JG Thirlwell
JG Thirlwell | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | James George Thirlwell |
Also known as | Clint Ruin Frank Want Foetus |
Born | Melbourne, Australia | 29 January 1960
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 1980–present |
Labels | |
Website | foetus.org |
James George Thirlwell (born 29 January 1960), styled as JG Thirlwell and also known as Clint Ruin, Frank Want, and Foetus, among other pseudonyms, is an Australian musician, composer, and record producer known for his use of a variety of different musical styles.
Life and career
Thirlwell was born in
Thirlwell released his first
In addition to being a prolific artist in his own right, Thirlwell has remixed and produced numerous pieces for artists including Faith No More, Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The The, Zola Jesus, Front 242, and Swans. He has also done voice-over work for MTV and other entities.
Since 2000, Thirlwell has become more active as a composer, having written commissions for Bang on a Can, League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots, and the Kronos Quartet, and scoring cartoons The Venture Bros. for Adult Swim and Archer for FX. His most recent project was scoring the John Hodgman and David Rees cartoon detective show Dicktown.
Thirwell also revived his primary instrumental project, Steroid Maximus, and initiated a more experimental instrumental project in Manorexia. He continues to write and perform regularly as a solo artist and with various ensembles. He is also a member of the freq_out sound art collective, and has created solo sound installations in Kaliningrad, Santarcangelo and Vienna.
Music
Thirlwell's music—released under his various project names of
Musical projects
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (September 2020) |
- Foetus: Thirlwell's main project. From 1981's single "OKFM" until 2013's "Soak", most Foetus songs featured lead vocals. Though popularly known as simply "Foetus", Thirlwell released albums under diverse variations of the name, including: Foetus Art Terrorism; Foetus Über Frisco; Foetus Corruptus; Foetus In Excelsis Corruptus Deluxe; Foetus Inc.; Foetus Interruptus; Foetus Over Frisco; Foetus Under Glass; Philip and His Foetus Vibrations; Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel; The Foetus All-Nude Revue; The Foetus of Excellence; The Foetus Symphony Orchestra; and You've Got Foetus On Your Breath.
- Raymond Watts.
- Manorexia: Experimental instrumental project.
- Wiseblood: Collaboration with Roli Mosimann.
- Flesh Volcano: Collaboration with Marc Almond.
- Baby Zizanie: Collaboration with Jim Coleman.
- Hydroze Plus: Collaboration with Electronicat.
- Garage Monsters: Collaboration with skater artist the P!zz. (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
- The Immaculate Consumptive: Touring ensemble with Lydia Lunch, Nick Cave, and Marc Almond
- The Venture Bros.: Musical score by Thirlwell.
- Archer: Musical score by Thirlwell from Season 7 onwards.
- Xordox: Thirlwell's new instrumental project.
- Dicktown: Musical score by Thirlwell. 2020 animated show with David Rees and John Hodgman
Aliases
Throughout the span of his career, Thirlwell has toyed with his own identity by releasing music in the guise of numerous
The persona of Clint Ruin was particularly notable in this context; during the mid-1980s and early 1990s Thirlwell exclusively went by this pseudonym, even conducting interviews as Ruin. As Ruin, Thirlwell was a member of Wiseblood with Roli Mosimann and Flesh Volcano with Marc Almond. He also recorded two collaborative EPs with Lydia Lunch, and starred in and scored films by Richard Kern under the Ruin alias. Ruin is also credited on numerous releases for a variety of roles with Boss Hog, Coil, Fur Bible, Annie Hogan, Nurse With Wound, Pigface, Sonic Youth, Workdogs and others.
This practice seems to have been discontinued since 1995, and "JG Thirlwell" is credited on all subsequent musical recordings.
Discography
References
Notes
- ISBN 9781843531050– via Google Books.
- ^ Wray, Daniel Dylan (2014) "If This Is Heaven I'm Bailing Out: The Death Of The Birthday Party", The Quietus, accessed 5 January 2017
Further reading
- Kassaveti, Ursula-Helen (2015). Foetus-Art-Terrorism: Deciphering Genre, Intertextuality and Noise in JG Thirlwell's early Musical Corpus (1981-1988). Punk & Post-Punk 3 (2): 147–158. Retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/17340315/Kassaveti_U.-H._2015_._Foetus-Art-Terrorism_Deciphering_Genre_Intertextuality_and_Noise_in_JG_Thirlwell_s_early_Musical_Corpus_1981-1988_._Punk_and_Post-Punk_3_2_147-158 (Last Access: 28.6.2019)
- Law, Glenn (2003). "Foetus". In Buckley, Peter (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock. ISBN 9781843531050– via Google Books.
- Neal, Charles (1987). Tape Delay: Confessions from the Eighties Underground. SAF Publishing. pp. 127–136. ISBN 0-946719-02-0.
- ISBN 0571215696– via Internet Archive.
- Interviews
- JG Thirlwell interview at Legends Magazine[usurped] (2001)
- JG Thirlwell Biography/Discography at Trouser Press (2001)
- JG Thirlwell interview at The Corporate Mofo (2002)
- JG Thirlwell interview at Popshifter (2008)
- JG Thirlwell interview at Allaboutjazz (2010)
- JG Thirlwell interview at Brainwashed (2010)
- JG Thirlwell interview at The Quietus (2011)
- JG Thirlwell album analysis article at Dangerous Minds (2013)
External links