The early 90s were a strange time for music. Being just 10 years old, I don't remember liking much of the music at the time but there were some huge tracks that stuck with me; the Shaman's Ebenezer Goode, Snaps Rhythme is a Dancer and Haddaways What is Love? were undeniably massive tunes but I remember hearing KLF’s 'Justified and Ancient,' '3 a.m. What Time is Love' and ‘Last Train to Trancentral ' and being puzzled as these tracks were something special. As I grew up, I listened to more of the KLF's albums, appreciating them for their banging tunes and weird lyrics and learned the legend of their burning of £1 million at the height of their power. Over time, this iconoclastic act has grown in power but the reasoning behind their actions has remained a mystery.
It was whilst perusing the Audible sale, I came across Paul Higgs’ book, The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds, and, based on my curiosity, I purchased it. I have listened to it for the past week on my commute to and from work and what a fascinating listen it has been!
This is the story of The KLF but this ain't your daddy's garden-variety, run of the mill celebrity biography, oh no! Rather the KLF are the contextual point for Higgs to consider a variety of wide-ranging ideas brought together under the KLF banner to make an interesting yet haphazardly enjoyable read on the possible influences of the band.
Through the lens of the burning of the £1 million Higgs takes us on a strange and magical journey through philosophical ideas that influenced band mates Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty including quantum physics, religion, conspiracy theories, art, magic and Doctor Who. Famous names like Alan Moore, JFK (and his assassination) and Echo and the Bunny Men also get dropped as does a strange trickster rabbit entity that seems to follow Drummond in the early years of his career.
I found the insight into how The Illuminatus Trilogy and Principia Discordia greatly influenced the band and underpinned their motivation fascinating. The Illuminatus Triology is a zany and wacky journey through conspiracy theories that links the JFK asssasinaton with the Illuminati etc. It’s all very pseudo-science before pseudo-science gained more mainstream traction if not respectability. Meanwhile, The Pricipia Discordia was a text written by a small group of Dischordians with the aim of purposefully and playfully writing alternate facts and conspiracy theories to initiate 'Operation Mindfuck'- the aim was to create a jokey counter culture narrative against the prevailing norms of society.
I loved listening to this book as it took so many turns that it totally bamboozled me but had me interested in the topics as it go to the core questions we all ask; what is our purpose and where does true art come from? Their Discordian background offered an interesting philosophy in challenging the norms but in light of the freeflow of information on the Internet, it may have got out of hand as people who do not recognise the changing world or are afraid of change look for rational (or irrational) explanations. And so we have what we see in most of the social media streams; a bell curve of the most shrill on the left and right.
For the KLF, their music was a celebration of pop music but also a battle to not lose their soul to the music industry. By being true to their agents of chaos roots it’s clear that the KLF were ahead of their time in many ways as they were rebelling against a system they had been in for over 20 years and seen destroy many lives. They also knew that the world was changing at a fast pace and their place in the music industry would be assured as they received approval from The Brit Awards and sold millions of records, so why not end their time in the spotlight with a bang?
For Higgs, The KLF was created to challenge the norm yet it may have claimed their sanity but maybe through Magic, the process of creating something, it helped ease their burden. Maybe they foresaw the inherent evil that money, specifically usury, inflicts upon the world and so may have chosen to burn it. Or, they could just be arrogant, egotistical pricks like many claimed at the time of their ‘stunt’. Either way, this is one music biography you do not want to miss as it will have you questioning your own self-evident truths.
LINK- ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’
LINK: Let’s All Create a ‘New Normal’.
LINK- Mario Odyssey- Video Games As Art