Love is the Message: Dance, Music and Counterculture

Love is the Message podcast
  • 4.9 (47)
  • Music History
  • Updated Biweekly

Love is the Message: Music, Dance & Counterculture is a new show from Tim Lawrence and Jeremy Gilbert, both of them authors, academics, DJs and dance party organisers. Tune in, Turn on and Get Down to in-depth discussion of the sonic, social and political legacies of radical movements from the 1960s to today. Starting with David Mancuso's NYC Loft parties, we’ll explore the countercultural sounds, scenes and ideas of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. ”There’s one big party going on all the time. Sometimes we get to tune into it.” The rest of the time there’s Love Is The Message.

  1. 1d ago

    LITM Extra - The Flying Hearts: Arthur Russell pt.5 [excerpt]

    This is an excerpt from a patrons-only episode. To hear the full thing, plus dozens more like it, visit Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod. We continue our mini-series on Arthur Russell by turning to his mid-70s pop and folk work. Starting in the famous Poet’s Building in 1975, Tim and Jeremy explore life in the East Village, in particular the area’s poetry scene. They discuss the aesthetics of setting spoken word to music, stop by Ginsberg, and drop in some Tibetan Buddhist classes. Elsewhere in the episode we hear about a number of recording sessions at the Columbia Records studio, get haunted by the spectre of Dylan, and speculate on whether Arthur could have been the fourth Talking Head. Tim shares some demos from Arthur’s short-lived band the Flying Hearts, a version of Psycho Killer with punchy cello that didn’t make the final cut, and some Laraaji-ish keyboard noodlings. www.loveisthemessagepod.co.uk Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod Produced by Matt Huxley. Books: Philippe Bourgeois - In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio Tracklist: Arthur Russell - Barefoot in New York William Carlos Williams - The Red Wheelbarrow Bright and Early - Apple to the Orange Arthur Russell - Nobody Wants a Lonely Heart Arthur Russell - I Couldn’t Say it to Your Face Arthur Russell - Reach One (with Two Fender Rhodes) Talking Heads - The Girls Want to be with the Girls Talking Heads - Psycho Killer (acoustic version) The Flying Hearts - Ballad of the Lights The Flying Hearts - What’s It Like

    13 min

  2. May 21

    The Mudd Club, An Intense Laboratory: Post Punk pt.5

    In this episode we return to the Mudd Club, NYC’s ‘intense laboratory’ of cinema, performance, dance and music. We hear about how this new kind of club fused these various media in novel ways, both as a day-to-day scene hang out spot and a site of never-ending unusual parties (‘Rock’n’Roll Funeral Ball Extravaganza’ anyone?). Tim and Jeremy detail the movement of artists into the East Village in the late 70s, the Fluxus inspiration for the Club’s goings on, and throw a little light on another less well-remembered venue, Club 57. Elsewhere in the episode the guys talk about The Cure, Lou Reed, retromania and cable TV, whilst also spending a moment on the legacy of Anita Sarko, a much-loved DJ on the scene. Produced by Matt Huxley. Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod. Loveisthemessagepod.co.uk. Tracklist: Shrapnel - Combat Love Policeband - Mono The Cure - Killing an Arab Lou Reed - Vicious Bobby Freeman - Betty Lou Got a New Pair of Shoes

    1h 33m

  3. May 7

    LITM Extra - Instrumentals: Arthur Russell pt.4 [excerpt]

    This is an excerpt from a patrons-only episode. To hear the full thing, plus dozens more like it, visit Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod. We’re back on the tail of Arthur Russell this week, paying close attention to his piece Instrumentals. A large ensemble composition comprised of multiple musical cells and first premiered at The Kitchen while he was music director, this work expresses Arthur’s proximity to NYC’s post minimalist scene. Jeremy and Tim discuss the works of several of the more prominent composers of that world, including Steve Reich, La Monte Young and Philip Glass, discussing the merits and failures of minimalism and how Arthur’s music aligned and diverged. Elsewhere they spend time on Arthur’s close friend and collaborator Peter Gordon, spend a moment unpacking Postmodernism, attempt to give a very potted account of just and equal temperaments, and give the stage to Memphis rockers Big Star. www.loveisthemessagepod.co.uk Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod Produced by Matt Huxley. Tracklist: Arthur Russell - Hey! How Does Everybody Know Captain Beefheart - Dachau Blues Arthur Russell - Instrumentals (Live at the Kitchen) La Monte Young - The Well-Tuned Piano Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians Henry Flynt & Nova'Billy — Amphetamine Rhapsody

    12 min

  4. Apr 23

    The Mudd Club Opens: Post Punk pt.4

    Continuing our mini-series on post-punk, Jeremy and Tim turn their attention to the pre-history of a crucial NYC venue: The Mudd Club. Given Tim literally wrote the book on this stuff, he’s well-placed to tell the story of how three Downtowners got the idea, got the premises, agreed on the name (not without its difficulties) and threw open the doors. We revisit the blending of punk and dance cultures that was emerging in the city at the time, spend a moment in another club - Hurrah - and contemplate the pitfalls of punk. Elsewhere in the episode Jeremy recounts his indie disco escapades, we hear a very early iteration of Psycho Killer, and pour one out for the mighty B52s. Plus: John Wilkes Booth, Molotov cocktails, and Elvis. Produced by Matt Huxley.Become a patron at patreon.com/LoveMessagePod https://www.loveisthemessagepod.co.uk/ Tracklist: The Rolling Stones - Miss You The Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated Talking Heads - Psycho Killer (Live at CBGB’s) Elvis - Moody Blue The Heartbreakers - Chinese Rocks B52s - 52 Women

    1h 22m

  5. Apr 16 ·  Bonus

    [UNLOCKED] LITM Extra - Rebel Sounds with Joe Mulhall

    We've dug into our vault of past episodes and unlocked this previously patrons-only interview from last year. To hear dozens more episodes like this from just £3 a month, visit Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod. In episode we welcome writer and anti-fascist activist Joe Mulhall to the show to discuss his fantastic book Rebel Sounds: Music as Resistance, a survey across time and place of groups and cultures using musics as part of their resistance to forms of racism and imperialism. We hear about Irish rebel songs, Kneecap and an impromptu Irish history quiz in the toilets of a Wolftones gig; the role of Jazz, Blues and Soul in the Civil Rights Struggle; revisit Tropicalia with fresh eyes and ears; and fly to Nigeria for the Felabration in Lagos. Alongside these topics we consider how our personal tastes can divert from a music’s political power, US cultural hegemony, music in the USSR, 'bone records’, Two Tone, and bring things up to date with a trip to the trenches of Ukraine.

    1h 36m

  6. Apr 9

    LITM Extra - Rock the Kitchen: Arthur Russell pt.3 [excerpt]

    This is an excerpt from a patrons-only episode. To hear the full thing, plus dozens more, become a patron from £3 a month at Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod. In this patrons episode we rejoin Arthur Russell in NYC as he takes up musical directorship of the supremely influential downtown arts centre The Kitchen. Jeremy and Tim discuss the Minimalist and Post-Minimalist stylings of the retinue of composer-performers in the area, including Christian Wolff and Rhys Chatham. We hear how Arthur - never a rock lover - became enamoured with the vernacular communication of the Modern Lovers, inviting them for a semi-legendary performance at his venue, and more broadly how their aesthetics of everydayness came to influence a slew of subsequent artists including Arthur himself. Elsewhere in the episode the guys discuss the curious case of Frank Zappa, gong baths, and share some personal reflections on their experiences with Arthur's music. Tracklist: Christian Wolff - For 1,2 or 3 People Rhys Chatham - Two Gongs Arthur Russell - Eli The Modern Lovers - Old World Arthur Russell - I Forget and I Can’t Tell The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner (Live at the Kitchen) Frank Zappa - The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny Peter Gordon - Machomusic

    9 min

  7. Mar 26

    Do It Yourself! Post Punk pt.3

    Grab your zines, dust off your stencils and customise your jackets because Jeremy and Tim are continuing our mini-series on post-punk with a healthy dollop of DIY culture. They discuss the infamous Sniffin’ Glue magazine, visit Dial House to ponder the ultimate UK DIY heroes Crass, and spin some of the most out-there No Wave cuts NYC had to offer. Elsewhere in the episode they dedicate time to outré post punk pioneers Devo, shout out the pipes on Lydia Lunch, dwell on punk’s dub and hip hop influences as expressed through a classic Clash track, and unpick the aesthetics of uptightness. Plus Glen Branca, Epping Forest and… Crosby Stills Nash & Young.  Produced by Matt Huxley. Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod www.loveisthemessagepod.co.uk Tracklist: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Ohio Devo - Satisfaction Theoretical Girls - You Got Me Alternative TV - Action Time Vision The Clash - White Man in Hammersmith Palais Teenage Jesus and the Jerks - Orphans Crass - Sucks

    1h 11m

  8. Mar 12

    LITM Extra - Beginner's Mind: Arthur Russell pt.2 [excerpt]

    This is an excerpt of a patrons-only episode. To hear the full thing, and dozens more like it, visit Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod to sign up from just £3 a month. In this patrons episode we continue to unspool our mini-series on the great Arthur Russell. We rejoin the composer on the West Coast in the early 1970s, leaving him a few years later at the Manhattan School of Music as he prepares to move downtown. Along the way Tim and Jeremy discuss Arthur’s friendship with Allen Ginsberg, his experiences of Buddhism, and an early recording session with the poet and one Bob Dylan. Elsewhere we hear about William Blake, ‘beginner’s mind’, Ginsberg’s devotional music, hippie cowboys and Indian influences, and take a trip to Wales. In addition to his playing on the Ginsberg recordings, we also hear some of the first music composed by our subject. Tracklist:Allen Ginsberg - Wales VisitationAllen Ginsberg - Pacific High Studio Mantras - Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi HumAllen Ginsberg - A DreamArthur Russell - Goodbye Old Paint

    8 min
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4.9
out of 5
47 Ratings

About

Love is the Message: Music, Dance & Counterculture is a new show from Tim Lawrence and Jeremy Gilbert, both of them authors, academics, DJs and dance party organisers. Tune in, Turn on and Get Down to in-depth discussion of the sonic, social and political legacies of radical movements from the 1960s to today. Starting with David Mancuso's NYC Loft parties, we’ll explore the countercultural sounds, scenes and ideas of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. ”There’s one big party going on all the time. Sometimes we get to tune into it.” The rest of the time there’s Love Is The Message.

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