BLANK (B&W Film Short, 22 mins)

And just because I get bored, I do get bored, in the flatfield, etc. I remembered that I’ve got an additional music credit – under yet another pseudonym – in Steven Young’s ‘BLANK’ (2002, 22 mins) – shown at Slamdance Festival Utah, Kinofilm Festival Manchester, Toronto Online Festival (winner dark-edged short), and several airings on Propeller TV. My own contribution, it has to be said, is somewhat minimal, more sound effects, than music, but I think this film is excellent.

BLANK includes drug-addled vampires, psychotic wheelchair-bound swingers, testosterone-crazed neighbours, bugs, transvestites, and a demented, and truly disturbing, preacher. Filmed in black and white, it is intensely claustrophobic, unsettling, displacing, and disturbing. Watch out, too, for some highly specialised porn – the film is not without humour – I recall having the mock-ups for these magazines lying around when my mother came to visit – but it is not like I have any kind of reputation to uphold so don’t remember giving any explanation. Early on in the film, a very irritating neighbour appears – accompanied with a very, and purposefully, irritating jazz soundtrack – much satisfaction was had by creating this ‘muzak’ – however, please do not let this put you off watching beyond these early scenes.

To watch the film in full (22 minutes – remember?) click on the ‘BLANK’ link on the right-hand side.

Don’t you fancy a change from seeing words? Don’t you get bored in the flatfield?

His other films include ‘HALY SAINT’ (2004, 33 mins) – shown at New York Film Festival, Glastonbury Film Festival, and Fantastic Film Festival Manchester. His latest film ‘ABSENTIA’ (2007, 60 mins) is a unique marionette science fiction odyssey – it is also as mad as fuck. Earlier films include ‘HEADS’ which involves aliens invading Earth in search of drugs and sex – I used to have the full-sized prop – the swinging pub sign for ‘The Tethered Freak’ in my old house. I also recall his teenage effort ‘JURASSIC LAWN’ being piss funny – but we all did a lot of acid and speed and weed then – and we were young. [Because we're young, because we're gone/we'll take the tide's electric mind, oh yeah? oh yeah! Because we're young, because we're gone/we'll scare the skies with tiger's eyes, oh yeah? oh yeah!] But I am a sad old bastard now.

Steven Young also used to front ‘The Big White Stairs’ – psychedelic art-rockers – with several sessions on Mark Radcliffe’s evening slot on Radio 1 – and is still actively involved in ‘The Magic Otters’, among other projects. He was the drummer for Space Head’s Roadburn Festival (Holland) appearance (along with Hawkwind and Ozric Tentacles, etc). He also produced and recorded an attempted resurrection of ‘The World of Twist’ from his own studios – fronted by the late Tony Ogden (famous for wearing a leather shirt in Dry Bar/ The Hacienda [Manchester, so much to answer for] – before the fairly legendry appearance performing The Storm on Channel 4’s The Word).