Born 16th February 1962. In Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, as Geoffrey Laurence Burton. Rushton is the Sir-name of his step-father and Rushton was the surname he carried thru school etc.

Coil co-founder, writer, producer, remixer, has been a member of 23 Skidoo, Psychic TV, Zos Kia, and Current 93.

John met Peter Christopherson, as a teenager and being a big fan of Throbbing Gristle and attended the live recording of Heathen Earth. Throbbing Gristle performed at Oundle School, but John was attending Lord Williams in Thame Oxforshire, contrary to rumors that John arranged for TG to perform at his school.

John and Peter started to officially work as Coil on May 11, 1983 after working together as members of Psychic TV.

"COIL would very much like to see the creation of a newsgroup for minimal musics. We enjoy a wide spectrum of such musics, from La Monte Young, Alvin Lucier, Arvo Part, Nurse With Wound's Solilique For Lilith,The Dream Syndicate (orig.concept not the newer group who plundered the name) to Synus, Earth and so on.and on and on. Some new so called ambient musics fall between genres and so between newsgroups: some of our own music has certainly been deeply inspired by and informed by such musics,from Partch to Subotnic." - John Balance and Jenni De'Ath of COIL

"We have obviously done a whole range of substances in the past. We have never made a secret of this. Love's Secret Domain was a speed and MDMA fueled session.No LSD was ingested while making this recording. I personally havn't taken anything like that for more than several years. It's so nice to travelling but oH so much nicer to come home. No cannabis, no speed, no nothing.No alcohol, as a rule, but as people know I have had had problems with this in the past and keep away as much as I possibly can. So am I straight edge now? I suppose I am. And very , very happy to be this way. ALL of COIL members are like this at the moment (and Danny Hyde too). It's just come about naturally. When we've been so far out for so long the only place left to go is back around again. Personally I've been getting my highs from getting up at 5.30 am every day, buying a hardcore Industrial Masticator(juicer) and drinking freshly made organic fruit and vegetable juices, starting Hatha Yoga again (a lapsed teenage practise) and am thinking of getting into Colonic Irrigation. Ahhhhh From the eyeball to the Anus. Blue Sky Eye to Blind Eye. All of the above are practical ways to expand the conciousness. I dislike numbing substances. We have lost so many friends to cocaine and heroin, either via death or just Puppetlife! Self-Love and safe exploration amongst trusted and well loved companions is the way to go, whatever route one chooses to take."