http://lurkingrhythmically.blogspot.com ... ritch.html
Classic 'old' Eldritch. Sick? Yes, that was the whole point.
Remember his 'Heroes' in MM? Norman Tebbit, Klaus Kinski etc. - again sick but utterly hilarious.
The last funny thing Eldritch did was 'War on Drugs'. That was 24 years ago.
He doesn't play that song anymore. He isn't funny anymore.
Discuss.
Eldritch is no longer funny
-
elamanamou
- Slight Overbomber
- Posts: 1677
- Joined: 07 Jun 2004, 19:11
- Location: Fordingbridge, Hampshire
People are drawn to this mysterious man who dangles a carrot 
-
markfiend
- goriller of form 3b
- Posts: 21181
- Joined: 11 Nov 2003, 10:55
- Location: st custards
- Contact:
IMO Mark's interview from the other thread contradicts your thesis. Several genuine laugh-out-loud moments in that.
Also, the interview from 1991? Cocaine is a hell of a drug...
Also, the interview from 1991? Cocaine is a hell of a drug...
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
—Bertrand Russell
Yes, Mark, that interview was very refreshing to read. But I think my point still stands to a certain extent. It may be that, historically, Eldritch has had certain enemies/dislikes that he nevertheless felt had some perversely if not redeeming then dangerously attractive features. That's how I would rationalise him having Norman Tebbit as a 'hero' but never Thatcher herself. I wonder what he thinks of Jacob Rees-Mogg? On second thoughts, I'm sure he despises him. Does he still think/would he still say that the Nazis had the best uniforms? Maybe/Probably not - you can never be too careful about this sort of thing these days. Does he still think nuclear explosions look and sound awesome? Perhaps. I guess what I'm getting at is something more specific than my original concern:
Does Eldritch still separate ethics from aesthetics?
Relatedly, often and especially on Floodland, Eldritch comes across as domineering and patrician. Not the kind of characteristics one would naturally associate with the left-wing political stance Eldritch insists The Sisters have always taken. I'm not questioning this stance but am suggesting that it's hard to reconcile it with the posture The Sisters have sometimes taken. Case in point: "We got the Empire" etc. My provisional solution to this problem is that not all Sisters songs are political and that e.g. the 'Empire' is to be understood figuratively. And we should also understand that Eldritch is an actor, explicitly so on Vision Thing ('dramatis personae' etc.) and less explicitly but still the case on e.g. his Maoist masterpiece, Heartland.
Back to Floodland, yes he sounds domineering and patrician, but this is to do with the gravitas of the situation. There's no acting here. His tone communicates the seriousness of the matter at hand. I'm answering my own question, I suppose, in realising that this is not about left/right politics.
Does Eldritch still separate ethics from aesthetics?
Relatedly, often and especially on Floodland, Eldritch comes across as domineering and patrician. Not the kind of characteristics one would naturally associate with the left-wing political stance Eldritch insists The Sisters have always taken. I'm not questioning this stance but am suggesting that it's hard to reconcile it with the posture The Sisters have sometimes taken. Case in point: "We got the Empire" etc. My provisional solution to this problem is that not all Sisters songs are political and that e.g. the 'Empire' is to be understood figuratively. And we should also understand that Eldritch is an actor, explicitly so on Vision Thing ('dramatis personae' etc.) and less explicitly but still the case on e.g. his Maoist masterpiece, Heartland.
Back to Floodland, yes he sounds domineering and patrician, but this is to do with the gravitas of the situation. There's no acting here. His tone communicates the seriousness of the matter at hand. I'm answering my own question, I suppose, in realising that this is not about left/right politics.
interviews quite strained. I see very little humor just somebody looking for a soundbite without any depth. Not a criticism, just noting the way he chooses to play in the park.-
markfiend
- goriller of form 3b
- Posts: 21181
- Joined: 11 Nov 2003, 10:55
- Location: st custards
- Contact:
? "This is a song about cars, speed, speed and more speed. But above all, it's about speed. This is called Heartland."
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
—Bertrand Russell
Times change. Some of the things he said back in the day were cringeworthy. We've all been out of our face in our 20s and talked **** to be fair and whilst I'm not one for hunting down people because of a tweet when they were 12, hating the French etc wasn't funny then and hasn't aged well. Hell, imaging Bowie talking about how cool fascist uniforms and the like were nowadays. We might get what he means but he'd be slaughtered. The funniest and most perceptive Von's been was on Vision Thing, a very prophetic record with in my opinion his best lyrics.
The Chancer Corporation
You're quoting Eldritch here? If so, well, even Eldritch can be wrong about Eldritch: "I was wrong\I was wrong to take giant steps in a car." You do, however, take giant steps when you make a great leap forward. And you might be thinking about this sort of thing if you've recently been studying Chinese stuff.
This is from a concert were Heartland was played and it was also mentioned back in 2013 in hereXidiouX wrote: ↑28 Sep 2021, 17:56You're quoting Eldritch here? If so, well, even Eldritch can be wrong about Eldritch: "I was wrong\I was wrong to take giant steps in a car." You do, however, take giant steps when you make a great leap forward. And you might be thinking about this sort of thing if you've recently been studying Chinese stuff.
https://www.myheartland.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=23424
such a nice collection of quotes
'Are we the Baddies?'...
"Someday! Someday, everything you need, is just gonna fall out of the sky..." -A.E. Reading 1991
"Don't forget that most of the judges in witches trials had harvard degrees."
"Someday! Someday, everything you need, is just gonna fall out of the sky..." -A.E. Reading 1991
"Don't forget that most of the judges in witches trials had harvard degrees."
-
Planet Dave
- Underneath the Rock
- Posts: 6570
- Joined: 22 Apr 2003, 23:51
- Location: Where the streets fold round
Blimey I'm getting 3-2-1 flashbacks! Congratulations you've won a bin! etcXidiouX wrote: ↑28 Sep 2021, 17:56You're quoting Eldritch here? If so, well, even Eldritch can be wrong about Eldritch: "I was wrong\I was wrong to take giant steps in a car." You do, however, take giant steps when you make a great leap forward. And you might be thinking about this sort of thing if you've recently been studying Chinese stuff.
There is increasing evidence to suggest that Chris may have been being sarcastic.
-
eastmidswhizzkid
- Faster Than The Light Of Speed
- Posts: 9689
- Joined: 24 Mar 2005, 00:01
- Location: WhizzWorld
- Contact:
Well I was handsome and I was strong
And I knew the words to every song.
"Did my singing please you?"
"No! The words you sang were wrong!"
And I knew the words to every song.
"Did my singing please you?"
"No! The words you sang were wrong!"
I humbly recant if I'm mis-remembering this but wasn't it "I don't necessarily agree with everything I think."? If I'm right and if you think I'm being tediously pedantic here, then you're in good company. One of my very minor claims to fame is having had Andrew Eldritch himself call me a pedant, back in the day, in an exchange in the letters page of Melody Maker. And yes, he was funny then. He called himself 'Stickboy', as much a reference to his physique as to his arsenal, I'm sure. 
-
Being645
- Above the Chemist
- Posts: 14918
- Joined: 09 Apr 2009, 12:54
- Location: reconstruction status: 62.45%
...XidiouX wrote: ↑11 Oct 2021, 15:08 I humbly recant if I'm mis-remembering this but wasn't it "I don't necessarily agree with everything I think."? If I'm right and if you think I'm being tediously pedantic here, then you're in good company. One of my very minor claims to fame is having had Andrew Eldritch himself call me a pedant, back in the day, in an exchange in the letters page of Melody Maker. And yes, he was funny then. He called himself 'Stickboy', as much a reference to his physique as to his arsenal, I'm sure.
... well done, T. I think it was "say", but of course I could be at error.
Ha, ha, that‘s a pot calling a kettle black.XidiouX wrote: ↑11 Oct 2021, 15:08 I humbly recant if I'm mis-remembering this but wasn't it "I don't necessarily agree with everything I think."? If I'm right and if you think I'm being tediously pedantic here, then you're in good company. One of my very minor claims to fame is having had Andrew Eldritch himself call me a pedant, back in the day, in an exchange in the letters page of Melody Maker. And yes, he was funny then. He called himself 'Stickboy', as much a reference to his physique as to his arsenal, I'm sure.
If I remember correctly, he called himself a pedant in an old German tv show which is available on YouTube called „was glauben Sie eigentlich, wer Sie sind“ ( it‘s in German). He was asked to name 4 character traits that applied to him. If I‘m not altogether wrong, pedantic was one of those he named.
But now you have me intrigued! Can you elaborate on the exchange in the letters page of the Melody Maker? I don‘t remember it. What was it about?
The Last interview by Mr Andrews showed that he's (AE) still abel to be funny enough.
If memory serves me well (and my German these days is probably about as good as Von's Chinese) the issue was that a certain German verb is reflexive and should therefore come after 'sich' rather than 'ich'. I think the verb may have been 'durchsetzen' and Von tried to spin it as a transcription error. The exchange took place, I would say, within the month following Steve Sutherland's two-part interview with Von winter 89/90 (the 'Batman' interview) which was where the offending solecism occurred. If you read what he said, it's clear that he really did not like me criticising his German and that this was the only reason why he bothered to respond.