YOU'VE GOT FOETUS ON YOUR BREATH!

Since I've been in the midst of an updating frenzy, here is a tasty repost...

Known to most earthlings a J.G. Thirlwell, Mr. Foetus has been making incredible and unique music since 1981.

A VERY brief bio is in order here (This man's musical wanderings and crusty East Village living is the stuff of legend and would make for an amazing documentary). Anyways, this is straight from the horse's mouth--->

The inscrutable J.G. Thirlwell was dropped on this planet some time ago to bestow sonic majesty, chaos, violence & beauty and cunning linguistics on an unsuspecting earth.

A Brooklyn-based Australian ex-pat, Thirlwell has used many names for his many visions: Foetus (and its many name variations), Steroid Maximus, Clint Ruin, Wiseblood, DJ OTEFSU, Manorexia and Baby Zizanie. His multitude of influential recordings under the name FOETUS and variations thereof (including Scraping FOETUS off the Wheel, the FOETUS All-Nude Revue, FOETUS Inc., etc.), has amassed a rabid world-wide cult following. Over the course of more than a dozen albums he has stretched from yearning orchestral soundscapes, meticulously organized chaos, electronic swathes, blistering big band pastiche, crunching hard rock and even inventing stupefying collisions of genres and forms with a raw emotion and irresistible musicality.

His instrumental Steroid Maximus project contains JG’s cinematic stylings of encompassing haunting soundscapes, twisted neo-blaxploitation, spy/crime noir-intrigue, sinuous carnal funk, soundtracks of the unimagined and ethnic music from civilisations yet to be conceived, among other things! It was this project that led to his re-imagining of this music to be played live by a nineteen-piece ensemble, including brass and string sections and concert percussion, with musical director Steven Bernstein.

As Manorexia, JG exorcises even darker instrumental inclinations over two self released albums, Volvox Turbo and The Radiolarian Ooze. Baby Zizanie, a collaboration with Jim Coleman, allowed him to explore improvisation and collaboration via laptop with visual backdrops on several European tours.

An accomplished re-mixer and producer, he’s worked his magic on the likes of NIN, White Zombie, JSBX, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coil and countless others. JGT has also worked in film and even voiceovers for MTV.

His acclaimed graphic design appears on his sleeve as well as gracing several magazine covers and fine art lithographs.

More recently JG has also branched out into audio installations (the freq_out project curated by CM Von Hausswolf, with whom he also conducted an audio workshop at the Stadelschule in Frankfurt), DJ-ing (as DJ Otefsu), has appeared in an opera (Der Kastanienball in Munich in 2004, directed by Stefan Winter), has scored a cartoon series for The Cartoon Network in the USA (The Venture Brothers), and recently completed a commission for Bang On A Can. In 2005 he will be writing his first commission for Kronos Quartet, which will premier in 2006.---

The man has been embedded deeply in New York's avant garde scene since the get-go, working with everyone from renegade filmmaker Richard Kern to Ikue Mori and Mike Patton. He is currently busy on a world-wide level, hob nobbing with the planet's musical elite.

At the outset of his career, Foetus music was a combination of industrial bombast, big band mutations, acid throated growl, and pure misanthropy. As Mr. Thirlwell has evolved he has branched in multiple directions, sharpening his focus, and perfecting his craft.

The first album below is a great example of his soundtrack side. There is no denying that Mr. Thirlwell is a competent and tweaked out composer. His Manorexia project occupies similar sonic terrain as his Steroid Maximus guise. If you found yourself digging the music on Adult Swim's 'Venture Brothers', then you have ol' J.G. to thank. Here is his one of his 2002 masterpieces...

1 Planet Of The Aches (3:03)
2 The Harpoon Jockey (3:35)
3 Backwards From "Z" (2:48)
4 Confessions Of Zsolf Vadaszffy (3:04)
5 Fluorescent Radiation (4:49)
6 Canaries In The Mineshaft (4:04)
7 Edison Machine (1:15)
8 Ataxia (11:55)
9 Chloe Don't Know I'm Alive (8:21)
10 Cosmos Brutile (6:09)
11 Armadillo Stance (5:05)
12 Self Inflicted Concussions... (7:30)

My first taste of J.G. Thirlwell's all-out big band style onslaught was via Steroid Maximus and this awesome 1992 release...




1 ¡Quilombo! (4:22)
2 Radio Raheem (3:25)
The Bowel Of Beelzebub: A Symphony In Four Movements
3 First Movement: The Trojan Hearse (2:38)
4 Second Movement: The Auctioneer Of Souls (4:36)
5 Third Movement: Crawling Goliath (3:42)
6 Fourth Movement: Erupture (3:13)
7 Life In The Greenhouse Effect (5:52)
8 I Will Love You Always (Wild Irish Rose) (6:14)
9 Destino Matar (4:08)
10 Cross Double Cross (3:32)
11 Volgarity (2:36)
12 Öl (Kwik-Lube) (1:56)
13 Powerhouse! (4:06)
14 Homeo (2:34)

J.G. Thirlwell is an amazing musician. Not only is Mr. Thirlwell responsible for the playing of all instruments, he also capably attacks all composition, programming, and production. There are very few musicians who can do it all like Mr. Foetus.

However when he takes the freak show on the road, he can't very well play every fucking instrument. Various incarnations of the live Foetus roadshow have involved quite a cavalcade of musicians through the years.

The permutation used on the double live album below makes use of many of his long-standing regular players. These include: Hahn Rowe on violin and guitar, Vinnie Signorelli on drums, Norman Westberg on guitar, David Quimet on samplers and trombone, and Algis Kizys on bass. Vocals are obviously handled by Clint Ruin (J.G. himself).

This show was Recorded live at CBGB, 3 November 1990




DISC #1
1-01 Free James Brown (4:36)
1-02 Fin (1:56)
1-03 Hot Horse (5:08)
1-04 English Faggot (6:25)
1-05 Faith Healer (7:20)
1-06 Honey I'm Home (9:25)
1-07 Butterfly Potion (3:09)
1-08 I'll Meet You In Poland Baby (7:43)

DISC #2
2-01 Anything (Viva!) (8:41)
2-02 Death Rape 2000 (1:59)
2-03 Puppet Dude (4:56)
2-04 Stumbo (7:55)
2-05 Someone Drowned In My Pool (9:25)
2-06 Behemoth (8:05)
2-07 Your Salvation (14:24)