October / November News Update 2007

Jackie, my good friend Genesis's other half (literally), is no longer with us. She beats us all by changing into the profound energy of this universe which lives eternally. Thank you for your mark. It is permanent. I loved your lips. You loved my shoes..........shine on.

I recently found this ancient photo booth photograph of myself dating from late 1974. I had just turned 17 and I had started Bradford College of Art in the September. I had natural colour hair then, but what really struck me about this photo is, how mental I look. I was so psychologically messed up back then. I rarely spoke to anyone. My nickname was "Lurch" after the tall sinister butler in The Addams Family comedy on television. Fortunately, because of my obvious talent as an artist, I was taken under the wing of a gang of middle class misfits, Gail being one of them. It didn't take me too long to come out of my shell. Strange love triangles developed. I felt like I was living in Brideshead revisited. After that, of course, I dyed my hair and started to wear make up. Strange fantastic days………….. Welcome to the October November Tranart news! If I am correct I seem to have by-passed the September news; whatever boys and girls, I am here now, so don't you panic my little ones, yer aunty Val is back again! Recent projects seem to be revolving around the theme of fairies for some unfathomable reason! NO, not that type of fairy, I mean the sort of fairy who lives at the bottom of the garden! I live a short distance away from Cottingley, a village on the outskirts of Bradford, where the famous Cottingley Fairy Incident took place! For more information check out this great website. Anyway, I have been working on a musical piece, an album's worth of material in three parts called "Titania" (Shakespeare's Queen of the Fairies from "Midsummer Night's Dream"). This musical project is very unusual for me because I have approached it as I would a painting. Normally when I do musical experiments, either solo or collaborations, I tend to be spontaneous to keep the immediacy of the ideas flowing, (in other words making it all up as s/he goes along – G). "Titania" has had a degree of planning beforehand and I have returned again and again to it, refining, reworking and re-layering. I've even added sound effects. The project has had input from Daniele of Testing Vault from Italy, Cyberbeatnix from Germany, Bruce LaFountain from the USA, DJ Max and Oli Novadnieks in London. I believe that this is one of my best musical efforts; I've learnt so much and I think that I will hold its influence inside me henceforth. Several tracks can be heard on my Val Denham music Myspace. Here is the "Titania" painting for the limited edition CDR.

Continuing with the theme of fairies, here is the recent painting of Louise Brooks as the absinthe Green Fairy that now resides in Germany. I am rather fond of absinthe, but isn't it expensive? I find that Pernod is similar. It seems like a watered down version if you just have it with tap water.

Also this month I thought I'd let you see some stuff I rarely ever show. My automatic drawings, which are sometimes done in collaboration with Gail. I find these drawings of particular interest because of their obsessive nature. The reason that they are rarely shown it that I don't know how well the detail comes over on the computer screen, anyhow here are three examples. They should really be shown very big.

Oh! By the way Gail and I have astounded are selves by giving up smoking! We've gone a whole month now. We couldn't have done it without one another – it concentrates your mind wonderfully to know that if you give in to tempation you will be letting someone down. We used nicotine tablets as our prop and I've weaned myself off those too now, Gail is not far behind me! We have let this go to our heads however and we've not had a drink since last week now! Not planning to go tea-total completely, sort of looking at a longish period to re-discover a life without artificiality, just want to know that we can! Will keep you informed of our progress and development! The thing is, getting really really drunk on a Saturday, then doing it again three days later and falling over spraining your ankle, bruising your knee and feeling like you want to die the next day…………..that's not good is it really? Hmmmm…………time for action. We have been most kindly invited to stay in London later next month by Oli Novadnieks and his Lady. (Can you tell that Gail typed this!!! What does she sound like! "We have been most kindly invited to stay in London"!! She writes like……….I don't know………Mapp and Lucia!) It will be the first time that I've been there since 2001 and I moved to Yorkshire after my divorce from my first wife. This is also, in part, going to form part of my 50th birthday celebrations (rushing towards me in November). Got lots of friends to see and exhibitions that I'd like to visit; Oli and I are planning to make some music together too. (Dontcha know Georgie) And this months poem is going to be spontaneous! Because I'm so last that I can't be bothered to get up off my fat arse and go get the big book of Val Denham's pretentious poems! So here it is, I'll call it……………."Code" Black sails haunt

My silver sea mirror

Demons rip the big light

Nag my jelly subconscious

With bleeping time signals

Sharp as gas filled thorns

Breathe them soft and silent

Spider bleak and constant

My hair in your mouth

Seed invisible

Shadows burnt blue

Your sperm sings

This makes me powder

Smell the atoms in my bones

As they whistle across

The years.

I know what that one means………………ooh. Okay changing the subject somewhat drastically…………I do like a good comedy on the telly. I loved that new series of "The IT Crowd" done by the same people who did "Father Ted" and "Black Books". That was really good! I also love "Kath and Kim". That really makes me laugh, oh and I loved "Saxondale", Steve Coogan is bloody brilliant! I like that wanky neighbour who tries to be cool with Tommy and pretends to forget something then does a little spin with his finger in the air. Oh! And that character called Keanu! I used to know people like that !!! And Vicky the receptionist! I love it. "The Mighty Boosh" that's good as well. Both Gail and I laugh a lot! Laughing is good for you. Cheer up, you're going to die anyway, so you may as well have a laugh whilst you're here. Went to see Psychic TV. in Leeds on the 19th of September. They were SUPERB. I'm not kidding they are the best band around without a doubt. I danced me arse off. I highly recommend seeing them live if they come to a venue near you. You will not be disappointed, I promise. I think Genesis P'orridge the singer is looking really cool of late. My favourite artist of the moment is Samuel Palmer 1805-1881. Palmer was a key figure in English Romanticism. He produced visionary pastoral paintings. I did this homage or rip off of one of his drawings recently.

Music that I've been listening to this past month………The Andrews Sisters, Hawkwind, Prince, Jon Pleased Wimmin's "Whole", Nurse with Wound and my own "Titania" Oh, here is a recent review of Val Denham and Oli Novadnieks "Raw Powder" album…………

Genre:  Experimental Rock

"I am completely unfamiliar with either Val Denham or Oli Novadnieks.  Raw Powder is their newest combined release; recorded in 2006, it was released this year by Blossoming Noise Records.  The 23 tracks presented on Raw Powder express a wide range of influences from 60s, progressive, experimental, alternative, and modern rock; folk, and just about anything in between.  With so many songs and such a variety in the approach to song writing, Denham and Novadnieks have definitely not held back in the expression of their vision of a new pseudo rock style.   With so much variation in stylistic approach and execution, Raw Powder can be a difficult album to review.  So many things could be said, but at the same time would be so misleading in representing other material on the album.  If your musical taste were more based in traditional approaches to your rock, I would say this is not the album for you.  Not that anything on Raw Powder is so wild that one might not find a connection with it, but enough of the material is experimental enough (or brings in substantial other influences) that traditionalists might be a little thrown off.  As I have said before, if you are reading your reviews on Heathen Harvest, that shouldn't be a problem anyway.  Some songs such as Move Like a Tiger have a great down and dirty rock feel, very reminiscent of something you might hear a band playing in a good rock bar.  A good upbeat rhythm, bouncy guitar, and distortion round out this song.  The ensuing track, Universe, has a very timeless and dramatic feel to its slow, melancholic tune.  Slowly strummed and quiet guitar are accompanied by serious-toned vocals.  This kind of adaptation and alteration of the rock formula is going to either be the biggest appeal or the largest turnoff for you in listening to Denham and Novadnieks Raw Powder.   Where does the album go from here?  Pretty much wherever it wants.  I cannot decide whether there was an actual formalistic approach to the writing of Raw Powder or whether the artists just write what hits their fancy at that exact moment without regard to what has preceded or might follow it.  Maybe this is for you, maybe it isn't.  Denham and Novadnieks departure from the traditional heard it before rock scene is interesting to say the least.  With such an assortment of styles, the adventurous rock listener will most likely find something to like.  While I was not crazy about Raw Powder, there are enough moments I did enjoy to make me throw the CD on again at some point in the future."

And here is one that I really like from Ian Dickinson………

"Following on from other underground musical experiments the multi-talented Val Denham with guitar maestro Oli Novadnieks have unleashed this album of original and daring compositions. The unique lyrics and vocal talents are backed by overdrive guitar abstractions and acoustically strummed melodies. The lyrics question identity and gender and draw you into this wonderfully weird world that cannot be categorised. Standout tracks: "Gift" is haunting and heartfelt and "Escape being me" densely pulsating and rhythmic with "Do you know who I am" plaintive vocals over percussive beats and acoustic guitar. Please buy if you want something different and check out the groovy sleeve and packaging!"

Review date: 17 September 2007

Here is a lovely drawing of myself done by Jesus from Venezuela aged 16.

Hmmm………see, we're not getting bad reviews are we?

Anyway peapods, Until next time, tara for now, from me, Valhalla, Stalker the puffy cat and that little minx of mirth and merriment that goes by the name of Gurgle.

Ps I'm 50 in November.

Past News (August/September)