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


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>
> I like Gerard's vision of Cosey and Genesis of Throbbing Gristle  
> terrorising
> daytime TV.

I should be blamed for that particular vision, not Gerald. To offset  
it, here's a nicer idea...

I was thinking, what would be the best TV venue? I figured Blue Peter  
(children's magazine show - they take their novelty acts very  
seriously) so I checked the BBC's new online catalogue.

The news is, they had one on the 18th of November 1982, and another  
on the 16th of November 1993, so it's past time for the next one. :-)



Also - the descriptions are, for the first one,

ITEM 02:THEREMIN: Joe WHITELEY [stage name Musaire], in Pierrot  
costume, plays John Brown's Body & Old Man River on theremin,  
explains how theremin works. Peter tries to play a tune.

(This item was repeated in 1984 when Musaire passed on.)

and for the second,

ITEM 06:THEREMIN:Diane Intvs Richard COLE who owns instrument called  
Theremin which is played by moving your hands by 2 antennas to change  
pitch & volume

No idea who Richard Cole is, so more googling. Apparently he is/was  
the manager of the Music Museum in Brentford (and possibly also Led  
Zeppelin's tour manager, not sure if that's the same Richard Cole)  
where Musaire's white RCA lives, which was working in 2001 - the most  
recent reference I found to it being played.

OMG! There's a probably functional RCA less than 25 miles away from  
me. I have got to get my hands near it. Aaaargh! The how-to-find-us  
page says they are not open to the public in 2006.

Ah well. Perhaps next year.

At least there are some nice pics on the website.

http://www.musicalmuseum.co.uk/musair.html

Gordon

Quoting Lunette Records <lunetterecords@...>:

> 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...

Susi, what do you mean by "good foldback"? -- I'm unfamiliar with the term.

> 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!

So do I!

Ah, its all in the "spin".  A MIDI theremin?  No way!  To utilize a 
Theremin to
control other instruments or effects -- hmmmm, could be interesting :)

Which reminds me of the story...

The monk kept asking the abbot if one could smoke while praying.  The abbot
declared, "You are not to smoke while you pray!"  The monk prayed for 
guidance,
and later asked, "May I pray while I smoke?"  "Of course!  Why not?", 
the abbot
replied.

Anyway, my interest in generating MIDI messages from a Theremin is more err...
academic though would be nice to capture Theremin improvs on the computer as
"seeds" for new compositions.

> The theremin should always sing.

Sounds good to me! :)

-- Kevin

Hello, Susi:

I thought it was about time I chimed in with my compliments for you 
and your appearance. I thought things went very well, and it's great 
we all got a chance to see it! The whole show looks like they treat 
everything in the spirit of fun, and that's precisely what it was.

By the way, for anyone on this forum who'd like to read a very good 
review of Ms Hypnotique's CD, the Hanging Gardens, go to

www.electro-music.com.

The mastermind behind the site, Howard Moscovitz, wrote very highly 
of Susi's work. The site itself is great -- tremendous amounts of 
information, forums ( even one for the theremin, added to the site 
at Susi's request ) and tons of electronic music-related stuff.

Now back to you, directly. Is there a time you forsee coming to the 
U.S.?

-kip

>
> By the way, for anyone on this forum who'd like to read a very good
> review of Ms Hypnotique's CD, the Hanging Gardens, go to
>
> www.electro-music.com.

Kip, I shall have to remember not to follow your links in the future.  
You just cost me 12 pounds!

Still, at least I shall presently have an answer to David's question  
- what theremin CD are you listening to?

(Susi - I fell for your subtle marketing ploy and got a sidual badge  
as well. I've never had one of those before. What is a sidual anyway?)

Gordon

My guess is that it's the first installment in your residual badge
collection, which really starts when you buy your second badge.

ray


> (Susi - I fell for your subtle marketing ploy and got a sidual badge
> as well. I've never had one of those before. What is a sidual anyway?)
>
> Gordon
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Quoting brickblad <kr@...>:

> By the way, for anyone on this forum who'd like to read a very good
> review of Ms Hypnotique's CD, the Hanging Gardens, go to
>
> www.electro-music.com.
>
> The mastermind behind the site, Howard Moscovitz, wrote very highly
> of Susi's work.

Thanks for the link, Kip.  Since "The Hanging Garden" is part of my CD
collection, I was interested to read the review.

One of the things that strikes me about Ms Hypnotique is her sheer 
creativity. "The Hanging Garden" definately holds my interest from 
beginning to end.

-- Kevin

Gordon:

Lest you think I was perhaps some sort of shill or human 
advertisement, be assured, it ws never my intention to
persuade people to purchase anything.

(Although, copies of my book are still for sale...)

In all honesty, I just thought it would be nice to
let others know about the Electro-Music site and that
Susi's work was favorably received.

And now, for those of you who've hoped for a way to make
housecleaning nore FUN... I'd like to introduce you to
The THEREMEISTER XQ-4000 -- the world's only combination
Theremin, Toilet Brush, and Microwavable Casserole Dish!
Yours for 3 easy payments of 29.25

On 25 May 2006, at 16:58, brickblad wrote:

> Gordon:
>
> Lest you think I was perhaps some sort of shill or human
> advertisement,

It hadn't crossed my mind. Just my backhanded way of saying thanks  
for a brilliant link.

Now, how do I order a theremiester xq-4000, casseroles made in my  
3000 are starting to taste funny.


Gordon

(emoticons available on request)

On 25 May 2006, at 16:58, brickblad wrote:

> it ws never my intention to
> persuade people to purchase anything.

Nonetheless, I have reason to thank you for doing so. The Hanging  
Garden arrived this morning and it's everything the review said. So  
thanks to you, and of course to Susi for making a lovely album, and  
for bearing with my stupidity (see below.)

Yes, there was some delay in getting it, but caused by my inability  
to complete a simple paypal form. D'oh. Once I actually placed an  
order, rather than just thinking I had, it was in the post immediately.

And I now know what a sidual badge is. It's one with a sigil (a  
magick symbol) inscribed on it. :-)



Gordon Charlton: gordonc@...

Beat Frequency: myspace.com/beatfrequencyuk
Theremin UK: http://theremin.org.uk
              UK Thereminist? Read the FAQ.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Quoting Theremin UK <gordonc@...>:

> The Hanging
> Garden arrived this morning and it's everything the review said. So
> thanks to you, and of course to Susi for making a lovely album...

I really enjoy "The Hanging Garden".  Susi's creativity and wit comes across
very well in this CD.

Indeed, there is a lot of great Theremin music coming from the UK!

Keep on Thereminig!

-- Kevin

Correction to verbification of Theremin:

Should be: theremining

Perhaps I need to think of a better way to end an email then to make up 
words. Yep, I should at least be able to spell my own made-up words.

:)

Quoting kkissinger@...:

> Quoting Theremin UK <gordonc@...>:
>
>> The Hanging
>> Garden arrived this morning and it's everything the review said. So
>> thanks to you, and of course to Susi for making a lovely album...
>
> I really enjoy "The Hanging Garden".  Susi's creativity and wit comes across
> very well in this CD.
>
> Indeed, there is a lot of great Theremin music coming from the UK!
>
> Keep on Thereminig!
>
> -- Kevin
>
>
>
>
> SPELLBOUND-L, the glocal thereminist community
>
> To contact the moderator, e-mail porphyrous@...
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

You are in good company:

> ...there was some delay in getting it, but caused by my inability  
> to complete a simple paypal form.>

This seems to happen to me almost every time I attempt to Pay the 
infamous Pals. Most often, the form is completed, I click submit or 
send and the whole mess just disappears. From there, one can never 
tell if the order went through -- I've had duplicate orders occur at 
least three times.

The folks at Electro-Music mentioned you to me. They were thrilled 
that you chose to purchase the CD through them.