News/posts

Here's the last episode of Serious Introspection, which was by far the best one (from my perspective, at least). We had a large and hungry audience and great guests and a real spirit of absurdity. Guests were Nikos Doulous and some of the Mad House working group (Heidi Backström, Mirva Pulkkinen and Annika Tudeer); also included were statistical analysis, Minor Threat karaoke, and...

Here is this week's episode, with Tero Nauha, Milla Koistinen, Salka Gudmundsdóttir and impromptu guest Tuukka Asplund. We passed out feedback forms to the audience, and you can fill this out online here. Even if you have never attended a live episode and only watched these, we appreciate your feedback!

We were without a sound man for the third consecutive week but did not have...

Episode six brought together Jaakko Blomberg of Yhteismaa and Ossi Koskelainen, Ilpo Heikkinen & Emmi Venna of the Post-MJ Era Institute of Consciousness. We discussed legacy, openness, social boundaries, memories, divorce, and shark costumes. I unsuccessfully tried to get rid of a Gertrude Stein book, played Michael Jackson trivia, and saw St. Elmo's Fire spitting ions in the ether.

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It's the TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES episode! With our trusted sound man in Estonia we had to figure it out ourselves, mainly, 'where do they store the microphones?' and thus we started a half-hour late, and I was agitated throughout. It's also the AMERICA episode! With guests Megan Snowe (USA), Ernest Truely (USA), Matthew Goulish (USA) and myself and Justin as always. Special...

Here's the hastily edited video from this week's episode of Serious Introspection with John W. Fail, which was a good one - featuring Hanne Ivars, Synes Elischka and Harriina Räinä as well as hype man Justin Tyler Tate. We talked about Bruce Conner films, interactivity in art, and how to make fake blood. And we played a game based on my life. There was a camera...

Here is episode 3, from last week at Ihana Baari. Guests were Kristinsson & Fredriksson, and we attempted a subjective 'trivia' game which flopped due to low audience participation. Thanks to Justin Tyler Tate as always for being a great hype man, and to Lotta Blomberg for taking care of the videographing and editing.

Tonight is episode 4, featuring Hanne Ivars (talking about her...

Here's (season 1,) episode 2 of Serious Introspection with John W. Fail, my weekly live/talk show at Mad House Helsinki. This week I talked with Annika Tudeer, Andrew Paterson, and Kimmo Modig. It was a significantly more lively show than last time, and I felt way better about it. I apologise for the audio being terrible - it makes this quite hard to listen to, but next week we...

I am hosting a weekly live/talk show called Serious Introspection with John W. Fail on Tuesdays until the end of November. The show takes place at the Ihana Bar as part of Mad House Helsinki's second season.

Each week I will bring up some friends and other random people, and interview people who are going to be performing at Mad House in the coming week. I hope to create something...

I'm going to perform solo/live for the first time in ages, as Oakwhistle again.  It's at the Soodevahe festival in Tallinn on the 17th of this month.  Expect something along the vibe of the Boat Trip LP only maybe sloppier - but (un)focused around hesitation, delicacy, and misguided stabs at beauty.

Luke made these posters which we mailed to all of the people promoting the different shows across the UK.  I liked how he did this - it certainly fit in with the aesthetic of the old tape reels and low-budget yet distinctly 1960s/70s feel that we were going for.  You can see this particularly in his artwork for the LP we never put out.  Scanned 25 July 2010.

(75% of Lost Lake, live in Newcastle: L-R Mark Vernon, Luke Fowler, me)

Last month I ended up back in Glasgow for a week to work with Luke Fowler in our Lied Music project, though this time we have formally merged it with Vernon and Burns, using the name Lost Lake.  Mark Vernon and Barry Burns, with whom we recorded the 2006 LP Lied Music vs. Boy-Band Tax Returns, are two of the most...

Here's the end of our set from Ptarmigan last weekend, performing the song 'Talbot' which is actually not on the 15,000 Day Boat Trip LP (available very very soon from 8mm!) but a song from my project Handshake Garden.  Blurring the lines, you know.... Please accept my apologies for how awkward it is to watch someone sing and play viola at the same time.  More live shows (with...

I will be performing twice this month in Helsinki.

First, Friday 6 November at Kokoteatteri (Krunnunhaka), as part of Helsinki Meeting Point.  I will be playing esraj along with James Andean (piano and electronics) and three dancers (Riikka Theresa Innanen, Jaakko Simola, and Virva Talonen).  More information here.

On Saturday 21 November I will be performing as "The 15,000 Day Boat...