[kj] KJ project – and we're off

[CHRIS BRYANS]

Hello again, wonderful folk

A personal note from me re the book (after this, I'll STFU for a while).

The project is not much more than an hour old (well, officially at least) and already I have been swamped with recollections. All I can say is KEEP ‘EM COMING.

I would imagine that pretty much everyone has a least one memorable encounter that, brain cells willing, can be dredged up from the past. It could just be a gig that stood out for you for what could be a wide variety of reasons. Of course, it should be Joke focused but there is a lot of leeway to make it a slice of life, too. Perhaps you met the band, perhaps you hooked up with someone who then became a significant other, perhaps the band were the best thing you have ever seen (before or since).

I know that, much as we love Joke, recent circumstances have hammered home life’s priorities (as if they needed hammering home): family, work, money. But should you have any part of your days that isn’t already spoken for, why not indulge yourself in some warm, fuzzy memories of the night Joke played that wholly acoustic set or the gig where Jaz professed his undying love for Tony Blair.

The book is part of a series loosely known as “I Was There…”, so you get the gist. Preceding Joke have been releases on Hendrix, The Jam, The Weddoes, Maiden, The Smiths, OMD, so the band are in fairly good company.

Your submission could even be about a Jaz spoken-word assembly. A friend is planning a review of a Joke in-store appearance. What about them playing the Metal Hammer Golden Gods ceremony? There’s also those appearances on The Tube. And I (together with MANY others) have memories of a gig that never was; in my case in Hamburg on a postponed European tour in (I think) 2010.

Try to include year/date details if you can. If not, a few clues will usually allow me to track the gig down.

Of secondary interest (but still important) are items such as ticket stubs, photos, press cuttings etc. When you submit your review, please let me know if you a) have any such items b) would consent to having them scanned and included in the book.

I think these books are important as social documents, recording the fans’ perception of an artist. Without these releases, valid (and hopefully enlightening/entertaining) viewpoints and opinions will be lost.

I don’t want to make it sound like the second coming of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but I am sure Joke fans will raise more topics and explore more angles than the average biographer. I want to get at what’s in your head, or at least a small, dark corner of it.

A goodly portion of you will also be visitors to other sites and platforms, so apologies if you come across this message a few times.

I hope some of you decide to contribute. It’s a chance to give the world your take on this most singular of bands. Pass the message on to other like-minded souls who might have missed this and other posts about the project.

Thanks again

HTF

Chris (chris.bryans at hotmail.co.uk)

> On 15 May 2020 at 12:14 CHRIS BRYANS via Gathering <gathering at misera.net> wrote:
> 
> 
>     Hello
> 
>     Some of you lovely people will probably already have seen this morning's FB post re a new book. For those that have not:
> 
>     Gatherers!
> 
>     We are working on a new official book that will tell the story of Killing Joke in the words of fans.
> 
>     How did you discover the band's music and become a Gatherer? Was it by listening to a Peel session? Watching them Jaz-less on Top of the Pops with Empire Song (or later on with Love Like Blood/Millennium/Pandemonium)? Or by seeing them on stage – where they can compare in power and intensity with pretty much any other British group of the past half-century?
> 
>     All of these recollections can be bound up in your memories of seeing the band live – where, when, who you went with, together with what you remember of watching them pulverise the crowds night after night. Did you get to meet the band? Did you survive the experience intact?
> 
>     Let's face it, the experience of seeing Killing Joke tends to lodge in the headspace for a great many reasons. Every memory, however slight, helps us paint a picture for our people’s history of Killing Joke. And we hope to spring a few surprises in the book as well.
> 
>     If you would like to be part of this new book, please email your story to the author: chris.bryans at hotmail.co.uk mailto:chris.bryans at hotmail.co.uk
> 
>     So there we go. Hope you find time to contribute. I'll be sending another message soon to amplify some of the points above.
> 
>     Best
> 
>     Chris
> 
>         > > On 10 March 2020 at 13:43 CHRIS BRYANS via Gathering <gathering at misera.net> wrote:
> > 
> > 
> >         Hello, all
> > 
> >         I am a longtime lurker to this site, as well as being an occasional poster. 
> > 
> >         There is an upcoming project that may (or may not) interest some of you on here. A portion of it figures to be fan reviews of gigs from Joke's long and chequered past. What I am looking for is more than the "they were great. I went home" sort of thing. Lively, salty, indiscreet, blasphemous, drug-fuelled – I think there would be very little that is off limits. We are, after all, talking about the Joke here.
> > 
> >         I would imagine that pretty much everyone has a least one memorable encounter that, memory willing, can be dredged up from the past. It doesn't have to be one of the oft-cited gigs (1979 shows, CND rally, Reading Hexagon, Porchester, Camden Underworld, etc etc etc), though it certainly can be if you like. It could just be a low-key gig that stood out for you for what could be a wide variety of reasons. Of course, it should be Joke focused but there is a lot of leeway to make it a slice of life, too. Perhaps you met the band, perhaps you hooked up with someone who then became a significant other, perhaps the band were the best thing you have ever seen (before or since). And don't hold back if you would prefer to focus on a night when they were, to put it mildly, not at their best. This is not an arse-kicking exercise but neither should it be an arse-kissing love-in.
> > 
> >         I am probably getting ahead of myself here, but the length of review can vary. I guess it depends on the story you have to tell. But succinct and vivid will usually fit the bill.
> > 
> >         If you feel like you want to contribute, thanks a million. And cheers in general to the Gatherers.  
> > 
> >         Best
> > 
> >         Chris
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >     > 
> 
>      
> 
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> > 
> >     > 
> 
>      
> 


 

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