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CULTURAL LIFE: JULIAN COPE MUSICIAN
The Independent - United Kingdom;
Jan 21, 2005
Interview by Charlotte Cripps
Books
I am always reading the same thing, a huge amount of Indo-European
mythology and early-language studies, such as Archaeology & Language:
The Puzzle of Indo-European Origins by Colin Renfrew. I'm rereading
Brian Bates's The Way of Wyrd: Tales of an Anglo-Saxon Sorcerer, about
belief in the undead. My own current project, Let Me Speak to the
Driver, is about whether there is a universal force that drives us. My
favourite book is Zoroastrianism in Armenia by James Russell.
Film
I don't really watch films, other than loud rock'n'roll ones. The
other night, I watched Eat the Document, the Bob Dylan movie made in
1972. Freebird: The Movie is the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd, a rock band
of weirdos who died in a plane crash. My wife drags me to the cinema
sometimes. I quite like The Lord of the Rings - but there is too much
fighting in all of them. The last Harry Potter film was very mystical,
much better than the first two, which were very Hollywood.
Music
I'm mainly listening to US underground music - Comets of Fire are
playing with me at the Festival Hall. I also like a lot of American
doom metal, such as Sunn 0))) and Khanate. They are all very extreme,
with tracks that last 25 minutes. Another band is Teeth of Lions Rule
the Divine; it's real trudge-sludge music that sounds like the Earth
is forming. I don't dislike mainstream music, but I don't get the
point of it.
Theatre & opera
I hate opera. I think it is rubbish. I don't accept its metaphor, and
I don't have the necessary Mediterranean soul to understand it. My
wife worked for years with the former English National Opera boss Sir
Peter Jonas, and he called me a barbarian for hating opera so much. I
haven't been to the theatre in ages. I wriggle out of going. I spend
most of the time in the middle of nowhere, looking for lost monuments,
so I don't see what's on in the city.
Julian Cope plays the Royal Festival Hall, London SE1 (0870 380 0400)
tonight. For details of tour and album, `Citizen Cain'd', consult
www.headheritage.co.uk
The Independent - United Kingdom;
Jan 21, 2005
Interview by Charlotte Cripps
Books
I am always reading the same thing, a huge amount of Indo-European
mythology and early-language studies, such as Archaeology & Language:
The Puzzle of Indo-European Origins by Colin Renfrew. I'm rereading
Brian Bates's The Way of Wyrd: Tales of an Anglo-Saxon Sorcerer, about
belief in the undead. My own current project, Let Me Speak to the
Driver, is about whether there is a universal force that drives us. My
favourite book is Zoroastrianism in Armenia by James Russell.
Film
I don't really watch films, other than loud rock'n'roll ones. The
other night, I watched Eat the Document, the Bob Dylan movie made in
1972. Freebird: The Movie is the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd, a rock band
of weirdos who died in a plane crash. My wife drags me to the cinema
sometimes. I quite like The Lord of the Rings - but there is too much
fighting in all of them. The last Harry Potter film was very mystical,
much better than the first two, which were very Hollywood.
Music
I'm mainly listening to US underground music - Comets of Fire are
playing with me at the Festival Hall. I also like a lot of American
doom metal, such as Sunn 0))) and Khanate. They are all very extreme,
with tracks that last 25 minutes. Another band is Teeth of Lions Rule
the Divine; it's real trudge-sludge music that sounds like the Earth
is forming. I don't dislike mainstream music, but I don't get the
point of it.
Theatre & opera
I hate opera. I think it is rubbish. I don't accept its metaphor, and
I don't have the necessary Mediterranean soul to understand it. My
wife worked for years with the former English National Opera boss Sir
Peter Jonas, and he called me a barbarian for hating opera so much. I
haven't been to the theatre in ages. I wriggle out of going. I spend
most of the time in the middle of nowhere, looking for lost monuments,
so I don't see what's on in the city.
Julian Cope plays the Royal Festival Hall, London SE1 (0870 380 0400)
tonight. For details of tour and album, `Citizen Cain'd', consult
www.headheritage.co.uk