Interview with Cosey Fanni Tutti
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28 May 1981, Kezar Pavilion, San Francisco In the aftermath of the final performance of Throbbing Gristle, the individual members of the group were not as elusive as expected. All four were in a great rush to accomplish the work usually done by roadies - tearing the equipment apart and packing it up. The cases into which the equipment went were all designed to be loaded by the group themselves, with a minimum of time and effort. This is just one demonstration of Throbbing Gristle's unparalleled independence. They rely on themselves for virtually everything. They waste no time accomplishing their goals. And, they don't do anything they don't want to do. Cosey Fanni Tutti is the group's coronet player and lead guitarist. We cornered Cosey in the middle of her pack-up work as it was our only chance for her interview. TT: Congratulations on the end of Throbbing Gristle. Peter told us that he and Genesis were forming a video production company. What are you and Chris going to do? CFT: Chris and I are going to work on some tapes - do an album for Rough Trade. TT: When will that be ready? CFT: We've got to go back and send some tapes and just see what happens. TT: You do a lot of work for your Industrial Records label yourself, don't you? CFT: What usually happens is that when we do music I arrange the position on the tapes - get rid of the irrelevant stuff. Chris does a lot of the tapes. He's the one that figures it all out really. He does all the background tapes and everything. TT: What will happen to Industrial Records? CFT: We don't know 'til we get back. We'll decide what happens then. TT: Will people still be able to order the brief case of tapes? CFT: That'll carry on for a bit longer. It won't just stop immediately when we get back. I only just got one myself. Chris doesn't even have a copy of Second Annual Report.
TT: How soon will tapes of the two California gigs be available? CFT: A couple of months or so. TT: So some of the deleted albums will be available from Japan now? CFT: Yeah. They're also doing a 'greatest hits' with one new song. TT: I can't believe there won't be anymore new TG singles CFT: The new single's out. TT: Why the mono recording.? Is it older material? CFT: No. That's just how we recorded it. Sometimes because of the places and equipment we just have to record in mono. TT: I think it's interesting that the only female member of TG is the guitar player. The group's sound doesn't focus on the guitar, but it's still an integral part. Is it just all those gadgets you use on stage to get that sound? CFT: I don't tune it either. TT: So it's just used as a percussion instrument. CFT: Yeah. I just use it as a percussion instrument. A lot of people just use it to play a melody over the rhythm or drums or whatever's going on. Source: Interview by John Gleason, Talk Talk, Vol. 3, No. 5, July/August 1981 |