Whitehouse

swears

preppy-kei
Noise/industrial is very rockist. Experimentation, seriousness, long term careers, a history going back as far as the 70s...

I wouldn't knock it, I just don't see the appeal.
 

martin

----
The main differerence is their fans used to yell "Right on! Kill the whores! Burn children!". Now they say "William, I find your lyrics deeply profound and wholesomely convincing, you're right, 'The Wire' is shit, Genesis P-orridge is a hypocrite, the 'that' is really inspirational - the bores don't get it". It's just holding down synth keys (or pre-programming them on laptops), with a bit of fuck-youism chucked in. Having seen them flee from a bottle and 2 beercans, bring back Jerry Sadowitz
 
N

nomadologist

Guest
there's no such thing. are there any youtube videos of whitehouse? i am lazy.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
If you just search for 'whitehouse' you'll probably get clips of The Mary Whitehouse Experience.
Which'll probably be better.
 
N

nomadologist

Guest
my god, that was the scariest set of youtube results i've ever waded through
 

gek-opel

entered apprentice
The Wire is hilarious this month as regards Whitehouse. A long ring-licker of a puff piece, but also a total take-down review of the tired peurility of their newest album in the reviews section... Whitehouse just seems really really tiresome to me, the few bits I've heard. The Simon Reynolds' criticism of noise music (that it never functions as "noise"- as only the kind of people who are unoffended will ever bother to listen to it) stands- specifically with reference to stuff like this which touts the same worn out "shocking" nonsense... if only it DID appall or surprise in any way, but it remains merely utterly, bafflingly banal.
 

Kate Mossad

Well-known member
...stuff like this which touts the same worn out "shocking" nonsense... if only it DID appall or surprise in any way, but it remains merely utterly, bafflingly banal.
Haven't seen the Wire but I have heard the album. How is it touting shock exactly? I can believe that it might be meant to surprise... But appall? Can you clarify please?
 
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mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
The Wire is hilarious this month as regards Whitehouse. A long ring-licker of a puff piece, but also a total take-down review of the tired peurility of their newest album in the reviews section... Whitehouse just seems really really tiresome to me, the few bits I've heard. The Simon Reynolds' criticism of noise music (that it never functions as "noise"- as only the kind of people who are unoffended will ever bother to listen to it) stands- specifically with reference to stuff like this which touts the same worn out "shocking" nonsense... if only it DID appall or surprise in any way, but it remains merely utterly, bafflingly banal.

I'm really surprised you don't like em given your taste gek, I just think they rock, it's kinda quite simple. Nothing shocks me so I'm not after that in them, I just like the tones they put together on record. Live they're very funny - Martin's right about the panto stuff. I loved it when they got together with Albini and did all that stuff, even down to the cover artwork which I never normally give a toss about, it was just rock.

nomad they came outta the same scene as Coil and Current 93 over here, but went down a pure noise route rather than the apocalyptic folk angle. They were surrounded by dodgy politics for a while. Peter Sotos was in them for their best period. Check out 'wriggle like an eel' if you can find it, if not I'll send it to yer. Big Andrea Dworkin fans.
 

Slothrop

Tight but Polite
Well, we might as well put it here - after all, if Wavis O' Shave could find this forum after a few google searches, I'm sure anyone can - William Bennett uses an alias, 'William Benedict', co-ordinating a 'personal skills training' institute called the Relationship Academy. The Susan Lawly secretary, Florence Detaille, will fix you up with a personal makeover for some miniscule sum like £100, while 'Benedict' coaches you on subjects like 'How To Never Get Rejected!'

http://www.relacademy.freeuk.com/

http://www.relacademy.freeuk.com/metrofeature.htm

Damn, I thought someone was going to say he was Burial or The Tuss or something..
 

Noah Baby Food

Well-known member
I find Whitehouse very interesting on a lot of levels - sonically, lyrically, philosophically. They make you think. They are genuinely enigmatic. Don't think they've ever been about cheap shock value to be honest, and they're certainly not now. The new album is really good. They make genuinely powerful music. If you can appreciate Surgeon. or John Coltrane, or 70s Miles Davis, I can't see why you wouldn't appreciate Whitehouse. I've seen Merzbow play live and that was 'hmmmm...', kinda washed over you, but seeing WH is physically the closest thing I've experienced to doing loads of pills - tight chest, euphoria, butterflies in stomach. Honestly.
 

mms

sometimes
i really like their new album, music wise it's good, i like the vortex of noise they get, the best thing lately they did was wriggle like an eel which was immense, like some kinda hyper biker anthem, I do agree though about the lyrics, right now i'd rather the new album didn't have them on. But that whole djembe attack is really really good.

i like the pictures of them in that new wire, it looks like an old 60's rock album where the band members are expressing their character through actions, 'philip best with microphone on electronics and on drums it's william bennet.'
 

subvert47

I don't fight, I run away
from The Wire, Bennett talking:

Throbbing Gristle were certainly the main inspiration for me at first. But it was more to do with what they didn't do, what they didn't achieve, than what they actually did. It was like, why are they trying to move into the mainstream? Why are they trying to make music? It was because they finally learned how to play their instruments that they got to that stage. But I was moving in the opposite direction. I could already play. I was a classically trained guitarist but I was deliberately moving away from that.

That's so absolutely right.

I recently went through TG24 and as the gigs get later (1979-80) they get less and less interesting. TG now play "songs" with little spontaneity; Porridge shouts and postures; the lyrics are 'meaningful' (i.e. meaningless); the tapes are derivative and obvious; the relationship between performer and audience is politely appreciative rather than confrontational. Basically TG turn into a rock band. It's not surprising they packed in the following year.

They were so much better when they couldn't play.

As for Whitehouse: the noise is grand, and the lyrics... some guy yelling at the top of his voice to get down on your knees and say please... personally I just find this funny :)
 

Noah Baby Food

Well-known member
All that 'get down on your knees, worship my cock' etc S & M chat, minimal lyrics, is the old stuff...they've been off that for quite a while now. Recent stuff has been VERY lyrically dense, alluding to Scientology questioning, NLP and all sorts of stuff...there's a lot to take in, really.
 
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