Intuitive Music

Psychic TV

Psychic TV is one of the most extravagant and provocative alternative bands in the electronic scene of all times. The band was formed in 1981 by the ex-members of the industrial pioneering band Throbbing Gristle, Genesis P-Orridge and Peter Christopherson and Geoff Rushton (also known as John Balance), plus Alex Ferguson from Alternative TV. The Sonic/Transmedia music and performance collective was origininally intended to be a super group featuring the singer Ian Curtis from Joy Division, but unfortunately Curtis committed suicide on May 1980.

The band have been a force behind industrial music ever since, influenced by personages such as the writers Marquis De Sade and William Burroughs, and murder Charles Manson. In 1982, the band was signed to CBS Records influenced by the former contract with Throbbing Gristle. Their first albums “Force Thee Hand ov Chance” and “Dreams Less Sweet” were probably the most pop oriented from the band and featured big doses of sound experimentation, primarily created by Christopherson and Rushton. In 1983, Peter Christopherson and Geoff Rushton left the group to be a part of Coil, and Psychic TV implemented musicians for the live shows.

Psychic TV was part of a big controversy again in 1984 when Genesis P-Orridge performed in the Spanish TV show “La Edad de Oro” acompained by his daughter and using obscene images and alusions to the Catholic religion. The TV show was cut and in 1992 the Brittish police seized videos, books and magazines from Genesis P-Orridge’s Brighton home acusing the artist of child abuse. In 1984, the band broke their contract with Some Bizzare Records and they stop promotionioning their works in the media. Since 1986 Psychic TV embarked into a project comited to release 23 live albums on the 23rd of each month.

In 1985, Psychic TV founded Temple Records and a year later they started publishing a series of 23 live albums, which later stopped without explanantion after only 17 releases. The tenth, a picture disk most commonly referred to as ‘Album 10′, could only be obtained by submitting tokens contained in each of the previous nine releases. The band subsequently earnt an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records after having released over 70 albums in a period of one year.

In 1988, Psychic TV released their second studio album “Allegory and Self: Thee Starlit Mire” and started getting involved with the growing acid house and techno scenes and Alex Ferguson was replaced by the techno artist Fred Gianelli. During this period, Gianelli and other techno artists released several works under the names of Psychic TV and other monikers to create an imaginary sense of acid house scene in the UK.

Genesis P-Orridge, who became a provocative figure in the late 70’s shocking the media as the organizer of the “Prostitution” exhibition at London’s ICA gallery, had started the Art Actionist Project called Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth. During a period of 10 years, the Temple ov Psychick Youth network reached around the globe with over 10,000 participants. As a result of the project’s anti-cult actions Genesis was self-exiled from the UK in 1992, relocating to California, U.S.

In California, Genesis P-Orridge started a collaboration with Timothy Leary and got involved in the new born American dance scene. He is also known to have dubbed the term acid house, which was mainly influenced by Psychic TV’s works during the early 90’s. During this period P-Orridge began working with Larry Thrasher to create a series of spoken word ambient albums, including “Thee Fractured Garden” (1996). Part of this material was later compiled in the “Electric Newspaper” series.

Genesis P-Orridge and Lady J. Breyer

During the late 90′S, Genesis P-Orridge created the group Thee Majesty with Larry Thrasher and Psychic TV announced their split, offering a final show in 1999. In 2003 the band was resurrected under the name of PTV3 in 2003. That same year, Genesis changed his name to Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and began a performance series called Breaking Sex that was initiated by both he and Lady J. Breyer from PTV3. The project was about re-union and re-solution of male and female to a perfecting hermaphroditic state and was named Pandrogeny by P-Orridge. The project included having cosmetic surgeries that blur the lines between their sexes and bring them nearer to being one physically. Genesis’ partner, Lady J. Breyer P-Orridge also took part of the project, which started on Valentine’s Day 2005 coinciding with the 10 year Anniversary of the couple.

Other projects by P-Orridge include sample project Splinter Test and spoken word, Troubadorian project Thee Majesty with Larry Thrasher , touring in 2004, and Bryin Dall (Loretta’s Doll).

Psychic TV

In 2004 Psychic TV reunited after more than 10 years to tour the U.S., featuring Genesis P-Orridge ( noise bass, electric violin, voices), Lady Jaye ( samplers, tambourine), David Max (guitars, voices), Alice Genese ( bass guitar, voices), Eddie O’Dowd (drums, percussive sampler) and Markus Fabulous Persson (keyboards). Sadly, Johnn Balance (age 42) passed away in November 13, 2004 after an accident in which he fell from the first floor landing in his home, hitting his head on the floor.

Peter Christopherson started a successful career as a designer and video director. He worked with the infamous design agency Hipgnosis on album sleeves for bands including Pink Floyd and the Alan Parsons Project. He is also a well-recognized music video director and has directed videos for numerous artists. cincluding Marc Almond, Erasure, The Firm, Front 242, Diamanda Galas, Paul McCartney, Nine Inch Nails, Robert Plant, Rage Against the Machine,
Sepultura, 10cc and Jah Wobble.

Contributions to Psychic TV have include artists such as Coil, Current 93, The Hafler Trio, The Cult, White Stains, Soft Cell, Master Musicians of Jajouka, Alex Fergusson, Matthew Best, Daniel Simon Black, Bill Breeze, Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, Derek Jarman, Fred Gianelli, John “Zoskia” Gosling, Timothy Leary, Rose McDowall, Stephen Kent, Vagina Dentata Organ, Andrew Weatherall, Z’EV, and many others. Originally its cult-like fanclub, Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth (aka T.O.P.Y.), later turned into a full-fledged religion, long after P-Orridge abandoned it in 1991.