The Art Of Noise : Mickey Moonlight – ‘and The Time Axis Manipulation Corporation’

This month for The Art Of Noise Clash talks to Mickey Moonlight about the artwork to his debut album ‘…and The Time Axis Manipulation Corporation’.

Is this merry band of characters: a) smug hippies b) a geriatric team from the British TV series ‘Nightmare’ c) the ghosts of a decaying western religion?

Absolutely none of these! They’re all great science fiction authors who’ve influenced me making the record.

Ah! I thought I recognised Phillip K Dick in there but was distracted by them all floating on water. Do you have a religious love for science fiction writers? And who are the others?

Yeah! I love science fiction. I don’t want to give away the identity of the others at the moment. But they’re all major players in the science fiction world. It’s one for the geeks / heads.

Ah ok. Secret science fiction gurus. Clearly not director Oliver Stone on kids TV series Nightmare. Have your science fiction writers been playing chess with Stonehenge?

Chess boards and henges can be seen as coded messages. When seen from above the complete stonehenge reads “Replacement part being rushed with all possible speed.” The chessboard’s 64 squares can be seen to represent the 64 codons which transmit the DNA-RNA “dialogue”. The black and white represents the binary on-off pulsation of all life.

Hhhhmmm. I notice that there’s been a few cut backs in this edifice of code. Your henge parts are see-through!

They appear translucent.

Is this to accessorise with the Arab Spring and the Age of Transparency?

The transparency was less meaningful! It was more Fergus and I getting carried away.

Are your science fiction gurus floating on water because a) you exalt them in Jesus like fervor or b) your photoshop skills are nebulous?

No, they are all simple humans. Celebrated, yes. All photoshop skills are those of Fergadelic, The Graphic Equaliser. His photoshop (mad) skills are unfettered by physics, logic or normaloid conventions!

OK, presuming we preserve their anonymity then what did the gentleman far left bring to the creative proceedings? And is he any good at chess?

He’s one of the most important British authors of the 20th century. He once asserted that no great novel had been written with a word processor. I think this hyperbole was perhaps somewhat of a big “fuck-you” to his contemporaries who were more critically lauded than he. Although perhaps he was right. When Tralfamadorians pick over the charred remnants of our planet, they will probably arrive at a similar conclusion. I don’t know if he ever played chess.

He looks a tad bitter. And what of his more smug peer directly to his left?

I think it’s fair to say he could get moody. Immediately to his left is an American. I don’t think he’s smug.

Well, smugness is in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps he’s just quietly confident. How did his meta-physical presence inspire your music?

You’re right he looks confident. He wrote two action packed novels that are amazing. I’m much more meat/physics than metaphysics.

How much did his characters sway the content of your music?

Two of his characters had some great rhymes. But none of his, or any of the other authors’ characters have had a direct influence on specific songs of mine. Science Fiction has influenced my album. Which to me is like a collection of images… tales of biotech companies, artificial lovers, voluntary euthanasia, cosmic ambivalence, Discordian folk songs, and time travel field recordings.

And how much did the G.I.L.F. on the second right sway your loins? Or should that be G.S.F.A.I.L.F? (Granny Science Fiction Writer I’d Like to Fuck)?

Well, only IF you’d like to fuck her!? But it’s probably better just to read her. She wrote some great books, she didn’t sway my loins.

Why should music always be inspired by science?

All music can be seen as maths. But it doesn’t have to always be inspired by Science.

If there’s one action in any of their books that inspired you the most then which would it be and why?

E-prime. I think that reviews, magazines, everything could probably benefit from being written in E-prime. Check it out! Try it out! Trying to think, speak and write without making noisey, meaningless assertions may help when navigating the modern universe and lead to less dogma and greater enlightenment. The “demononical thinking” and premature certitude that standard English suggests will probably perpetuate medieval stupidity and barabarism. It’s like an outdated brain OS that hasn’t the capacity to understand the modern universe, it’s meat / physics, metaphysics or social issues.

Interview by Matthew Bennett

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