Visual Art
‘ALL THE WORKS SAY SOMETHING ABOUT PERFORMANCE'
Cover versions
Phil Collins talks to Neil Cooper about creating work out of karaoke, album posters and fan letters as the artist unveils his first solo exhibition in Scotland
top me il~ yoti‘ye heard this one bel'ore. btii l‘eyy
bands haye inspired such hopeless deyotion in
their fans as The Smiths. \Vhen .\lorrissey. Marr and co appeared in I‘m}. the pure emotional rayy'ness ol' Morrissey‘s lyrical conl‘essionals tapped into art adolescent yearning that inspired adoration. Phil (‘ollins recognised this yylien he started yyork on his major video installation ol~ Smiths l'ans perl‘orming karaoke Versions ol‘ their idols' "The World Won‘t l.i.sten' in 2004. .\'ot. lioyyeyer. yyhere you might expect to liiitl acolytes ol‘ a band steeped in linglish kitchen-sink mythology.
‘l’d gone to Bogota in (‘olombiaf (’ollins explains. ‘and spent a lot of time going otit to rock‘n‘roll clubs and indie clubs there. These yy ere the sorts ol‘ places playing the type ol‘ music I ney'er thought yyould be big there. and that‘s where the idea came l'romf
(‘ollins commissioned ('olombia‘s biggest band. l.os Aterciopalados. to record the backing tracks to The Smiths‘ l087 compilation album ol‘ neglected singles and other works from the prey ions tyyo years in its entirety. l’rom ‘l’anic‘ through to 'Rubbei' Ring‘.
‘I didn‘t want it to be a joke.‘ says (‘ollins ‘.-\t that time karaoke was still the presery'e ol~ Dolly l’arton. Kenny Rogers and Phil (‘ollins (the other enel. all these things you'd never yy ant to sing. no matter hoyy
drunk you got. You had this beautil‘ul means ol~
expression. btit no good songs to .sing.'
(‘ollins then ptit otit an imitation l'or Smiths fans to take part and be lilmed. The result was 1200 people performing renditions ol~ their l‘ay'ouriie song in a nightclub over four days. (‘ollins repeated the process
in ’l'iti‘key and Indonesia. and has synchronised eat ll pai‘t ol the trilogy in a manner that slioyys ltoyy the international language ol .\lorrissey translates
'Somc people had learnt the lyrics pltonetically.‘ says (‘ollins. ‘so they ended tip singing Ill a northern linglish accent. lt yyas yei‘y moying.‘
.'\ccompanying ”I‘he \\or|d \\on't listen' is 'llritney ‘. Britney Spears' post-breakdoyyn album ('ollms lound in \eyy \‘ork, "lliey'd all been spat on or gialittiedf llL‘ \;t_\\. ill \\;1\ lllxt‘ \llc'itl l‘t‘c‘ll lttl'l'c‘tl illltl lt".llllk'lk'tl.l
.»\ set M screen prints ol the letters and classilied ads a teenage \lorrissey sent to the \ ll/ tn the late I‘l7lls contplctcs this skeyyed yision ol a tan
ti \c‘l'lc‘s (ll [llltttttg‘l'al‘lls (ll pitslt‘l‘s liil
conyention alongside a yideo piece based on a laughing contest set tip in llelensbtirgh.
'.-\II the yyorks say something about perlot'mancef ('ollins says. 'and the laiis' relationship to ll. When you do karaoke. you’re somelioyy sttpplanting your idols. btit your perl‘ormance is also lttll ol' llayys. yyhich creates something lk'tttlllltll as \yell,‘
.-\s a northern lad l'rom small toyylt Rtincorn. ('ollms yyas understandably attracted to 'l‘lie Smiths lrom an early age. "l‘he Smiths still ltayc a special place lor tilt: llc‘ c‘ttlllt‘sscs. 'ilillc‘} l'clllllltl lllc‘ til all llttisc things that happened and one important to me all those years ago. the same yyay l)a\id Home does The Smiths still proyoke and console in yyays that ‘lll l‘L‘r cent ol' other bands can't.‘
Phil Collins: The World Won’t Listen, Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 17 Apr-Sun 31 May.
=l= Boneless Box llio llldtltltll'r’ll show (ll l tiilxi‘ls‘v't;
nets: tlélllbl‘,’ “once tricky: togtra'lier .iil Scottish and international attests in an enyiyalilr- titt'lantiet 'lllt' anarchic and the .s' ililiiiit: See teView. pane till, Alf r; Complex. lrnliasst (Lille/y. Fri/rilit/lgli, iir‘til .(3‘ll’i .‘li Apr
* Neil Clements: Built. Lacking (Elemettt‘i renter; work inspired by tilil‘lfil use oi neon rilltl industrial miteiials in the WW) and {Us W liit. first show (it l‘)ot;(;ertisl.s ' Heyliewerl next lf§f3tll‘ [Judge/fisher; [Minty/rel), t/nl/l Sat (5 Jun.
* No Horizons l'lltllily recontnienrletl exliit irtion ()l works drawn from the collections of Charles Asprey and Alexander Schroder. including works by Ian
l lamilton l inlay and Gillian Carnegie. See reView. page 88. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, tint/l St/n Wilt/n.
* Artist Rooms Inspiring exhibition of work from some of the 20th century's bestknown land most llOlOflOUbi contemporary artists. including Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol and Francesca Woodman. and a first taster of the Anthony d'Oltay collection (;I.’)lli";/I National Gallery of Modern Art. Edinburgh, tint/l Sun 8 l lov.
* Phil Collins: The World Won’t Listen First solo exhibition in Scotland by the acclaimed British artist. See preView, left. Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 77 Apr—Sun 37 May.
=l¢ Willie Doherty Edinburgh's Fruitmarket hosts an exhibition of haunting, beautiful films and photographs by the mice Turner Prize- nominated Northern Irish artist. Reviewed next issue. Fruitmarket. Edinburgh, Sat 25 Aor- Sun I 2 Jul.
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