makes me want to try to do some, amateur though I am.

 

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