AETHERPHON, global theremin family

Hi all,

thanks for all your positive feedback on my Paul O Grady TV show - I have
done quite a few bits of TV before (including 5 episodes of a series for
Channel 5 called 'House of Astonishment' which was funny at the time but
looking back at the tapes we came to know it as 'the House of Awfulness'.
It was a kind of twisted talent show featuring a man who lit his own farts,
man who stuck 150 pegs to his face, man who could recognise the sound of
every lawnmover ever invented (overall series winner) etc. etc. - and these
were the highlights.  I shared a dressing room with a chicken hypnotizer and
his collection of hens).  This was definitely the best show in terms of
exposure.

I liken doing it to Samuel Hoffman back in the 1950s - he certainly wasn't
the greatest theremin player in the world but he got 'out there' and did it
and played on TV shows with Cary Grant, Shirley Temple etc.  We don't have
such stars in UK so I guess the guys 'clowin around' in the clip Paul
O'Grady (former comic drag queen) and Eammon Holmes (breakfast tv host) are
probably our sorry equivalents.  My 'mentor' Jean-Jacques Perrey also
started his career playing on heaps of TV shows with his 'crazy instrument'
(the Ondioline) - in the days where game show hosts smoked and chewed gum on
air.

I like Gerard's vision of Cosey and Genesis of Throbbing Gristle terrorising
daytime TV.  I did consider a Sex Pistol Vs Bill Grundy moment but,
well...(I actually did an art show last year with ex-Coum Transmissions
founder Foxtrot Echo who is now a wedding photographer and artist.  Damn
nice fellow.)

Some advice if you're doing TV - make it adamantly clear what your technical
needs are - i.e. plenty of space around the instrument (beware flying
cameras), good foldback, and a chance to line check directly before the
performance.  Make sure you can get your instrument switched on and warmed
up according to room temperatures - TV studios can be really hot places.
Play something not too complicated - acapella is always more forgiving than
with accompaniment and you'll need to get all backing tracks cleared for
usage.  Don't let them sell you short - make an effort to create your own
personality or they will try and give you one.  I once did a dodgy cable
show with inventor of theremins, brain machines and time machines Mr Tony
Bassett of London.  We gave the world premiere of the stereo theremin.  The
PA was in mono.  The presenter called me Mrs Harmonica.  It was rubbish.

I agree that most music played on theremin is not 'authentic' - although
there are some interesting compositions written for it - and Lydia Kavina
does a mighty fine job of playing all the obscure and exotic compositions on
the 'music from the ether' CD.  On the subject of which... I'm not a big fan
of MIDI theremin - I like the authentic sound of the regular theremin!
Although I do experiment with different FX (mainly using the cheap and
cheerful V-AMP virtual amp modeller).  I saw a fantastic video of Lydia
playing with an Ethervox - she had MIDI sounds coming out - triangles,
timpani, bells...sonically it was like a kid playing around with a Casio
keyboard - but, as always, Lydia did it with such aplomb - it was a
theatrical piece - she gave lots of gestures and facial expressions...very,
very interesting and entertaining.  My reservation with MIDI is about
glissandi and glitches....use an Auto Tune on your voice and you'll get
loads of wobble, and I think a cheap MIDI converted would be quite crude.
The beauty of theremin - like the un-effected human voice - is that sometime
it is a little out of tune - this gives it colour and body - like a section
of string instruments.  The theremin should always sing.

Miss Hypnotique



Hypnotique "The Hanging Garden" - soothing and uplifting music for the
impending apocalypse - out now!  http://www.hypnotique.net


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