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| 1983 was an eventful year for Virginia, a year that
mixed critical and commercial success with business frustration. The release of
one single,two albums,soundtrack composing,session appearances,live concerts as
well as trying to extricate herself from a recording contract kept Virginia busy
throughout that year.
And in the midst of all these activities,Virginia made her live solo debut appearance on national radio. Nineteen years later it has also proved to be Virginia's only radio appearance,but a tape of this very rare interview and live performance has survived the passage of time,which we now present to you |
RS: Who's playing with you today? VA: Kathy Seabrook and Audrey Riley. Audrey's playing cello and Kathy playing flute. RS: Alright, and I gather you've brought some
feathered friends too? RS: You'd better let them start singing then! RS: It's all yours... (With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming is performed, complete with taped birdsong) RS: And that was Virginia Astley performing
live. Well done Virginia, also Audrey and Kathy and the birds. We have more from
them later in the programme. l fancy we won't have the birds next time though!
RS: Do you do much sort of work with other artists
at the moment Virginia? RS. I remember a thing you did with Richard Jobson,
a poetry LP? RS: Do you enjoy working with other people like
that? RS: I just sort of thought that because of your
composition work and everything, that must come first in what you're doing? RS: (to the
listeners) So do write, won't you, to Virginia Astley! So are you spending
a lot of time in a very lonely capacity now? Getting ideas together? RS: What sort of gigs do you play? Do you go
into Rock clubs and perform? RS: That sounds nice. RS: Yeah, l would have thought students would
be interested, the sort of SU type venues would be very suitable for this sort
of thing, wouldn't they? (Virginia hesitates)
Well that's what I think anyway. You're looking doubtful there? RS: Alright, I'll move along. I made a note
earlier, listening to the first track With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming. Do
you regard as what you do having any sort of relevance to that sort of Brian Eno
ambient music? RS: (interrupting) Horizontal music or something? RS: I suppose it relates as much to music that
would have been played a hundred years ago as to Brian Eno, doesn't it really?
It's just your own thing. RS: Any plans to do any more live gigs then,
beyond these vague ideas of going to Poland? ( laughs ) RS: Marching into Poland... You have 2 LPs out,
you were telling me, at the moment. So you'd better get your plug in now. RS: Which is the one we heard just now. RS: Alright. Look out for the name "Virginia
Astley" in your local record store! The next one is called A Nursery At The End
Of Time. Would you like to do that for us now? RS: I'll wander away and let you get on with it. (A Nursery At The End Of Time is performed) RS: Live on Saturday Live and its 13 minutes to 6 to prove that. That was A Nursery At The End Of Time. Virginia Astley on the piano, Audrey Riley on cello and Kathy Seabrook on flute. They look very relaxed now. |
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Notes : A Nursery At The End Of Time was finally released in February 1985 as one of 3 untitled pieces on the Melt The Snow EP. Towards the end of the same year it was included on the B-side of the second WEA single Darkness Has Reached Its End with a shortened title of The End Of Time. |
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VA:
Well its funny you should say that, l was thinking the other day, because people
always want to categorise things, l was thinking if I had somebody say to me,
like "what category do you fit into?" I was thinking could I say like "what kind
of ambient..." ( laughs )