[kj] Jaz Coleman (Official) [Facebook Post]

Neil Perry 65snoopy at gmail.com
Tue Oct 16 15:32:33 EDT 2018


Thanks for that. Love the stuff about the tour bus and morning routines.

I like the new media-free Jaz.

(And what happened to the Pledge box set?)

On Mon, 15 Oct 2018 at 20:56, Paul <dubecho at gmail.com> wrote:

> Posted by Jaz on FB, posting here for those who don't use it.
>
> https://www.facebook.com/JazColemanOfficial/posts/2177703322248124
>
> Jaz Coleman (Official)
> 3 hrs
> Dearly beloved Gatherers, Church of Killing Joke and Global Hummers
> I am currently taking a deep breath before we begin the European and
> British tour in Hamburg this evening. One of the worst things about touring
> is when you stop, suddenly the body seems prone to infections and one
> appears to lose a lot of energy. If I am honest, prior to the American
> tour, I was in a state of dread.
> I think my views on American foreign policy are well-known, but the
> funniest thing happened: the complete opposite of my expectations. For
> example, I never thought I would hear myself say how much I wanted to
> return to America, but that is exactly how I feel after what can only be
> described as a victorious tour. Maybe it was because I’ve stopped listening
> to radio, television and all forms of alternative and mainstream media,
> simply because it makes me so fucking miserable.
> And what a journey it’s been from Seattle to Lima, nothing short of
> mind-blowing. So many wonderful people following us from gig to gig,
> hundreds of stories about the power of Killing Joke’s music and how the
> music has changed their lives. I met Gatherers who were force-fed Killing
> Joke by their parents from an early age and came to love not just the
> music, but the lifestyle Killing Joke advocates. I met so many people who
> told me how the music got them through their lives and in excess of a dozen
> individuals who told me the music prevented them from committing suicide.
> In fact, everybody I met had a story to tell about this incredible music
> that has been the soundtrack to all of our lives. And I saw surprise also,
> surprise on Gatherers’ faces to discover I am a Gatherer too, standing
> outside of the band and looking inwards. I tried to make it my personal
> goal to meet and talk to as many Gatherers as I possibly could and I feel
> so very deeply touched by the significance of our little band.
> I loved life on the tour bus, American tour buses have higher ceilings and
> larger bunks. At the back of the tour bus is the Bad Boys’ Room, for
> smokers and drinkers only. It is also an incredible library, books such as
> The War of Art (yes, that’s right, The War of Art), Slave Race of the
> Anunnaki, The End of Peak Oil, the poems of Dylan Thomas and the Bhagavad
> Gita are stacked up on the shelves (Geordie always liked a tidy back
> lounge).
> The cupboards are full of vinyl that Youth collects from second-hand
> record shops on a daily basis, along with other junk like statues of the
> Virgin Mary and antler horns. On days off, I enjoy a premium cigar with the
> guys (my last remaining pleasure. Because of the reflux problem I have and
> its effect on my voice, tea, caffeine, mustard, chili, wheat, dairy and
> sugar are all banned from my diet. Smoking anything that one inhales is a
> serious no-no.)
> Every morning, Geordie wakes up first and one is awoken by the faint aroma
> of Dunhill International! I wake up next, join Geordie in the back lounge.
> Big Paul is next to wake and starts his day eating healthy muesli and
> making weird smoothies. Lastly, Youth awakes, saturnine and grumpy until
> his first cup of tea and spliff, at which point his puckish nature returns.
> The days off in America were normally in obscure towns which are more like
> car parks surrounded by shopping malls. This is where I would find the
> occasional cigar shop and hang out with some of the locals. We even stopped
> in Dave Grohl’s home town and I met someone who claims to live in the house
> he was brought up in.
> There was a great vibe between band members (compared to some other
> tours!) and everybody seemed to support each other, often going out
> shopping together or eating at restaurants.
>
> Preparing for a Killing Joke show is a spiritual experience. One feels
> like a coiled spring all day, constantly asking crew how many more hours
> till show time, measuring one’s energy levels at all times. And then we all
> come together in a circle and… invoke that spirit that has sustained us
> through the years. After this, I generally walk around alone and collect my
> thoughts.
>
> Most of the audience weren’t even born when we put our 10th record out,
> but occasionally we would meet an old face from the past, from 1980 (like
> Vivian Goldman in New York). I can’t remember one bad gig, they were all
> takeover events.
> One young lady in Dallas told me her father bought her ticket for her and
> so wanted to come but was suffering from a virulent strain of cancer. So I
> conveyed this to the audience and was delighted to see so many messages of
> love and support for him left at the merch stand. This is our Gathering of
> wonderful, loving human beings that after all these years I am so very
> proud of.
> As for Mexico City and the South American tour, nothing short of
> mind-blowing. Hordes of Gatherers at the airport, outside the hotel 24/7,
> astonished Gatherers watching these old punks greet everybody as they’re
> lining up for the concert. Gigs of such intensity that there were people
> crying in the audience.
>
> Life on the road has become so utterly addictive that my thoughts are with
> the late Paul Raven, who loved human beings with all their faults, like I
> do. And as we approach the European tour, synchronicities are already
> starting to occur. We play at Usine in Geneva, almost 11 years to the day
> that we held Raven’s wake in the very same building. So at 6.45 on the 26th
> October, we will hold a short memorial for Raven. Gatherers who knew Paul
> personally will take precedence, other than this it will be first come,
> first served and I expect everybody to bring one item that is stolen as an
> offering.
> The only home the late Paul Raven ever knew was the tour bus and I
> empathise with this from my current standpoint. I have decided to leave
> Prague and begin a nomadic lifestyle once again. Over the course of the
> coming month, I look forward to meeting as many people as possible, sharing
> information and stories.
> Finally, I would like to thank my brothers in arms for this amazing
> journey, and I would like to thank everyone who loves this wonderful band.
> Jaz Coleman
>
> PS: Are there any builders who would like to join me in Cythera to get
> some cabins up this summer (i.e. European winter)? Please let me know.
>
> PS2: I cannot put into words how I feel about the failure of the box set.
> I was not consulted on the details of it (which isn’t surprising seeing as
> I don’t take emails) and I only heard about the horrendous price during the
> American tour. Clearly, it hadn’t been well thought out, rather like
> Symphonic Killing Joke, where no preliminary budget was made. However, I am
> happy to say the recording is out of this world and although it will arrive
> late, Symphony Killing Joke (or Magna Invocatio, as I call it) will reach
> everybody early in the new year (date TBC). Thanks to all the good people
> at Pledge, the generosity of St Petersburg Philharmonic (and the Russian
> Ministry of Culture), the love of the Lucis Trust, which has changed my
> life, and finally and most significantly, this project was saved by the
> hard work of Carla Potter.
>
>
> https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/review-killing-joke-40th-anniversary-tour-new-york-723549/
>
> Photos: Youth
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