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Cut-Up For Tzara – A Re-Enactment Of Sorts

In the 1920's
at a Surrealist rally
Dadaist  poet Tristan Tzara
created a poem
on the spot
by pulling words
out of a hat.
There was a riot,
and the theatre
was wrecked.
Andre Breton expelled
Tristan Tzara
from the movement
and grounded the
cut ups
on the Freudian couch.
I originally thought
Tzara did this
in 1916
at the
Cabaret Voltaire
nightclub in Zurich,
but I was wrong.
In 1959,
painter and writer
Brion Gysin
cut newspaper articles
into
sections
and rearranged
the sections at random.
Gysin introduced
the cut-up technique
to
William Burroughs.
Burroughs published
The Naked Lunch
the same year.
The Naked Lunch
revolutionised literature
and made Bill famous.
That was Bill
you heard just now.
Bill once said that
“Language
is a virus
from outer space.”
He may
have been right.
Cut-ups
were later used
by the band
Cabaret Voltaire.
That's them
you can hear
just now.
Musically speaking,
cut-ups
soon became known
as samples.
Sampling
changed dance music
forever.
Just ask
Grandmaster Flash
and
the KLF.
It's funny that
there's a club called
Cabaret Voltaire
down the road.
It used to be
quite good,
but has gone
a bit rubbish now.
This place
is better.
Like Tristan Tzara said,
“Not the old,
not the new,
but the necessary.”
“Art needs
an operation”
“Thought is made
in the mouth.”
“The summit sings
what is being spoken
in the depths.”
“Always destroy
what is in you.”
Or,
to put it
another way,
Rip It Up
And Start
Again.

Cut-Up For Tzara – A Re-Enactment Of Sorts was first performed as part
of Corpo Volta, which took place at The Drippy Cave, 39 Niddry Street,
Edinburgh, on Saturday December 14th 2013.

As a live recording of William S Burroughs reading Twilight's Last
Gleaming was played, the above text was presented to the audience, with
the words hand-written in black marker pen on a series of paper sheets
taken from three large sketch-pads.

This continued as the Burroughs recording moved into The Voice of
America/Damage Is Done by Cabaret Voltaire, which played on a loop.

After the full text had been presented, the sheets of paper were ripped
up and stuffed into a top hat placed on the floor, or else handed out
to the audience, who were encouraged to do likewise until the
performance ended.

The recording of Twilight's Last Gleaming was taken from Les Disques du
Crepescule's 1981 double LP compilation, The Fruits of the Original Sin.

The recording of The Voice of America/Damage Is Done was taken from The
Voice of America by Cabaret Voltaire, released on Rough Trade records
in 1980.

Corpo Volta was curated by Sophie Orton and Ortonandon, and was 'A
stupendous evening inspired by Dada and the Cabaret Voltaire of
astonishing, startling and nonsensical acts--- / ART / DANCE / MUSIC /
WORDS/ /// ENTERTAINMENT /// INVENTION /// PERFORMANCE /// HAPPENINGS
///...'.

Featuring: Debi Banerjee and Dan Brown and Mairi Lafferty - Susie Green
– Neil Cooper - Greg Sinclair - Andrew Gannon - Sian Robinson Davies -
Jake Watts and Dave Young - Madame Argon - Andrew Blair - Alexa Hare
and Francesca Nobilucci's Yokollection - Julias' Daughters (Ellen Munro
and Emily Fogarty) - Pester and Rossi - Ortonandon - Fergus Connor and
The Late Great Orlando Leno – Usurper.

Special guest compère: I AM DADA

Extraordinary music/sounds by:
Thomas Aitchison
Casey Miller
Dj Lutto Lento


ends




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