Current 93/Thomas Ligotti

[Cyril Tourneur]

Can you tell me for which CDs of C93, T. Ligotti had been the source of inspiration ?; so far I see: All the pretty little horses, soft black stars, IHASPFTW and In a foreign town. Are there any more which are of importance ?

	IHASPFTW I Have A Special Plan For This World

[SwansSoilMe/SwansSaveMe]

Hi. I'm not sure I'd say he was the inspiration, but Crooked Crosses to a Nodding God has Tom reading several short pieces throughout -- aphorisms(?) and then the wonderful poetry from "Les Fleurs" at the end of the album (you have to wait a minute for it). I think there may have been some music set to This Degenerate Little Town, but don't quote me.

[eldritch00]

I'm not as well-versed in Current 93 as I would like to be, so I'd like to point out that The Thomas Ligotti Reader might be well worth a purchase for you, not limited to but especially because of three of its articles:

(1) William Burns's "Twilight Twilight Nihil Nihil: Thomas Ligotti and the Post-Industrial English Underground"

(2) David Tibet's "Soft Black Star: Some Thoughts on Knowing Thomas Ligotti"

(3) Ben P. Indick's "The Dream Quest of THomas Ligotti: a Study of In a Foreign Town, in a Foreign Land"

Aside from the titles you've both already mentioned, Burns also mentions The Great in the Small and the Nurse with Wound collaboration Purtle. I've never listened to those two, but he says:

Quote

Perhaps unconsciously, Tibet has internalized the Ligottian motif of illness and contagion as reflecting the artistic impulse: the artist as a host for a virus-like corruption that causes the body to reject itself in the form of a creative work.

[G. S. Carnivals]

Cyril,

The Durtro edition of Crampton includes "The Unholy City," a CD of Thomas Ligotti reading six pieces accompanied by music. This is my favorite Ligotti recording. It both complements Crampton and stands on its own as a statement.

[beakripped]

Crooked Crosses for the Nodding God does not feature Thomas Ligotti at all, nor was it inspired by him. It is a remixed version of Swastikas for Noddy on which a few tracks feature Boyd Rice's spoken word. Both were released before David made contact with Tom.

All the Pretty Little Horses, to me, depicts a Ligottian atmosphere of impending doom. Titles such as 'Calling for Vanished Faces' and 'This Carnival is Dead and Gone,' may have been inspired by L's writings, but remember that what attracted David to L and vice versa were certain aesthetic similarities (explained in a few interviews). The track 'Twilight, Twilight; Nihil, Nihil' was dedicated to Tom and yes, he reads Les Fleurs at the end of the album, after the last track following a minute or so of silence.

The Starres are Marching Sadly Home, though not explicitly Ligottian, to me depicts another nightmarish, Ligottian atmosphere.

In a Foreign Town, In a Foreign Land is the soundtrack to four short stories written by Tom. Although the stories don't rank as favorites I think the music is some of the best to come from Steven Stapleton and Christoph Heeman.

Soft Black Stars obviously takes its title from The Bungalow House. An excellent album, gentle, melancholic...

I Have a Special Plan For This World is based on 13 prose pieces written by Ligotti. Possibly one of the most chilling pieces in my collection of music. As far as hypnotic drone masterpieces are concerned, Nurse With Wound has Soliloquy for Lilith, Coil has Time Machines and C93 have this little gem. Steven apparently isn't all that fond of this release because of David's reading, which he thought was silly - he prefers the "instrumental" album Faust. And according to a quote in England's Hidden Reverse David considered NOT releasing this EP because he thought it was too disturbing...

This Degenerate Little Town is simply a 20 minute spoken word piece read by Tom, accompanied by minimal bells. There were actually two versions of this track on the CD, each featuring a different reading of the text (please correct me if I'm wrong). Although the inital release of this book/EP was absurdly limited I recall mention of this track being rerecorded and rereleased. Whether and when it's released is anyone's guess...