The KLF

I’ll try again…

The K Foundation appear to have become privatised?

https://twitter.com/Popjustice/status/900131559256281088

The book sounds incredible:

It is littered with bastardised references to 2017 culture in a nod to the grim future that could befall us all – the Big Five who rule the world are GoogleByte, Wikitube, Amazaba, FaceLife and AppleTree. Winnie, the main protagonist, has had an affair with Julian Assange in her younger years, and now uses an iPhone23; Michelle Obama has been the first female president of the US in 2020 but now models for Damien Hirst; Putin was crowned (ceremonial) czar of Russia; Simon Cowell was murdered by a former contestant live on China’s Got Talent in 2017. An alternative history for the Beatles and their role in world peace is also offered. Yet for all the technological progress, today’s social flaws, particularly the degradation of women, remain unchanged in 2023.

Take it the heavy handed satire thread.

5 Likes

Isn’t he presenting that there Grand Designs show now?

1 Like

Fuck, I read an extract from this in today’s Guardian. What a load of shite.

Didn’t Drummond mention something about being an undertaker in his autobiography?

I know it’s been shared amongst loads of Facebook/Twitter feeds today but I’ll share it anyway ‘cause it’s truly wonderful!

The whole week has been unbelievable. Haven’t watched the video so I don’t know how much it covers (I’m sticking with my own memory of the event just now), but the song came after a really beautiful and moving and life-affirming funeral service.

JAMs forever.

1 Like

Did anyone find out what was in the coffins?

If anyone did find out, I didn’t hear about it. I’m okay not knowing.

Reading the book at the moment and about a quarter of the way through, it seems to be a knowingly bad rip-off of famous literary works adding occasional quality to their prose - rather like what the JAMMs were doing musically in 1987 with their brazen sampling. It’s also 10000% more readable than the Illuminatus! trilogy, so they may have failed or succeeded there.

From what I’ve seen of the weekend that just was, I’m not sure it was the must-attend event some thought it was - and, again, if you know how Bill Drummond feels about meeting your heroes (see ‘45’) then that was probably the point. I’m slightly less a fan than I was as a result, so I’m probably moving in the right direction.

These men are in their fifties

3 Likes

Seems like this comeback was a total damp squib tbh

I think that was the point.

Righto. Wasn’t really clear as someone who didn’t follow it that closely. Was it some sort of commentary on old man reunions?

They did their commentary on reunions years ago (was it 2000 or something, maybe earlier?) when they did a 23 minute performance at the Barbican and came on as old men in wheelchairs, etc.

Last week was partly a book launch, partly an event to mark the end of the 23 year moratorium (which it turned out had been backdated to the date of the money burning), partly a showing of the 2023 triptych film and partly a launch of the Toxteth Day of the Dead/People’s Pyramid thing. The JAMs themselves, while obviously present and wandering around doing stuff, weren’t really the main focus for most of it - it was being run by Daisy Campbell (Ken’s daughter) and a guy called Oliver (who I believe is an actor), and they were great.

I’m not sure what people were expecting, if they wanted a new single or something, but they’ve been pretty clear in leaving the music industry 25 years ago. In terms of something earth-shattering happening, well, everything they’ve done since the Brits in 1992 has been fairly low-key in terms of mainstream interest generated.

I found the event to be mainly fun, but also interesting and towards the end (as I’ve said above) really joyful and life-affirming. Obviously others there may have felt differently, but I didn’t speak to anyone who didn’t seem to be enjoying themselves. Haven’t read all the book yet, just the first couple of chapters.

Liverpool as a city was really nice, had never been before.

2 Likes

Works on both counts then I guess - the fans who know the extended history, or even fans of Jon Higgs’ excellent book, can appreciate the finer points while the people who quite liked Justified and Ancient on Top of the Pops are confused by the media coverage and the fact there’s no new music.