The Time Being | Steve Kilbey

st kilba in st kilda

well well well

here i am still in melby

we played a good show at the corner hotel

we dipped into some strange and unplayed songs

every member of the band got to pick 4

we didnt play any hits at all  (thank god!)

except at the end one guy insisted on playing u.m.

(ok fair enuff except i dont like it but…..)

anyway lotta people very jazzed we played an obscurity like snowfaller

my choices we ripple maya on angel street and block

so blame me if you hate them…and are coming to syd show…

whilst on stage i noted the effect of all that energy

i was starting levitate somewhat

it might look like im pogoing but im getting rid of excess energy

i would have laughed at this stuff once but i am having mystical experiences playing

i get filled with rushes of lovely energy

i get filled with light n love and all that…even if its a nasty-ish song

i feel weightless i lose my head in it all

and i sometimes have to jump up and down

the music takes you and possesses you

you gotta do what it says i guess

if you invite it in n it says jump

youd be a fool not to jump

i guess once upon a time i was having a platonic relationship with music

now after all these years its become physical i suppose

and it gives you back whatever you put in

at least thats how it is for me

something coming thru me more and more

i am not how i used to be on stage at least

theres a force out there and i let it in on what i do

i dunno what to call that force maybe its simply chi or prana

maybe its creativity maybe its god

may be its some dead artist(s) working thru me

because i am more receptive to it now than ever

you know its a hard thing to pin down

but anyway somethings gotta hold of me onstage

so corner a good  good gig. a fun gig. a happy gig.

last night we played a private party

at barrys house here in st kilda, melba-horn

a very nice house

a very gracious host and hostess barry n his wife

lovely rellies and friends too

now whooda thunk it eh?

me liking playing in someones house?

huh
?

i know….

nevertheless the spirit manifested

i closed my eyes we sang n played in a living room

eventually (it was 40  degrees ) they opened the windows

people were standing in front garden listening

timbo was chatting with people outside in between numbers

i stood there playing and singing

barry encouraged me to light up there n then

so i did n then passed it round to whoever needed a puff

it certainly helps with the heat

i drank some very nice scotch too from barry

barry refused to put coke in with it and i’m glad

it was very nice scotch

of course like an idiot eventually i drank too much

it all caught up with me suddenly after the gig

the heat the scotch the weed my age etc etc

i made a quick exit n ungraciously disappeared without thanking barry

we were remunerated quickly too in real dollars wow!

it was a fantastic night.

it meant as much to me as playing blah blah blah in new york or wherever

barry and his family made us welcome

the food was delicious and many vegan options

the audience were incredible

i had a ball

and the spirit indeed came down and i heated up and sweated a bucket

nevertheless it is what being a musician is all about

tonight its a big big place with all the bangs and whistles

i’m gonna be good there as well

so will my compadres they cant help it  they are so good

tim powles is unbelievable

i cant imagine how it gets much better than that

the guitarists are breathtakingly accomplished

the yin and yang of each other

we were good at corner hotel

we were good at barrys party

we will be good tonite and at the wineries

thats at least something isnt it?

ps about the mugs

you can get em at the syd show or futura in bondi rd

other than that best off to contact holly@thetimebeing

or go to gallery section

if you want one …there arent many left tho….

sk love

hand some devil a soul

my band  is playing in melb tonite

come along

please

sk

http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2012/11/26/from-the-desk-of-steve-kilby-a-beard-of-stars-by-tyrannosaurus-rex/

From The Desk Of Steve Kilbey: “Berlin” By Lou Reed

btw

looking forward to seeing you all in syd n melb at our own shows

i guarantee some surprises!

me

the one that got away

been re-hearsing with my band

re-hearsing re-hashing re: blah blah blah

it may sir-prize you blah blah blah

i just heard blah blah blah

etc

mean while

nastiness and wild benevolence continue to co-exist

leaf blowers pointlessly fucking making a fucking noise

world rushes to war coz we still havent learnt

race horses get shot for pet food at the end of their run

(we should do that with politicians too)

(except the pets wouldnt eat it!)

the church is going on tour

we are still the best band in the world (except for a few others)

we still rock baby

killer likes to rock now ever so ever so

who is yer main man?

who gets the blame ? harry flowers!

my train of thought has been delayed

what happens after the second chorus?

the middle eight ate my middle sex no thanks i’m british

lets see …its A flat in A sharp area of G i forgot

i wrote a song about cigs..the chords are F A G

i wrote a song about the queen the chords are  B A G

i wrote a song about digging in the earth its in A minor

i wrote a song about the army in A major

my F is better augmented

it however remains undiminished

when i drink i slur and slide on the bass

the drums are a trap especially the snare

the rest are Toms or merely cymbalic

songs we are playing on this tour are  :

life is deep (so do ya wanna fuck?)

socrates existential blues (lets go to hooters!)

faust entry (lubricated goethe!)

mama youre so hot …oooh but footy is better…..!

rockin’ rollin’ struttin’ shakin’ jivin’ worn out man

the turgid mistake

the illuminati ate my homework

the way the sunlight plays upon her hare

rocknroll fuckup armageddon trash must burn (feat harpsichord n lute solo)

total absolute outta control free form freak out (parts 1, parts 2 and a slight refrain with key change)

and that other song we tried to make a hit but everyone hates (x 3)

meanwhile …ive been kitted out with a new wardrobe too

unfortunately i still got the same old clothes in it

my make up girl is only made up after all

i mean i made it all up and now she wont make up

make of it what you, Will

my wardrobe assistant quit in 1981 after contracting imbarrassment

i will be playing my trusty fender blobcaster with its rusty pre-raphaelite strings

i will be firing up my powerful 600 hundred and 66 watt ampn my marshall wyrmwood

it has induced vomiting and dizziness amongst the roadcrew

i cant wait to turn it up and aim it at the audients

i will be using plectrums fashioned from white rhino horn and narwhals teeth

i am sponsored by the uranium sellers guild and kim jong the third burger co

i drive a fossil fuel guzzling dinosaur thats gotta carbon footprint bigger than donald trumps entire hairdo

each concert drains enough power to light up half of africa for a year

our lyrics are sexist ageist racist homo and heterophobic yet still sensitive n ro-mantic

please come and see us when we appear near you doing the 1880s revue

killah

roc in role

hot sunday

swim in the green carpeted sea down in bondi by the pool

drive to rehearsal its hot on the roads

rehearse rehearse rehearse

thats about it!

watch moshcam if ya havent seen it

me

http://blog.moshcam.com/concert-video/gig-of-the-week-the-church/

only kinda egg i like

the church sounded quite good the other night at our corporate gig

not bad considering its almost a year since we played

starting our run of gigs real soon

including side shows in sydney and melbourne

still working on my solo record

but its gonna take some more work and re-thinking

have about 13 new things ready but i need more variety or something

feeling a bit flat today about everything actually

as you do as you go up n down with life….

we are having a bit of a christmas sale

we are having it now to enable stuff you may order now to get there in time

so if youre thinking gifts this year

give the extravagant gift of a cd or t shirt ….go on be a devil !

some exciting plans for next year too

will tell you more as everything firms up

its pks birthday today too!

looks pretty young for his age…..

me n my woofle

working like the clappers on my album

twelve tracks and still more to come

gonna be a long album this one

sometimes little things slow ya down

a tambo part or a backing vocal

or just getting lost in the myriad possibilities of it all

standing there horizons stretching out in all directions

its hard to be simple sometimes when complexity beckons easily

but some tracks shouldnt have everything except the kitchen sink….

i hope you all will like it

a friend of mine called kitty-Q heard some the other night and pronounced it “GOOD!!”

its my first real solo for a while ok i’ll shut up now

the church is playing a corporate gig tonight

45 minutes

play now rehearse later

oh well its a living isnt it?

its better than working i gotta remember that

has anyone out there caught up with that book yet?

the book that i got the short story thingy in?

no…….? anyone out there ….?

anytime…….

never harm monica

free of all constraints i follow my muse

i chuck slabs of sound together

i cut it back i prune it down

this is rocknroll if made my max ernst or ezra freaking pound

i break all the rules

i adhere to em strictly

music is an unending surprise

i love how it reveals itself like a subtle spirit

i am still so delighted by how this whole thing works

amazed by the blithe guidance that now seems mine to avail myself of freely

still figgering out all the rocknroll tricks

i been fiddling about with organs(oooh ahhh davem n andy!!)

organs are very important rnr instruments obviously

yeah i like tony kaye from yes organ work

i like rod argents great organ playing too

ian mac from small faces/faces and stones wow! hes fucking brilliant!

some of my new stuff is a bit rollicking like the faces believe it or not…

altho not known for my rollicking nevertheless i do indeed rollick herein!

yeah so i been playing organ

or i been playing organ samples i should say

virtual organ

i cant tell the difference but im a philistine

im pretty happy with my set up

man if you couldnt make music with all this stuff they got today

you should fuckin’ consider another line of work

music and i have a funny relationship

i am awfully clumsy and inelegant sometimes

then othertimes music lets me pull off some magic i didnt see coming..

as far as my prowess on other instruments is concerned

thats weird too

being good on bass hasnt easily transferred to other things

the way you mighta hoped

but bass is a whole other thing

it is not guitar and being good on one

doesnt mean youre good on the other

ronnie wood is good at both

so is our own mwp

he is a guitarist who throws away his guitar thinking

when he straps on a bass

and plays it like a bloody bass

mind you because of his guitar knowledge

he can push it beyond the boundaries of what most bass players choose to do

but he does that with guitar too….

anyway

importantly he understands a certain thing bass players must adhere to

an allegiance to the cause of the rhythm

you are the gap between the guitars n the drums

you must bridge it wisely first before you get all tricky

man if you wanna be too tricky maybe you should play something else

because a lotta the bass i love is sometimes about hammering down like a storm

and wheeling and slamming and thumping and throbbing

i dont usually put NO effects on the bass

i dont even play thru an amp ever anywhere

i just plug my bass  straight in straight into the PA or the desk

very occasionally i might add some rev or echo or chorus or something

but not often

why mess with this perfect bass sound?

its deep and warm and human

its real

its four thick metal strings resonating against flesh and wood

its a primitive beast yet still unsurpassed even today with all its gadgets

a good fender bass is a straddy-various ..ive said it before

mine has picked up my charge and intent

this wood retains magic like a staff retains magic

i sit here struggling making music

but oh boy when i strap my bass on there are no frowns

i wish it was like that with guitars keys and other things

but i’m a writer more than a player

i wish i had 3 identical brothers

each as good on guitar keys drums

then we would all murder each other in one minute

ah the joys of working totally alone

no explanations no waiting around

just plug in and go!

an important part of this is the strategy of course

theres a billion geezas can play better than me

but i am a solo strategist

some brilliant geeza dont always know where to start (or stop)

his brilliance is so brilliant he is too dazzled to start somewhere

me on the other hand

i just jump in fearing the worst hoping for the best

i’ll do anything for a song

anything at all

the song is my ideal

the song is still my main thing

king o’percussion

i still dont really know what music is

why it captures us so completely

i put together bits n pieces

suddenly a bass line turns into a song

suddenly a song turns into a good song

with my new album i have no real intent

i’m not trying to do this or that

i am just going wherever the wind blows the music to

there i will follow

in cool groves of brittle fender mustangs i will lay me down

in the valley of jazz bass i fear no evil

oh muse may you never desert me….!

here a song there a song everywhere a song song

whats the secret of it?

just boring old perseverance

plus enough madness to do it

but enough sanity to not run off the rails with it

and a sturdy constitution

and just remain a child forever

we are conduits we are channels

where is it all coming from

i am abashed at the audacity of the creative force

it reveals itself openly to me

i am baffled with choice as to what to do

the force says i am the source

the source says you were born to do everything my son

pick up that axe and go forth n make a new record

as you always did and always must do

yeah yeah of course , source

no youre off course says the source

pick up that axe and rock !

a metaphor the pick axe and rock

i chop away at this wall of silence

when i finish i dragged a song( i know you’ll love) back with me

everything is vibrating with possibility now

i aint no mozart i aint no bach

but i perceive music now so much differently

i see an inner working

i see a way to milk music forever and instead of depleting it

it grows richer still

the more you take the more music gives

the more you give music the more you can take

i do not know music inside out

that is impossible anyway

in most areas of music i’m pretty ignorant

this is what i am good at tho

this and pretty much only this:

a guitar a 12 string ac guitar a bass a keyboard some drum thing

a mic a multitracking thing…thats it

i can combine and recombine these elements endlessly

i can never dry up

even my most mediocre songs are still …i dunno…ok..(!?)

so cocky i am i start up

i pick an instr.

and usually the first thing i do is the thing

the thing that becomes the song eventually

i dont usually sit there casting round for ideas

although sometimes i do

i have an instinct for building up layers

layers that one must have faith will develop

this is my thing

i spent umpteen years doing it between about 77 and into the nineties

then i had a long rest

now back into it

it sounds like all my solo records i guess

its impulsive and imperfect

its rocknroll with all the sloppiness and rampant ego

me playin’ everything? why not?

it aint rocket science surgery mister thats for sure

this is what im good at

everybody good at something right?

well this is what i can do best

invent these songs just for the fun of it

i have no attachment to the result

i dont care who loves em hates em or never gets to hear em

i do this for the love of doing it

like building model planes or something

i build little songs

i glue em all together and i hang em off the sky

some of its hard work believe it or not

engineering n getting caught up in cables

and wondering why certain things arent working etc etc

it can be frustrating n lonely work

but usually its enthralling engrossing and a lotta fun fun fun

and its best done alone

with no expectations

i can roam if i want to

love

sk