WOEBOT

One from the Archives!

Just in case you were under the impression that I emerged fully-formed from the mud 4 months ago and proceeded to thump my tub in time with this host of celebrity journalists, here's a little thing I did a very long time ago when I was only a little chap. Something I've always been tremendously proud of and which I believe was hugely influential. Just a chart, but........

It's from The Wire Issue 102, dated August 1992. I did it in response to a chart David Toop did, which he called his Post-Colonial, Fourth World Hybrid, Techno-Pagan Global Futurist Top 20, which BLEW MY MIND. The Free-Dub chart was submitted when I was living in Glasgow, and calling myself "The Rhythm Shower" (I've always been borderline insane). The Wire presumably thought I was a collective of some sort, so they credited it "readers" The Rhythm Shower. That was quite sweet. It got a joint double-page spread with a chart by a guy called Saverio Pechini from Italy (quite good too....) The strapline to the page said "Your Charts are welcome - In fact they inspire us", which I also liked.

I was working at the Music and Video Exchange at the time (pricing stuff natch) and like the ever-keen ever-green cocky prat I was took the magazine round and showed it to Brian. Brian is a notorious multi-millionare miser, he owns all those shops. He looked at the piece and looked me up and down. I think he was really surprised that I thought this was worthy of his attention. Not angry or annoyed. Just really caught off guard.

I've been quite open that I moulded the chart on Toop's work. But I know he used mine for his huge 3-page epic Dub History he did for Mixmag, which he later re-chewed for The Wire. This contained much else besides, and was probably the first time I came across both Arthur Russell, Walter Gibbons and Paul "Groucho" Smykle. Why do I know? Because a year later I rang him up (cocky little prat) and he was aware of the chart, and graciously opened his phonebook to help me on a project. Actually I must have been a right nuisance for the people who he put me in touch with. I met David again a couple of years ago, never really introduced myself properly (tongue-tied isolationist mid-seven year psychotic cycle), though I remember him saying he got badly ripped off himself with the whole Dub History idea (not going into any detail here...). Is any of that libellous? I don't think so. I hope not. It was the truth as I see it anyway.

Those charts they have in The Wire these days are very carefully alloted to Institutions, Radio Shows, Famous People etc. You can't just be a snotty nutter and post them something which they'll print. Which is a shame.

Posted by Woebot at April 26, 2003 08:17 PM