LawsMusicBlog

On January 21st 1979 Throbbing Gristle played at 421 Harrow Road, London W9 - otherwise known as Centro Iberico - a school in Notting Hill squatted by Spanish anarchists. The Centro Iberico is where William Orbit, musician and producer of Madonna amongst others, started his first studio. William Orbit's own website shows pictures of him and his studio at Centro Iberico at that time.

William Orbit 'Pieces in a Modern Style'

Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte (Ravel)

Thirty odd years in, below is a vivid account of a day at Centro Iberico, which corresponds wonderfully well with my memories of a January sunday afternoon in 1979. I am pretty sure Throbbing Gristle went onstage at 4.00 in afternoon and I also recall it was freezing (I think it had snowed around that time and people had actually lit fires in the school). I like the way the flyer (above) gives the nearest Tube (Westbourne Park) and even nearest London red buses (no 28 & 31)

On that afternoon, Throbbing Gristle also showed the film 'After Cease to Exist' for which they performed the soundtrack and which comprised Side 2 of their Second Annual Report. The film contains a graphic castration using kitchen implements

After Cease to Exist was named after 'Cease to Exist' a song written by Charles Manson who was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the murders of amongst others, the wife of Roman Polanski -Sharon Tate who was heavily pregnant at the time of her death (and about whom Throbbing Gristle purportedly wrote Slug Bait, which is covered in my blog 'I dont give a... cat's whiskers')

Here is Tate and Polanski in famous bath scene in Fearless Vampire Killers

Cease to Exist (Charles Manson)

Pretty Girl, pretty, pretty girl,

Cease to exist

Just come and say you love me

Give up your world

C'mon you can see

Im your kind

The twist here is that, Cease to Exist ended up as a Beach Boys song. In 1968, drummer Dennis Wilson (who died in 1983), the real wild child and only surfer in the Beach Boys, picked up a couple of female hitchhikers, and took them to his home on Sunset, near Will Rogers State Park. They were, in fact, Family members and within 24 hours, his home had new tennents including Charles Manson. During their time together, Manson played some of his songs to Wilson, who passed them on to record executives and the Beach Boys and apparently organised recording sessions for Manson.

Manson's Cease to Exist song and words were changed ever so slightly and repackaged as the Beach Boys song 'Never Learned Not To love' on their 20/20 album (and credited to Dennis Wilson, who sang rhe song - see below). Wilson later stated that Charles Manson did not want a credit and only requested not changing the lyrics (which of course, Wilson did).

Never Learned Not to Love (Dennis Wilson)

Cease to resist,

Come on say you love me

Give up your world,

Come on and be with me

Im your kind, Im your kind, and I see