To start i really dont know enough Hawkwind or Gong tracks to get to crazy
on the interview here, so ill just stick to Tim's solo work.
Q: Welcome Tim Blake AKA "Moonweed", to start... any
background story on the nick name ?
A: Given to Me By Daevid Allen in the GONG days , around
1970.. it seems to have Stuck
Q: When did you first start making music of any kind ?
A: I started as a Choir Boy- Made my first record singing
Christmas Carols ! Went on to Be educated Cranleigh
School, and studied Trumpet , Music Theory & analysis
with Derek Bourgeois , now a celebrated "Contempory
Classic " composer . By the time I had left school, in
1968, I had experience in playing in orchestral, 'band'
and solo situations, as well as having done my own
investigations in Rock & Blues, as a harmonicist.
Q: What was the first synthesizer you owned ? How did this
come about ?
A: Well Electronics came to me before the Synthesiser was
invented , but My first was an EMS Synthi No 0007. I
was already into signal generators , echo systems etc,
but was inspired by Hawkwinds aquisition of a VCS3 to
do the same. Of course the 1969 release of "Switched on
Bach" had sharpened my attentions to Synths
Q: Where there any particular music/artists you were
listening to before you began playing the synthesizer ?
A: I had Enjoyed Classic, contempory and "Rock 'n Roll" as
long as I can remember. In the Electronic field, Berio
, in the 'Concrete' area , Henri. I also come out of
the developpment of the UK rock scene, from "Rythm &
Blues" ( John Mayall.>>.Yardbirds) to 'Progressive' (
Floyd, Soft Machine, Hendrix).. but was also marqued by
Arthur Brown, and Deep Purple. As a harmonica player as
a very young blues man, I was marked too by Capitain
Beefheart
I also had a friendship with Paul Kossoff, who went on
to write "All Right Now" a Classic piece of Rock, with
Free.
Very early Hawkwind, and a little later GONG, were
'Just my cup of tea' of course. Basically, I've allays
enjoyed excellence in most forms of music, I don't
think I have been influenced by any 'Style' in
particuliar, but often by the 'movement' attached to
the music. Of course I'm a sound man, and like things
to sound good for Starters !
Q: How did your on-stage electronic music / light show
collaboration with Patrice Warrener begin and how did
you coordinate with each other to relate the visuals
with the music ?
A: I came to Paris as a roady for Skin Alley in 1969/1970.
We played a place called the "Open Circus" .. I
allready knew all about Lightshows, we allways had one
in the Clearwater Productions days ... but the 'Open
Light' was amazing.. It was only Later that I
discovered that this was Patrice's 1st offering, his
tecnology and a whole group of image creators.
Installed in Paris in 1971, we met up naturally, and
started to do things together. Me and open Light etc.
Going back to Gong in 1972, there was Whizz, the stage
lighting man who came from Open Light.. so Patrice and
I were allways in contact. Anyhow, I allways was
fiddling with Lights and a small Laser myself.. its one
of my passions.
When I left Gong in 1975, it seemed natural to continue
to work with Patrice.
Today it would be possible to 'program' and really add
synchronisation and more between Music & Light.. in
those days , it was the common feeling between the two
of us that did the trick. I still work for Patrice's
Lighting company sometimes.. we enjoy each other's
company when it's time to get things done, and it must
be said , the Chromolithe Illumination system he
exploits now, is as revolutionary in public
illumination as Crystal Machine was to Light Shows.
Q: From the wonderful photos on your site it seems quite a
production of music gear you would use on stage. How
were you able to tear apart your studio and take it out
to perform ? How were the venues in France able to
accommodate your setup, which im sure had never been
done before... correct ?
A: Im trying to imagine from the pictures of your 1977
tour. About how many people battened the shows ? What
was the atmosphere and response from the crowd ? Was it
common to have other artists playing before or after ?
Well It's Hard Work ! But we were allways a bit
"traveller", living in unsecure situations , so
everything was allways ready to move! In the group
situation, a group can never be any better than it's
Road Crew. throughout the GONG years and later the
Hawkwind period @ '79-82, I owe so much to David Id,
who could set me up just like at home !
Of course , with the Laser gear, and water cooling
things got worse & worse. The Best Crystal Machine gigs
were the 'permanant' installations of several days in
theatres. The shows with other acts were allways both
hair raising, and slightly compromised. In japan, we
had a crew of about 20 people involved in setting up!
We were lucky though, a lot of people came and helped
in some of our more celebrated shows.. in fact You'll
find people in almost every big Sound and Light shows
who started giving us a helping hand !
Q: At the time of your solo performances, did you have
some piece of gear that was most important to you or a
favorite?
A: Every piece of equipment was loved and cherished !
Crystal Machine never had the support from the
'Industry' or sponsorship/subvention market, so I have
allways used less gear than many others, making every
piece important. Patrice built my 2 Ems into a
marvellous piece of gear that was allways associated
with this time in my career, in fact I only sold them
off a couple of Years ago to the person who seemed most
competent as far as their upkeep was concerned, Keith
Kniverton.
Q: I've also seen some photos of a live show with another
keyboard player and even a bongo player. Did you often perform
with others aside from Gong and Hawkwind ? [link]
A: I have allways enjoyed making music with others. I
think my solo stuff , apart from "having my own things
to say" was more a reaction against the cupidity and
downright dishonesty that I have allways found working
with groups, than a desire to do things my own way. It
has allways been an uphill struggle to receive credit,
both artisically and financially for the work done with
Gong & Hawkwind, so I felt it easier to take a fuller
responsability for my musical meandering by working as
a 'Soloist'.
I would like to have done , and to do , more work with
others - especially these days when I get a very great
pleasure in playing 'Virtual' Guitarist roles. I find
also that I'm very efficient on the production side of
things , and would have enjoyed doing more, as if it's
easier to give one's best to other peoples music than
to ones own !
Q: Your 2nd solo album says its your first studio album,
was your first, "CRYSTAL MACHINE", recorded live on
stage ? Either way, how exactly did you record it ?
A: Crystal Machine was a collection of bits and pieces ,
recorded both at different locations and at concerts. I
hadn't sat down and said , 'Let's make an album'. I'd
just compiled some of my music with the intention of
looking for a recording deal, and one day Fabrice
Cuitad, then from Barclay, made me an offer to put it
out.. I wasn't going to refuse , especially as that
deal allowed me to make New Jerusalem too. I had no
multi-tracking at the Crystal Machine time though, so
it's a collection of Stereo-taped bits.
Q: After your two albums and sometime in Hawkwind you did
not record or perform for many years. Was this because
of the music business, touring or personal ?
A: I reacted quite badly to some bad tratment in the
Hawkwind period, and once again thought it better to
rely on myself. Unfourtunately, nobody was interested
in continuing to work with me. I was also in a part of
my private life where I wanted to be more fixed , and
"at home", so I suppose it's a mix of all the above !
Q: My first interaction with music of your style/genre was
Tangerine Dream and more recently Ash Ra, however you
may have predated them. At what point where you aware
of others playing similar music ?
A: We had Tangerine Dream, Kaus Shulze, Agitation Free,
and Ash Ra supporting on tours with 1972-3 Gong,
resulting in their venue to the Virgin Stable. What the
French Called "Kraut Rock" was getting very popular at
the time. Saw early Kraftwerk too.. met them and in
general we all considered ourselves as contempories. I
played a London concert with Chris Frank about 12 years
ago.. Chris was very welcoming " Ah Tim.. this has been
a long Time .. in fact it could be the definition of a
Long Time !"
Q: Unfortunately I'm not familiar with your newer music,
how is it different or similar ? Any other solo albums
in the works in the near future ?
A: There have been two important things .. "The Tide of
the Century" is an album where I have consolidated my
Love for Songs and Singing quite well.. In fact It's
what I enjoy best in my Solo work, but at the same time,
I received a comission to write and record "CALDEA"
music, a return to "70s floating instrumental music,
and I think I did well here too. Hopefully, I will be
able to continue to work in the same two 'style's .
I had been involved with Hawkwind too , since 2000, and
had been enjoying Rock again, as well ! In 2003 I was
effecting a change round, with the intention of
rebuilding Crystal Machine with Patrice.. Unfortunately
, early 2004 featured a terrible car crash, from which
I have spent more than 18 months convalesing ... In
fact I have only been playing again for a couple of
months, and will need to be re-operated on again at the
end of september. But the most recent concerts have
seen a very good start to performing again, and I think
I'd rather work on a compilation available for down
loading, and try to become involved in performing and
making my 21st century music more well known , before
writing and recording something new.
But I'm very interested in putting together some kind
of multi-media project again, and this would certainly
provide the declic to want to do more new material.
Comments have been disabled due to spam, please contact the site if you have any comments on this interview
Comments:
Shiloh Noone: This is the second time that I call on Tim Blake to answer if he knows who the Skin Alley musicians played with before Skin Alley Only the roadie would know!!!! Shiloh from Cape Town (Posted: 2007-01-19 11:30:09) Shiloh Noone: Hi Tim I understand the Hawkwind treatment. Hey they were still very much behind the likes of Guru Guru , Agitation Free Faithful Breath etc. I think you were a mite ahead of your contemporories. Need help on something. Could you tell me where the musus from Skin Alley came specifically Bob James , Nick Graham and that foreign keyboardist. I'm sure you connected informally , so you would know Regards Shiloh Noone from Cape Town.... (Posted: 2006-09-30 01:49:03) Clunkified Chimney: living pretty large in that silver jump suit behind stacks of synths... (Posted: 2006-06-13 03:20:38)
