Here in the Q office the last week or so has been soundtracked by the sad, spectral sound of Untrue, the second album from dubstep mystery man Burial. Beyond its nocturnal beauty, key to the music’s unearthly power is the utter anonymity of Burial himself.
All we know is that he lives in South London, holds a nostalgic candle for rave counter-culture, and has no interest in personal fame. A sensitive, intense character, he works alone, in his bedroom, in the dead of night – which means only a handful of close friends and family friends know he even makes music.
Intriguing, inspiring stuff. It got us thinking about music’s other notable recluses…
Sly Stone
Having not performed live for nineteen years, most people assumed the soul-funk pioneer had sunk into an abyss of cocaine/PCP addiction – especially after the advent of YouTube brought old clips like this back into circulation. Yet when Stone reappeared for live shows, and a Vanity Fair interview, in summer 2007, it transpired he’d been actually been living a life of quiet luxury in Napa, California: hardly the deranged recluse of popular legend.
Syd Barrett
Prior to his death in 2006, Pink Floyd’s crazy diamond had spent 15 years living alone in Cambridge, without a TV, filling his days by painting, listening to jazz cassettes, doing chores round the house and drinking milk to combat his recurrent stomach ulcers. A heart-breaking case of LSD-induced agoraphobia? Maybe not: Barrett’s sister Rosemary denies he ever suffered from mental illness at all.
Captain Beefheart
The man born Don Van Vliet has lived in solitude since quitting music in 1982. Painting used to keep him busy, but it’s rumoured he can no longer even do that, and is confined to his bed through illness.
Kate Bush
“Time… evaporates, I don’t know why,” said Kate Bush of the 12-year gap between her seventh studio album, The Red Shoes, and her eighth, Aerial. The willowy chanteuse’s extended absence gave rise to some entertaining rumours: supposedly she once invited some EMI execs round to show them what she’d been “working on” – and produced a tray of cakes from the oven.
Roky Erickson
As founder member of psych-rock pioneers 13th Floor Elevators, LSD-crazed mania was almost part of Roky Erickson’s job description – but after years of electro-shock treatment at Texas’ maximum-security Rusk State Hospital, he was less acid casualty, more schizophrenic train-wreck.
6:46 PM | 01/11/2007
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RE: Captain Beefheart, "and is confined to his bed through illness".
Says who? Source..?
Posted by White Jam at 10:56 AM | 02/11/2007 | Report Abuse
You do realise that's actually Alan Partridge, not Kate Bush, don't you?
Posted by Prawn tot at 11:12 AM | 06/11/2007 | Report Abuse
I do realise. Just thought it was amusing, that's all...
Posted by Luke Lewis at 11:56 AM | 07/11/2007 | Report Abuse
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