6th July 1976 - Air Gallery, London
22nd May 1981 - Veteran's Auditorium,San Francisco
... the beginning and end of Throbbing Gristle...
Under the names of Coum, Genesis-P- Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti, represented Great Britain at various artistic events all over the world, including in Italy.
On the 6th July 1976, with an exhibition of the reactions to their artistic work, held at the London Air Gallery, they wound up the Coum project and founded Throbbing Gristle, along with Peter «Sleazy» Christopherson and Chris Carter.
The punk movement probably didn't start with the Sex Pistols swearing on Thames TV, but with the manhunt for Throbbing Gristle, organized by English and foreign newspapers two weeks earlier. «Yes, I agree.» (Richard Strange)
The English weeklies, headed by the NME, have consistently attacked Genesis-P-Orridge, and consequently Throbbing Gristle and all the products of their Industrial Records venture. The outcome of this endless press compaign: «But they're horrible people!»(David Cunningham)
Now that the Throbbing Gristle are finished, the same journalists that in the past attacked them, are changing their tune. They try to reclaim the rotting body only because it is now motionless. Whereas the alive and throbbing body was rejected only because it moved too quickly and in defiance of the established rules.
This is why I have decided to publish two virtually uncut interview/conversations which took place at the Genesis-P- Orridge's house. They are two moments in the life of Throbbing Gristle, two snapshots reproduced just as they were. I have chosen to avoid any kind of manipulation because they have already suffered from too much. I wanted to report word for word information from that time so that it might be compared with everything that was written against them. This is what Throbbing Gristle were like.
The two interviews were a year apart. The first one is from the Autumn of 1979. Throbbing Gristle had just cut «20 Jazz Funk Greats». Cosey Fanni Tutti also took part in the second interview, held on the 23rd October 1980. Throbbing Gristle had just recorded the «Heathen Earth» album and video. I decided not to report later conversations at which the worries that were shortly to lead to Throbbing Gristle's breakup were already apparent. Cosey then joined Chris while Genesis continued working with Sleazy giving rise to the twofold project Psychic 'TV and Temple ov Psychick Youth... but that's another story a present-day one.
Throbbing Gristle made teir last studio recordings in Rome in March 1981. Side 3 of the record included here is a re- working of that last piece. On the 19th March 1981 Genesis-P-Orridge married Paula Jean Brooking at Tijuana in Mexico
On the 22nd of May 1981 Throbbing Gristle gave their last concert at San Francisco. It has all been reported, it has all passed into history But history deforms the past and is ignorant of the present.
Only the future will be able to decide how much influence Throbbing Gristle have had on this musical era.
The influence Throbbing Gristle have had on a small number of people defies writing.
Autumn 1979... Genesis-P-Orridge and Red Ronnie...
23 October 1980 Genesis-P-Orridge (G) Cosey Fanni Tutti (C) and Red Ronnie.