Peter Blake & Derek Booshier at Pallant House

This weekend is the last chance to see the Peter Blake and Pop Music  and the Derek Boshier: David Bowie and the Clash exhibitions at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester (a bit off the SW patch, I know, but worth the journey).

Latest addition to my print collection

I didn't find the Blake exhibition quite as interesting as the A Museum for Myself exhibition at the Holbourne last year - largely because this show is focused exclusively on Blake's work for the music industry. However, the Derek Boshier stuff was all new to me (in the sense of recognising his contribution to rock art). The exhibition reminds us that Boshier appeared with Peter Blake, Pauline Boty and Peter Phillips in Pop Goes the Easel, the seminal film made by Ken Russell for the BBC's Monitor series in 1962. Incidentally, for a great account of the neglected Pauline Boty's life and work see the posts (part 1 and part 2) in Jez Winship's Sparks in Electrical Jelly blog.

... also the proud owner of this one, on tin

Also showing until the 7th is the Artist Pop Stars exhibition which complements the Blake show and contains material by rock luminaries such as Ian Dury and Bryan Ferry. Taken together, these three exhibitions are a fascinating insight to the close links between the art school and rock.

Got a Girl - my favourite - but I've only got a postcard ...

The Pallant also has its own collection of Modern British Art which includes examples of work by many important artists; and (again until the 7th) has a small exhibition of record cover art which includes 'references to the imagery of post-psychedelia, gith surrealistic and art-nouveau designs'. Who could ask for more?

Ian Dury - Danny Bubbles

The Pallant is a unique place. It consists of two conjoined modern and not-so-modern buildings. The not-so-modern part also houses many paintings and artefacts of note and, at the time I visited, a memorial exhibition of paintings by Adrian Berg (now finished) - This was terrific, by the way, especially for those of us now desperately trying to improve our drawing and painting skills to avoid failing our Access to HE art course ... Finally, the gallery also has a restuarant which serves excellent food and a shop which contains more than just the usual art gallery bits and pieces.

Lodger - Boshier and Bowie - got the LP ...

The Blake, Booshier and Artist Pop Stars exhibitions all finish on the 7th October. I recommend that you get down there, if you can.

Adrian Berg

Death of Dory Previn + Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

I was sad to hear of the recent death of Dory Previn. In the early 1970s I was sharing a house with a bunch of other people, including my friend Ged who introduced us to her work.

Dory was married to Andre Previn but had a lot of issues: Her catholic upbringing, difficult relationships with her father and alcoholic mother led to mental health problems, which persisted throughout her marriage. Nevertheless she was a talented lyricist working with Andre, particularly on film scores. Her greatest success was probably the haunting theme to the Valley of the Dolls which was a big hit for Dionne Warwick in a rerecorded (due to contractual restrictions) Burt Bacharach version.

Although Andre had been supportive of Dory throughout her problems in the 60s, he eventually left her for Mia Farrow. In the absence of Andre to write the music, Dory developed her own compositional abilities and produced a string of witty and confessional albums which recounted the problems that she had encountered in her life. At a time when the writings of RD Laing, singer/ songwriters, and the women's movement were all increasing in popularity, the albums - On my way to where; Mythical kings and iguanas; Reflections in a mud puddle; and Mary C Brown & the Hollywood sign - were pretty successful.

After her success in the 1970s, Dory dropped out of the public eye, although she produced two autobigraphies: Midnight Baby (1976) and Bog-trotter: An Autobiography with Lyrics (1980). She died on 14 February 2012, aged 86. This is a live version of a personal favourite from my favourite CD, Mythical Kings and Iguanas (but check out the CD/download version which is stronger):

The Valley of the Dolls movie starred Sharon Tate and the film was based upon Jaqueline Susann's bestselling novel about the careers of three women in New York show business.

The Dolls in the title refers to 'downers' - pills taken to get them through the day. To quote pHinnweb, in the movie "there were some great moments such as the tasteless decorations with glaring colours and some 60's pop-style montages with coloured filters; also various ultra-hilarious scenes of unintentional humour ... Sometimes it felt like an unintentional parody, though it was obvious it wasn't meant so."

 

In 1969 Sharon Tate - the wife of Roman Polanski - was brutally murdered by Charles Manson and his 'family'. For an account and a dose of related conspiracy theories take a look at this piece by pHinnweb, entitled Rosemary - The connection between Mia Farrow, Sharon Tate, Charlie Manson and the Beatles.

In the 1970s Russ Meyer directed, with a typical lack of restraint, an actual parody of the original in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Wikipedia describes it as schlock melodrama and a cult movie, which is pretty accurate.

I saw it when it was released at the cinema and again, more recently, on TV. It is an amusing romp which evokes the spirit of the time (in LA movies at least).

It's available on DVD. I'm glad to say that Dory Previn's output is also available on CD.

Davy Jones of the Monkees dies aged 66

Davy Jones of the Monkees sadly died on Wednesday 28 February - after suffering a heart attack.

Although Mickey Dolenz was the star of the show when we saw the Monkees earlier this year at Plymouth Pavilions, Davy was always the most popular with the fans and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying being back on tour with the band (or at least with three quarters of it).

Apart from being one of the two frontmen in a group that rivalled the Beatles for popularity during the Monkees' most successful years (those of a certain age will remember the recurring headlines in the music press during 1966/67 reporting a supposed Oasis/Blur style rivalry); he will always be remembered for his vocal on the perfect pop single: Daydream Believer.

For an interesting piece about Davy, Frank Zappa and the Monkees' movie Head take a look at the Sparks in Electrical Jelly blog. My post about the Monkees' performance at Plymouth Pavilions in May 2011 can be accessed here.

10 Reasons to love Pipilotti Rist at the Hayward

1. She's got a cool name - Pipilotti Rist was born Elisabeth Charlotte Rist in Grabs, Switzerland, in 1962. As a teenager she renamed herself Pipilotti in honour of Pippi Longstocking, the fearless, funny and uninhibited heroine of Astrid Lindgren’s children’s books *

2. Her work has a sense of wonder - By combining videos with everyday objects, she changes their nature and imbues the most ordinary events or objects with a sense of wonder *

3. She uses technology in intriguing ways - She integrates video projectors and screens in unexpected things and places: tiny monitors are hidden in handbags or displayed on a gigantic lettuce, projectors are placed in a watering-can and a hanging saucepan, and a book, a vase and a chair are all used as projection surfaces *

4. Her work is personal but is something that everyone can relate to - She believes that the objects that surround us contain memories and have stories to tell. She has progressively redefined the relationship between audience and art work, creating all-enveloping visual environments that place particular importance on the viewer *

5. She creates a parallel world and invites you into it - "When I close my eyes, my imagination roams free. In the same way I want to create spaces for video art that rethink the very nature of the medium itself. I want to discover new ways of configuring the world, both the world outside and the world within" *

6. Her work is psychedelic - She fuses dazzling colour, sensual images and mesmerising music to create immersive video installations in which the visitors themselves become important elements *

7. Her work is playful - She studied graphic design in Vienna, where she made Super-8 animation films, created stage sets for bands and did a lot of drawing. Deciding that she wanted to work with moving images, she returned to Switzerland to study video in Basel *

8. She loves music - Her first video work, I’m Not The Girl Who Misses Much, was made there in 1986 while she was still a student. Soon afterwards, she began working as a freelance video technician and joined the folk-punk band and performance group Les Reines Prochaines *

9. Her work is sensual in a 'nice' way - At no point is the content ever sordid, only ever a sensual exploration of the female and male form - Ann-Marie Rayney, Artists Insight

10. She presents a personal feminist viewpoint - Her works seem like necessary, important counters to a more mainstream image of women's bodies in film – an exploration of looking, spying, glimpsing - Laura McLean-Ferris, the Independent

Quotes marked with an asterisk above are taken or adapted from the Hayward Eyeball Massage website. The site also carries a lot of background information and a number of videos, including this taste of the exhibition:

And an interview with Pipilotti Rist:

If you want to read an excellent 'proper' review of Pipilotti Rist's exhibition see Adrian Searle's piece in the Guardian. And then go and see it (until January 8th).

Happiness is a Warm Gun features in Rist's I'm not the Girl who Misses Much 1986 installation (which is part of this exhibition). Here are some Beatle mixes that keen fans may enjoy: The left channel mix with unused Tuba overdub; the control monitor mix; the opal organ mix; and, of course, the original:

Finally, a Happy New Year to everyone - To finish up, here's a fun New Year's Eve game to play (courtesy of Mondo Blogo - click for more pics):

Far out, man ...

Peter Blake at The Coombe Gallery, Dartmouth

The Coombe Gallery is a small gallery in the network of streets containing a mixture of independent Dartmouth shops selling crafts, gadgets, art, etc.

This is the ideal setting for an exhibition which aims to present 'a taste of the wonderful eclectic world of Sir Peter Blake'.

At the start of the week the town was already buzzing with Regatta fund raising but when we visited, the gallery owner was away for the day and the shopkeeper next door let us in to see the exhibition, which had been opened the previous week by PB himself.

The work consists of limited edition silkscreen prints from various eras. There are some iconic works such as Mickey - a homage to Kurt Schwitters, a selection of Marilyns, Got a Girl, and Girlie Door. It was great to see these close-up.

There is also T is for Beatles (White Album pictures framed in a similar style to the original cover of George Melly's Revolt into Style) and the Madonna on Venice Beach series, which I especially like. If you want to read about George Melly, Smashing Time and the Swinging Sixties, try this and this from the excellent Sparks in Electrical Jelly blog.

A further highlight is a Kendo Nagasaki print. There are also a number of Damien Hirst homages - less impressive to me but when you get to see them close-up you can appreciate the prints more.

PB continues to follow a hectic schedule, involving himself in a succession of art activities. One event is the Ghosts of Gone Birds project through which artists seek to raise public awareness of, and raise money for, endangered species. Here’s a photo of PB and his take on the theme: a hand-written list of the names of all the birds lost over the past 250 years, signed off with one of his small collage pieces (it's a dodo).

Finally, here is a link to a recent interview by PB that touches upon a number of areas including his love of wrestling and the lack of politics in his work. And here is his original cover picture for Revolt into Style ...

The exhibition runs until September 10th.

See also my post on Peter Blake at the Holburne Museum.