New Wave Outpost Forum

Literature influences music.

It is amazing, just finished reading "Rip It Up" two weeks ago on a plane trip and I also read Siouxsie's autobiography last year and was surprised to find that alot of those early punksters (Rotten, Siouxsie, Sid, Severin, etc.) were huge fans of J.G. Ballard's works. Many band members picked names after Ballard characters, and then I learned "Comsat Angels" were named after one of his short stories.

Even Robert Smith, Sonic Youth, and Hank Rollins are HUGE fans of Ballard and Philip K Dick. I have to go back and read some Ballard, it has been like 20 years... but I had no idea he was so influential on how people thought, performed their art, and was very popular with underground punk culture in England at the time.

Anyone else know how Ballard's literature (or anyone else) influenced a music scene?

John Foxx apparently recorded _Metamatic_ while entranced by Ballard's _Crash_.

Click. Click. Drone.

I heard that one of Joy Division's songs was written with Crash in mind too.

Oh and hi, I'm a new guy around here. Name's Mike, from Toronto. 23 years old. Good to be here.
[8D]

[quote][i]Originally posted by thefxc[/i]
<br>John Foxx apparently recorded _Metamatic_ while entranced by Ballard's _Crash_.

Click. Click. Drone.
[/quote]

My list of Ballard-related songs

"My Sex" by Ultravox ("Skyscraper shadows on a car crash overpass")
"Warm Leatherette" by the Normal (Crash)
"The Atrocity Exhibition" by Joy Division (And lots more Joy Division)
"Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles (The Sound Sweep)
"The Garden" by John Foxx (The Time Garden)
"Miss the Girl" by the Creatures (Crash)

The Art of Noise credit Ballard on their Who's Afraid of album with "Crash on!"

Also, I got the distinct feeling that "Warm Leatherette" by the Normal (I think that's who did it) was about Crash--most notably the end where the singer says "car crash sex."

Gary Numan - "Down in the Park" and quite a few others...

Welcome aboard oceanic. You're username is the same as one of my favorite Vangelis releases.

<img src="http://www.teenagewildlife.com/Interact/fc/misc/henry_mike/dbsmc.gif"><p><font face="small Fonts">bowieno </font></p>

A month ago I picked up a copy of Ballards' short stories because alot of people who's music I enjoy sight him as an influence:

Siouxsie
Daniel Miller
Gary Numan
Soft Cell
John Foxx
and the list goes on and on.

Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to delve into it yet, but it's on my list.

J.G. Ballard is great. His novel "Crash" really made "a head-on impact" on my psyche. I've also enjoyed some of his short stories as well. Maybe one of you can help me. I once heard that Alain Jourgensen's side project, P.T.P. (Programming the Psychodrill), came from a Ballard short story. You've just gotta love the song "Show Me Your Spine" from Robocop!!!! Anyway, does anybody know the story this is from? Quite curious.


Thanks,



Jeffrey

[quote][i]Originally posted by My Aural Stimulator[/i]
Also, I got the distinct feeling that "Warm Leatherette" by the Normal (I think that's who did it) was about Crash--most notably the end where the singer says "car crash sex."
[/quote]Actually, the last line is "Join the car crash set".


As mentioned, Gary Numan's first several albums were replete with Ballard influences.

Ballard's "High Rise" is a very punk rock book - it was mentioned in Jon Savage's "England's Dreaming". I prefer it to Crash.