To understand a project like Dominick Fernow’s Vatican Shadow (V.S.), you have to have a lot of Big Pictures in mind. V.S. is a project about America, terrorism, war, secrecy, radical/extremist Islam, iconography, iconoclasm, militantism, militarism, poetry, ideology, conspiracy, whispers, death, martyrdom, the East, the West, the Orient, the New World now found in every corner of a globalized Earth. If you’ve ever listened to James Ferraro’s “Far Side Virtual,” then simply flip it and something like V.S. emerges. At once the sound is of industrial techno taken the furthest underground, hymnals for/to/of the profane (reminiscent of Norwegian black metal) and a project that only makes sense w/ a post-9/11 context/label. Fernow’s project V.S. is becoming (for a man already beyond prolific) a major contribution to electronic and experimental music alongside his mainstay project, Prurient. While Prurient might be his most well know project, Fernow leaves almost everything of Prurient behind: if you know “Bermuda Drain,” then V.S. is close, but still totally removed. The project of V.S. may not appear as personal a project (autobiographical is a useless word in this context, but is the only word coming to mind) as Prurient, but V.S. was never meant to be a personal statement from Fernow alone. Beyond anything else, without any relation to the tangible world, it is some of the most gripping electronic music you will hear anytime soon.
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LINKS (Note: Literally the only ones not release-compilation related I could find.)
Discogs entry for Vatican Shadow
The Quietus reviews V.S. live
CVLTNATION reviews V.S. live
Photo-stream of V.S. appearance at Unsound 2012
Tumblr “Vatican Shadow” feed
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CONTEXT (Note: Mostly for the curious who want a few links of interest):
The Architect of 9/11, Slate article on hijacker Atta’s background in architecture
BBC Panorama, “Towards the Zero Hour,” looking closely at Atta (no 4 or 5 parts, but the rest of the information is easy to fill in)
[BBC Panorama, Towards the Zero Hour,]
BOMBLOG interviews Jarett Kobek about his book Atta published by Semiotext(e) in 2011
Wikipedia of Nidal Malik Hasan
NYTimes’ page on Malik Hasan
Wikipedia of bin Laden’s compound (Note: An interesting thing about bin Laden’s compound, at least for me, is that they burned their trash within the compound. If you know anything about Area 51, they do/did the same thing.)
Wikipedia detailing bin Laden’s death
Wikipedia on reactions to bin Laden’s death
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CONCEPT:
Fernow’s work seems to form triptychs, whether intentional or not: bin Laden (“Washington Buries Al Qaeda Leader At Sea”), Atta (“Atta’s Apartment Slated for Demolition,” “Ghosts of Chechnya,” “September Cell”), Nidal Malik Hasan (“Kneel Before Religious Icons,” “Byzantine Private CIA,” “Jordanian Descent”), etc.
Beyond the vinyl editions being released since Type’s reissue of Kneel Before Religious Icons, the only way to acquire any tangible V.S. editions is to obtain cassette editions (of very limited quantity) from Fernow’s lable, Hospital Productions. Otherwise, the only tangible editions left are compilations, reissues or the rare EP from some of the most forward thinking labels in electronic music—Type, Modern Love, Blackest Ever Black, etc. This, beyond anything else, is the most relatable fact to Fernow’s main project, Prurient.
Fernow also performs either in a desert-colored uniform or alongside religious regalia.
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MUSIC:
“Cairo is a Haunted City”:
“Church of All Images”:
“Bin Laden’s Corpse”:
“Wahhabi Money Flows”:
“Operation Neptune Spear Part Three”:
“Snipers as a Breed Tend to be Superstitious”:
“Whitewashed Compound Stealth Helicopter Crash”:
LIVE:
“Live at Los Globos 05 – 05 – 12”:
“Live at Unsound Krakow 2012 (1)”:
Vatican Shadow Live at Unsound Krakow 2012 (2)”:
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p.s. Hey. Today d.l. Will gives us this amazing and conscientious post about the fantastically dreamy and investigative Vatican Shadows, and there's richness galore up there, if you haven't explored the blog headlands yet. Enjoy fully, and thank so very, very much, Will. So, tomorrow morning I head from Tarbes to Poitier where I'll be talking about the theater work instead of making it. What I'm going to do re: the p.s. is that I'm going to respond to as many comments as I can before I have to leave, definitely the ones that get posted here before my bedtime tonight, and then as many of the later ones as time permits. On Thursday, I won't be able to do the p.s. because my travel time happens too early in the morning, so you'll get a hello and rerun post on that day, and then I'll be back in the p.s. business on Saturday, when I'll catch up any comments that accumulated in the meantime, okay? Sorry for the upcoming interruption. ** Misanthrope, Hey. Yeah, the earning money thing, that could be, although it hasn't happened with people I know who who have made a lot of money and are artists or are artistic, so that might factor. Actually, it hasn't happened with people I know who are artists and have children, so maybe that really is a huge factor. How did the fingerprinting go? Was it fun at all? Are your fingertips purple? ** Changeling, Hi! Maybe French truck drivers are a different breed. It's possible. 'Hogg' is a novel by Samuel Delany and it's, well, if you find a description of it, you'll see why I mentioned it, ha ha. Yeah, that is a good attitude about what you've written. I think if you don't put pressure on it, you'll probably be able to tell pretty clearly. I'm good, thanks. It was my birthday, yeah. The number was not a happy number, but I had a really great birthday, so it didn't end up bothering me as much I thought it would. Yeah, I don't feel I'm that much different than I was when I was 13 other than being more confident and focused or something. I could be wrong. You were on escorting's other side, and it was kind of interesting? I imagine that 'kind of' makes a lot of sense. Anyway, yeah, my trip is fruitful, I think. What are you up to, like, today, or for the duration? ** Un Cœur Blanc, Hi! Great to see you! Yeah, I'm traveling. Well, right now I'm settled in this dull small town working, but I'll be traveling again tomorrow. You had the flu! Ugh, I'm sorry. So many people do or have recently, including me. It was a big drag. Hugs. Thank you for thinking of me when you were reading 'RB by RB'. That's a really nice place from where to be thought about. You wrote some very beautiful sentences there, wow, kudos. The very best to you! ** David Ehrenstein, Hi. Yeah, I liked her speech, and I disagree with you on this, but I think you know that already. Sad about Oshima, yes. RIP. ** Postitbreakup, Thanks, buddy. ** Cobaltfram, That makes sense to me about Japan, yes. I'm not sure how one explains French literature's and literary readers' ok-ness with difficult subjects, but it is a quite secular country, so there's that. It doesn't seem crazy to be pumped to see 'Amour' to me, although I don't think you exit the theater pumping your fists, that's for pretty sure. Oh, thanks for wanting to send me books. I'm not sure when exactly I'll get to LA, but it shouldn't be too long. Do you need my LA address? That's very, very nice of you, John. ** MMR, Hey! Yes, cool, I will, and thank you very much! ** Alan, I'll pass along my thoughts once I've seen it. I've had this feeling that I won't like it, which has kept me from going out my way to see it, so, yeah, but I will. ** Empty Frame, Hi. I'll let you about the Manet thing after I get back to Paris. Fascinating story, and you're just making it more fascinating with your knowledge and tidbits. Yeah, I think I'll see the cherries piece. It's free and being performed in the Pompidou foyer, so there's not much excuse not to. I know of the Germaine Greer book, but I haven't read it. Sounds worthy. I haven't read that Rhys bio, but I would really like to read that. I don't think I knew of its existence. God or whoever love her. Hope you get tix for that ATP. It does sound pretty must. ** Ken Baumman, Ken! What is that? I don't know about that movie. Very nice trailer. Like the film's title. I'll look into it. Thanks, Ken! ** Steevee, No problem, I hope it helps. Just read something that made me very intrigued by the A$AP Rocky album, interesting. I'll overhear some. Thanks a bunch. ** 5STRINGS, Dude, you would have a sore dick at the end of that. But what's a few sore inches. More than a few, I'm sure, sorry. I like Emo, and I respect Emos a lot, but, man, I'm not so into the bands they're into. Sexy town oh yeah, this Tarbes place is positively sizzling, ha ha. ** Trees, Hi, T. Yes, yes, please on the book's release and, wow, a copy, obviously, if that's okay. Huh, I feel like there are pretty great lit sites out there all over the place these days, but their scenes are maybe more up my alley. Dreaming about a black square sounds amazing. Yeah, wow. You betcha, not every place swings, and here is among them, but we're here to work, so I guess it's a blessing or some shit. I did check out Nu Sensae! I got me some, and I fucking forgot to put it on my fucking iPhone before I left on this trip, and I'm really regretting that. Thanks a lot for tipping me off. ** Dom Lyne, Hi, Dom! So very nice to see you! Shit, that's intense, a huge groundbreaking, and I hope that the present gains are worth the price that your recent past paid, and it sounds like it. I guess from when you first talked about the new treatment, it seemed like it was going to involve some pretty heavy personal wrenching, so, yeah. And maybe the not understanding is a really positive thing? Confusion, loss of the ability to organize yourself carefully, those do seem like necessary entrances into the transformative, no? I guess I think of a couple of heavy, kind of really terrifying breakdowns I went through when I was younger, and they seem like very major switch points now. I don't know. I'm proud of you, man. You're really fucking strong and brave, and it sounds like you're winning this thing. Love and hugs, D. ** JoeM. Right, that's the album's title. I think I was thinking of that brief band that Eno put together with Phil Manzanera and some other alterna-superstar people. Hunh, Ayers and Blunstone ... their voices could make some odd, probably really nice harmonies together. I've seen that 'Object' thing, yeah. It does seem hoaxy, don't know why, maybe something in the writing itself that just doesn't seem like it would originate in him, I don't know. ** Anonymous, Is that you, Josh? If not, sorry to anonymous, and, if so, hi. Cool that you're into the tense pattern. There is an overriding logic to it, but I don't know it can be figured out outside of its connectivity with the other systems in that novel, but yeah. It would be nice to meet you too. Surely, there's a way. Life is long and all that, even if the length of mine is mostly in the rear view, but, eek, let's not go there. Thanks, thanks. ** Steevee, That is a weird miss on the P&J list, which itself is kind of not so bad of a list, with a few ?!?'s in there, given that it basically mines the center of what's going on. But, yeah, strange that Death Grips didn't make it since one or the other of their albums has been most year-end lists I've read. ** Sypha, Hey. Well, there's a reason why I put that escort at the top. I thought he might get the eyeballs engaged and ready to scroll. France is pretty sweet for that stuff you like, it's true. I'm not so really into churches and stuff, no. I don't know if it's my lack of religious upbringing or not. It's not an 'ugh, a church' thing. It's more like, how different is this one going to be from the last one I saw? That said, Saint-Sulpice is a nice one. Crusty and decrepit vibes from it or something to it. ** Bill, Hi. I think the specificity thing, or my theory on why there are more escorts out there with demands these days, is that there are a lot of young guys are trying escorting out to make money in this Euro economic mess, 'cos the ranks of new escorts has really swollen in the last six months or so. So, I think these guys' demands are kind of like them fantasizing that they're entering the profession aloud, and I wonder how many of them actually accept the offers. That's kind of what I expect from 'Looper', which is enough, I think. Things go well here, thanks! ** Okay. Off I go to work. Lend your brain cells and fingers and eyes to Will's excellent post, please. Like I said, I'll be back tomorrow with as much of a p.s. as I can manage to get down pre-departure. See you then.
21 comments:
Will, Wow. I learn something new every day. EVERY DAY! :D
Dennis, Yeah, like I said, we can't really generalize about everything (or we'd all be piggy bottoms, you know?). But it is kind of weird with those who do change like that. Like, here's this person you used to shoot the shit with and suddenly you're almost walking on egg shells. That's happened to me with a few people.
The fingerprinting was...a bit painful. They do it on a scanner now and you have to press your fingers so hard that they feel like they're gonna fall off. Quite the digit workout, and nobody was moaning or calling out my name. :D
Speaking og the Vatican, The Pope's boytoy just made the cover of the Italian edition of "Vanity Fair"
@ DC, hope all the Tarbes prep went swimmingly. My mum's gone and booked us in at the Hotel de Nice, the decor's rather chintzy but I guess it looks cosy enough. We fly in on Tuesday 28th, returning Friday 31st. So it's most definitely on!
Truck drivers don't give lifts much. I think it's something to do with insurance not some kind of conscientious thing about keeping themselves removed from the temptation to rape or eviscerate or whatever. But who knows? I only got polite-ish propositions, not many of those either. Any disappointment probably over-ridden by the practical joy of getting to the place I needed to go for free, not dead, unmaimed and without the delay of a fifteen year holiday in someone's basement on the way. Oh yeah, Hogg - sorry - I remembered better that you mentioned it someplace in Smothered in Hugs - then I think wrote a kind of revised opinion right here? So I kind of read it online this morning. Or read about a third of it then got really distracted and kind of skimmed the rest. Maybe when you have more time you can link me back to, or reiterate what your second thoughts were, cos i'd be very interested.
I think 'interesting' is such a vague, flexible thing it renders the 'kind of' useless - uh - kind of. I wrote a piece about the whole paying for it thing. The version that made it to my blog seems edited into some kind of super coyness that I wouldn't know it was about that if I didn't.
http://myflooredblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/blog-post.html?m=1
My day is so far taken up with reading that story and meeting someone in a pub to talk about this Rimbaud in Africa thing they are trying to make and drinking some kind of bright orange cider that tasted like something had died in it. I'm going to make guacamole and eat it then i'm going to this screening of American Mary with the directors there for questions and answers after.
I like today's post for being so rich and totally unknown to me. Thank you, Will.
Latest FaBlog: Fait Diver – Welcome To The United States of New York
Hey Dennis,
Yeah I think the not knowing how I reached the conclusions I made is in a way a positive because it makes it feel more natural rather than a forced analysis. Just like the acknowledgement that I do have a serious problem. I think the hardest but nicest part is having people who are going on their own journey alongside me seeing such changes because although I myself can't feel it, it's a reminder that I am doing the right thing to some extent.
I guess it's all about sacrifice. How much of myself am I willing to lose in order to achieve some level of contentment with existing? That needs to be my decision and I must remember not to just do what others expect of me just so they can achieve their goals and targets. For example I found out that the reason they are so adamant about me being on meds is because they don't really know what's wrong with me as they don't fully understand my experience and me being on meds makes it easier for them to treat. I mean how is that best for me?
I hope all is well with you :). Sending you love and hugs. xx
I got an assignment to write an essay on ROOM 237 for the Village Voice in March, touching both on its resemblance to "Jay-Z is a tool of the Illuminati" YouTube conspiracy videos and relevance to poststructuralist "death of the author" theory (it will be a challenge to do the latter in layman's terms.) I'm looking forward to it - it sounds both more interesting and challenging than simply interviewing the director. The editor said he's looking to push the Voice film section in the direction of more essays and cultural criticism.
Haha at those rates I can't choose just one. My dick is always sore, I think I may be a nympho. Hung like a monkey in a basket. Haha Emo, I don't know man. LOL this post reminds me of something kind of funny, namely myself. When I first went to university in 1912, I was obsessed with Burroughs and was getting into Gysin. There were Afgani merchants at my school, so I wore around an orange Afgani wool hat, had a full hippie beard, and to better understand Gysin/language etc., I would study large books of Arab script. I probably looked like Osama bin Laden. I gotta check this post. "Ambassador for Homosexual Understanding to Tehran." sounds like me, yeah? Time to get down to some serious writing business and saving money business. I'm due some France and maybe Norway, Sweden. Tarbes, the boys there have to be horny. Get ya some, they probably bathe and everything. <3
Hey Dennis. I know I said it, but Happy Bday again for the other day, just read your post, needless to say, brightened up the day.
Not too much to report, other than I'm trying to get a band on the go, feel like it's warranted.
What was your eventual verdict on the Swans album? Worthy of the hype? I'm psyched for the new Iceage. Was gonna go catch them in March, and do all in my power to give Elias a hug ;). Have you had the chance to see them yet?
Finally got round to reading The Sisters Brothers. Great style there. Very enjoyable.
Hope you're well. Is writing going good?
P.S. You still down for Euroheedfest III? Word has it there's a guest vocalist. I'm not saying anything, but it's worth coming for ;)
Dennis:
Thanks again for posting this, and glad to contribute something.
Still searching for a job. Here's hoping I find something soon.
Also, thanks to everyone for the positive comments, glad y'all enjoy the post.
-will
Hi Dennis
hope alls good? that trip sounds fun hope it is.
i seem to be back in cold territory, which is just getting annoying at this stage. other than that alls tickety boo.
been reading the 1st part of the Karl Ove Knausgaard series of books, which was fun, picked up a Per Petterson to continue on the norsk kick and a Patrick DeWitt that has your name on the back think its his 1st one which im looking forward too.
been listing to Laurie Spiegel's album which is really great and also Lee Gamble's Diversions 1994-1996
other than that just working on finalising things for the show.
hey Will this was a great day
ive been over looking Vatican Shadow so it was great to dive right in!
Hey Dennis,
I've always assumed that the French have taken Catholicism as a sort of joke for the last three hundred years or so, haha. So Chad wants to know: at the end of the day, did you like 'Amour'?
Sure, if you wanted to either put your LA address here or email it I'd be more than happy to send some of the stuff I'm always talking about, just to see if you dig it as I think you would. Alice Munro's 'Runaway' would be the third book for sure.
I know you're traveling so I'll keep this brief for now. Much love and have fun
J
Tickle Me Emo
Slate sent me a detailed list of things they'd like me to discuss in my BADLANDS article. I'm fine with them, and they actually gave me some information I didn't know, like a list of other films inspired by Starkweather. (Were you aware that Malick worked on a draft of DIRTY HARRY?) The only potential problem is that they want the article by early March, but I can't control how quickly Criterion sends me a screener. That said, Criterion's publicist knows about the article and promised me to send me one as soon as they're available.
Also, I'll probably have to watch NATURAL BORN KILLERS again for the article. Boy, am I not looking forward to that!
@Will: Thanks for this, this is pretty interesting…I agree w/ Misanthrope, it’s a good feeling to get exposed to so much new stuff on this blog :)
Hey Dennis! Thanks so much for replying to my comments the other day, those were some very wise words, very good advice. When I write that article I’d really like to quote some of what you said, if that’s okay with you.
I agree, the most satifying type of literary success is when you know that somebody out there was genuinely moved by something you wrote. Sometimes I think about it terms of teaching…like you have a class of 20 or 25 kids, all with different personalities and talents and interests…and even if you’re the most inspirational teacher of all time, you have to know that most of the kids aren’t going to be deeply affected by what you’re talking about. It’s school…most of the kids are going to forget about it once the test is over, and you’ve moved on to other stuff. But there’s the chance that you can plant something small in at least a few of the kids…someone who’s going to read that Langston Hughes poem, or that Cisneros short story, or a book like The Outsiders, and feel a real personal connection to it. If you expect to get that reaction from the whole class you’ll most likely be disappointed, but it’s a huge thrill to reach that one kid, it validates everything.
I really like that story about Jonathan Capedeveille seeing experimental theatre stuff in his small town, I can totally relate to that, probably like most artists can…being really into something that the rest of your friends don’t “get.” Definitely feels like in the last year Alt Lit has had a youth explosion, a lot of it due to Steve Roggenbuck…people in high school and college…I feel more excited by that than almost anything else, because I get the feeling that Alt Lit is sparking fires in certain people that will burn far into the future…not just new writers, but also new artists, new musicians, etc…
I would love to visit Paris someday, that would be a dream for me. In highschool I read this fat ass Hemingway biography, and by far my favorite parts were the ones about Paris, all those expatriate writers hanging out and going to cafes and stuff…it seemed really glamorous to me, I will always have a soft spot for Paris.
Big Vice shitstorm going on right now…I think most people in the community are taking it well though, nobody’s really taking it seriously, or letting it discourage them or anything. And they shouldn’t take it seriously, the writer's just trolling for clicks. Felt happy that the Willis Plummer poem he hated so much was a screenshot from my tumblr…I only posted that poem yesterday, so I guess he wrote the whole article in one day.
Talk to you later, good luck with all the theater work…
hello stranger - Hope you're well. how the hell are you? who are you today? how's the book? I just finished working with Jassem, Rico and Jen - great fun and very loud at times - Jassem and I will probably do other gigs, maybe Paris before or after THEM in France. I'll let you know - what you listening to lately - maybe in need of something new to listen to - though I'm making plenty of it myself, though no planned gigs for the next two months, though that can always change - best best best
oh, yeah, this is postit, sorry
Will, thanks so much, though I admit I've been following the VS project for a long time. I even included a track in a post I did here last year sometime— http://denniscooper-theweaklings.blogspot.com/2011/09/gig-13-trees-presents-open-up-and-bleed.html
Anyway, DF is rad, and the Vatican Shadow project is genius, and I really love the recent Prurient stuff too. So thanks!
Dennis!
Today I worked, drank and ate Vietnamese food with my boyfriend and our older gay friends, then went to a dyke bar and ran into a bunch of weirdos we know. About to drink whiskey and watch something dumb, like "V/H/S" or some other bad horror flick, which is sort of great in a lot of ways. Oh, and hey, I'm sure that Yury knows about the company I work for: Aesop. One in Tiquetonne, one on the Rue Saint-Honore, and I think one more in Paris. Work sucks, but whatever.
Thinking about "Frankenstein" at the moment. The epistolary aspect of the whole book. Don't really know why.
Anyway, bisous.
xoxot
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