Ivor Cutler’s Privilege will shortly be out on CD.
Tag: ivor
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The one that got away
The one that got away – Scotland on Sunday on Ivor Cutler.
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to lie down
This is
might beNic Jones: I’m Going In A Field [mp3].I’m not sure, though.
Whoever it is, it’s rather good, and accompanies part of the Claptrap DVD of Ivor Cutler’s Looking for the Truth with a Pin / Cutler’s Last Stand.
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“Imperfection is an end; perfection is only an aim”
Ivor Cutler, 1923—2006, mensch; rest in peace.
Obituary from The Guardian.
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work prep on Ivor’s birthday
Getting ready for the new job; clothes have been bought, shoes polished, case packed.
And it’s Ivor Cutler’s birthday. No gruts for tea for me.
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Ivor Cutler: Glasgow Dreamer
I’ve archived an MP3 copy of Arnold Brown’s Radio 4 programme here: Ivor Cutler: Glasgow Dreamer. It’s a good introduction to Ivor Cutler’s work, and it’s a bit more accessible than the RealAudio format I had to convert it from.
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Chance encounters on the Ivor Cutler list
I joined ivor-list during the week. In this short time, I’ve met on the list:
- Frazier Mohawk of Puck’s Farm, longtime recording/production guy for the Holy Modal Rounders (and Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, …).
- Andy Williamson, formerly of The Honkin’ Hep Cats, a fine hipster jazz combo I’d seen at the Edinburgh Festival. (They sounded like this:There Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens [MP3])
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Ivor Cutler in The Guardian
Ivor Cutler is still with us (despite the best efforts of the photographer).
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My Favourite Octogenarian
Happy 81st Birthday, Ivor Cutler, Scotland’s living National Treasure. He has been broadcasting poignantly odd songs and stories since the late 1950s.
I went to school in the same area of Glasgow where Ivor grew up. Indeed, we’re cursed with the same accent; whenever I read out loud, I sound just like him.
When I lived in Scotland, I saw him perform live several times. I have a signed copy of “Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Vol. 2” that I picked up in Foyles in London. It seems he randomly signs his books on the shelves there.
Ivor Cutler doesn’t like people quoting his work. But few people outside the UK know his work, so in order to let you know what he’s about, here’s A Real Man, from his 1999 book
South American Bookworms
(Arc Publications, ISBN 1-900072-35-1):A Real Man
When I was 12 I wanted to be a real man — an old man with a beard, sitting at a table with a huge book full of wisdom. And what did society hold up to me for my admiration? A golfer, a boxer, a man who ran quickly; a soldier, a lawyer, a tycoon; a motorist, a pop star; a footballer. Into what kind of madhouse had I been born? And what have I become? A child, witlessly pouring out whatever enters my head. I am a madman and people gather to listen to me make a fool of myself. I am not a role model. This is my protection and security. I still long for the table and the book, the smell of an old man and an old book; the afternoon light fading.
If you want to hear what he sounds like, here is an MP3 recording of Ivor Cutler reciting A Real Man from a 1997 radio broadcast:
Better yet, buy some of his books, or CDs. Virgin have recently re-released many of his older recordings, so there’s no excuse.