Some good news to start off with regards to Dan Treacy of the Television Personalities. After being in a coma for five weeks, he has finally came round. His sister posted the following update on his Facebook page: "Fantastic news, Daniel is out of ITU and making great progress. Daniel has a way to go yet but at the moment all is going in the right direction. Daniel still has a tracheotomy fitted, but I am getting used to lip reading until he has some speech therapy and a change in the tracky fitting to allow him to have a voice. This is the miracle we have all prayed for. XXXX'. That is great news for me, his friends and music in general.
The new Hay first campaign against the proposed retail partnership with Gaufron Developments (ie probably Tesco) continues but Powys County Council seem to have shot themselves in the foot by announcing an 'open meeting' but forgetting to actually tell anybody, such as the two local Lib Dem MPs, Kirsty Williams and Roger Williams, who actually called the meeting in the first place. Ineptness or planned forgetfulness? I despise corporate culture and this reeks of it.
The last few weeks have been pretty hectic, but here's an update. It looks like Steve Coogan's production company Baby Cow are going to do the Svengali movie, however now I think it will be now known as 'Dixie'. I will appear a little in it playing the role of myself - I suppose this is post-modern irony!!! Also the Irvine Welsh/Dean Cavanagh film/TV project is well underway and we are currently looking for a home for it. The idea is that it'll be based on the 90s in all their glory but with the names changed so Irvine can put his special twist on it. Then out of the blue I got offered the chance to do a musical which is completely nuts and had me on the phone to Dean and Irvine again! Again, another 90s theme but rather than on the box, this time it's a West End stage. Anyway, if we can find the right subplot we will do it along with my good friend Howard Panter. One meeting in on this one and it feels good.
Away from TV, film and stage, The Aquarian Conspiracy is well underway and Alex Lowe my co-conspirator is excelling himself in paintings of occult symbolism which I am sending him. I've still yet to start on the majickal sigals, but they will all be positive sigals. The '23 paintings' will probably end up online around Spring 2012, however as I have said they will not be for sale. All will be revealed soon enough. Then the book project Take a Walk on the Wild Side which I will do with Harry Mulligan will start in January, the plan is to get my daughter to download Skype to write it with Harry. I kind of hate Skype but will use it for this and this alone! Needs must sometimes.
I've recently stopped DJing in the UK as I just got bored being in places like Durham on a Friday night, but I will still continue to do stuff abroad. So far for next year we have Italy, Sweden, Japan and Australia all planned in the first three months so that will be fun! Last week the Creation Records documentary won Best Film of the 2011 in NME. It seems to be becoming somewhat cult film which is cool. What got me thinking this is when I DJed in Sweden last week and they totally loved it. Gothenburg was off the hook and Malmo was also great, so I do think the film is kind of linked into the reaction I'm getting. It's a hard one to judge though, so who knows?.
I've been in Wales for three months mostly looking through my basement and giving it a clear out. I already have one auction under the belt but it will take another four auctions to clear it properly. Some of the stuff I have found is unprintable so I plan to just stick it away in my safe as it's beyond memorabilia. When I die my daughter can flog it and buy a house. I even found a pension I never knew I had along with an envelope with 480 quid cash from 12 years ago from when a band had brought back a tour float. We had never bothered to bank it so its been there for 12 years! The £20s were out of date but the £50s are still current. Those two finds were all in one day which is just funny. I would say I am about 30% into even knowing what I have down in that basement, the amount of art I seemed to collect in the 90s is nuts! I never hung very much of it, it was just bought and put away it in the basement and forgot about! I live in there now - it's become my shed and as fun it is to make the discoveries and take a trip down some fucked-up memory lane I have no problem in flogging any of it. When it does go some of it will be sold for a Hepatitis C charity and a Wales-based charity, but I will work that out this week. All the early Primals demos I had I've given back to Bobby and Andrew as I think I had the only copies in the world and those should be back with those guys and not sold in an auction room. Speaking of whom, Gillespie is on fire at the moment. Anybody who has seen that band live this year will attest to that and I think the new album could be very interesting indeed - lyrically I suspect he is back to Xtrmntr form.
Finally, on the News of the World happenings, my lawyer has given the police 14 days to disclose evidence they hold and if not he'll be asking why not? The lawyers representing the hackers have already offered me the compensation scheme, which we have rejected. Call me suspicious but rather interestingly, they offered me inclusion in the compensation scheme only three hours after my lawyer asked for disclosure of evidence by the police. It all seems pretty cosy to me. To all concerned, I would say you underestimate my lawyer at your peril.
This week I was asked on Soccer AM and replied I am up for it BUT I want to go on with my good friend Tony Rivers. He's the guy wrote the book Soul Crew, he's reformed from that way of life now and he's a massive music head. I play Tony's pub in Mountain Ash in Wales a lot. The only place I will play to be honest in the UK as it's just like putting records on for mates. It's the best dressed audience I have ever played to - 300 kids all in Gucci jackets etc and Tony is a gent so it will be an honour to grace British television on a Saturday morning with the chap.
Some thoughts...
The IC1s who are fronted by Daniel Coburn who I met through my son Daniel Devine of Flats some six years ago. IC1s have an amazing new single out called Karma (It's On Your Side). All proceeds from the track go to Shelter and the band are just an amazing prospect. I think they are coming to Australia with me in the New Year if all goes to plan. Please check them out - the new single reminds me of punk rock meets The Who in '67. Take my word, they are pretty amazing! The single is out 19 December but available now on pre-order http://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/karma-its-on-your-side-single/id484652538
Altered states of consciousness are the key to magickal powers.
The particular state of mind required has a name no mind.
It is known as gnosis.
Magic is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will.
Buy Liber Null and Liber Kaos by Peter J Carroll. It will change your life. Any great book from the left-hand side can be found at Treadwells and the store can be found at 33 Store Street, London WC1. It's the best book shop in the world and that is just a fact.
The difference between ideas and beliefs is that ideas may be true but beliefs are always false.
The Creation Records documentary is up online here as a stream so if you haven't seen it just click here to watch http://www.streamrat.com/watch/upside-down-the-creation-records-story