We were happy to melt into the background and took a seat at the side of the room to watch Graham’s favourite band, Wire, perform and then see Graham, dressed in a bright-blue velvet suit, ushered up on stage and handed a guitar to join in. What a fantastic birthday present.
30 April 2014
I’ve begun collating info for my autobiography … It will be a strange journey into the past. So much so that I’ll have to do it in stages and not at a time when I’m being creatively active on new works. It was a BIG decision to bite the bullet and get started.
I’d been revisiting my past for some time, firstly through the exhibiting of my magazine works and COUM actions, then the regrouping of TG and the reworking of our 1980s Chris & Cosey songs, and I’d begun working with Andrew on sifting through my archive in preparation for an exhibition that would include my work as COUM. That was under way when, in November 2013, Hull was announced as the winner of UK City of Culture for 2017 and Andrew Dixon, who had led the bid for Hull, tweeted me saying, ‘Look forward to welcoming you back in #2017hull to do new work.’
I was thrilled that Hull had triumphed, and at the idea of possibly being involved. There were calls on social media to include myself and COUM in the Hull 2017 programme. I started getting tweets and emails, and so did past COUM members Spydeee and Les. It was great that so many people were championing the COUM cause but it was very early days and would need a lot of careful thought. Andrew and I continued working on my archive, letting the idea of returning to present work in Hull simmer gently in the background.
A combination of what seemed unrelated factors had come together, fulfilling all the necessary conditions for me to begin work on writing my autobiography. I’d come full circle: from Hull, the place where my life and my art began, and where my book would begin, and now back there, marking where my book will end as I enter into a new dialogue with Hull, in recognition of my life and art.
Me and Dad, 1952
Me, my sister Pam, Dad and Mum: a happy family day at the beach
Me, aged fourteen to seventeen, with friends Jo, Shirley and Jean: from school to disco to dropping out
Me and Gen, 1969 (© John Krivine)
Me with Spydeee on Hull pier waste ground, 1971
Me on Prince Street with Les’s Bible stand, 1971
COUM outside Ferens Art Gallery, 1971: (from left) Sarah, me, Foxtrot Echo, Biggles and Fizzy
Creating this page in my diary, 25 February 1973, at Prince Street
Reunited with Les, Beck Road, 1974
Party at Martello Street, 1975: Fizzy, me and Sleazy
From the ICA ‘Prostitution’ exhibition poster
TG launch gig at the ‘Prostitution’ show (© Paul Buck)
Out and about in LA with (from left) Kitten, Eric and Skot, 1976
First official TG promo photo, 1976
Diary entry, 26 March 1977
One of the many photos taken by Szabo, July 1979 (© Laszlo Szabo)
Modelling/stripping at the Ship, Brighton, for the Evening Argus Pub of the Year Award, 1978 (© the Argus)
Stripping at the Westminster Arms, London, 1979
20 Jazz Funk Greats recording session, Martello Street, 1979 (bottom photo © Chris Carter)
Recording ‘A Journey Through the Body’ at RAI Studios, Rome (© Chris Carter)
Penultimate TG gig, Los Angeles, 1981
With Skot at the TG motel, Los Angeles, 1981 (© Chris Carter)
TG promo shoot with Jon Savage, Victoria Park, London, 1981 (© Industrial Records)
Chris and Nick, 1982
Me and Nick: family holiday in Spain, 1983
CTI, 1984: Chris, me and John (© CTI)
Chris & Cosey USA tour, 1989
‘Studio of Lust’ art action, Nuffield Gallery, Southampton, 1975
‘Ritual Awakening Part 2’ art action, Bar Europa Festival, Amsterdam, 1987
Me and Monte, Los Angeles, 2002
Me and Sleazy, Berlin, New Year’s Eve 2006
TG regrouping session at Mute Records Studio, Harrow Road, London, 2009
Chris, Nick and me, Rough Trade East, London, 2011
The last ‘Carter Tutti plays Chris & Cosey’ gig at Heaven, London, 2016 (© Gavin Toomey)
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, my thanks go to my lover and creative collaborator Chris, without whom this book and so much in my life would not have been possible. Writing this book was tough and I couldn’t have done it without his unwavering support and belief in me.
Thanks to our dearest son, Nick, and daughter-in-law, Tatis, for their encouragement and for bringing such joy into my present life as I waded through my past.
Special thanks to my longest-standing, dearest friend, Les, who has been and continues to be a constant loving presence in my life – who never ceases to amaze me or make me laugh like no one else can.
Thank you all at Faber, especially my editor, Lee Brackstone, who wrestled with my huge word count and won, and managed to make the process as painless as possible. Dan Papps for his enduring enthusiasm. Silvia Crompton, Luke Bird, Jack Murphy and Dave Watkins.
Big thank you to Matthew Hamilton, my literary agent, for his encouragement and support from the very first time we met.
A big thank you to Luke Turner for introducing me to Lee Brackstone and thereby instigating the chain of events that led to the completion and publication of this book.
Thanks to those who gave me advice and encouragement to write about my life: the astounding Maria Fusco, Jack Sargeant, my wonderful generous friend Paul Buck, who is always ready to help, John Doran, and Graham Duff, a man of huge talent who took the time to offer me advice and friendship – always with great humour.
Thanks to the Newby family: especially Mum, who tried so hard to make things work, and my dear sister, Pam; Debbie, Simon, Lily, Danny, Uncle Mike and his inspiring guitar-playing, Edwina, Beryl, Ken and Barbara.
The Carter family, especially Rose and Albert – Rose for being my much-loved surrogate mother – Nan, Shud, Pat and Ernie, the Fosseys, Phillips and Drapers.
A huge thank you to all my friends and collaborators for being a part of my life, enriching it beyond measure – especially dearly loved but sadly departed Sleazy and Geff – and with apologies to those whose names aren’t included for whatever reason. You are far from forgotten.
Thanks to Spydeee for bringing light where there were shadows, dearest sweet Fizzy Paet, Ian Goodrich, Anna Stillmaker, Foxtrot Echo, John Lacey, Menzies Brook, Alan Worsley, Tim Poston, my close friend and confidant Skot Armstrong, James Tallon, the extraordinary and lovable Monte Cazazza, Alex Fergusson, Alaura, Fred Giannelli, Sasha Grey, Marc Almond, Blixa Bargeld, Anohni, Gaspar Noé, Robert Wyatt, John Duncan, Olga Gerrard, Barbara Rogers, Steve Montgomery, Chris Connelly, Brian Williams, Tracey Roberts, Robert Crouch, Richard Chartier, Bob Eckhardt, Jo Ahmed, Bobby Bonbon, Andria Degens, Ossian, Steve, Todd Snow, Chesney Phelps, the effervescent, lovely Terry McGaughey, and Jenks, whose visits bring peace and a dash of down-to-earth northern common sense. Peter Edney, Nik Void, Tim Burgess and my godson Morgan, Pam Hogg, Suzan and Robert Swale.
Thank you, Jill Drower, for permission to quote from your excellent book, 99 Balls Pond Road: The Story of the Exploding Galaxy (London, 2014).
*
For those who supported me in my music and art:
Thank you Andrew Wheatley and Martin McGeown of Cabinet, London.
Thank you Rough Trade, Peer Music, Mute Records, Mute Song, PIAS, Wax Trax!, Nettwerk, Cargo UK, Heike Munder, Catherine Wood, Anthony at Baba Yaga’s Hut. Especially Daniel Miller, Paul Taylor, David McGinnis, John McRobbie, Zoe Miller, Darren Crawford, Phil Hill, the remarkable Paul Smith, brilliant musician, artist and friend Susan Stenger, the master of live sound Chris Fullard, and fabulous TG family and crew: Mitch Flacko, Kirsten Reynolds, Ashley, Charles Poulet. The marvellous, once-met-never-forgotten Andrew Weatherall, friend and DJ extraordinaire Richard Clouston of Cosey Club, JD Twitch (Optim
o – Keith McIvor), Gavin Toomey, André Stitt, Xeni Jardin and John Grant.
Extra-special thanks, love and respect to all the Throbbing Gristle, Chris & Cosey, Carter Tutti and Carter Tutti Void fans around the world.
About the Author
Cosey Fanni Tutti began her career in 1969. She is a hugely respected artist and musician, known for her performance art, her work in the sex industry, as co-founder of Throbbing Gristle, and her pioneering electronic music as half of Chris & Cosey and Carter Tutti.
Copyright
First published in the UK in 2017,
by Faber & Faber Ltd
Bloomsbury House
74–77 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DA
First published in the USA in 2017
This ebook edition first published in 2017
All rights reserved
© Cosey Fanni Tutti, 2017
Cover design by Faber
Front cover photograph by Chalkie Davies
The right of Cosey Fanni Tutti to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 978–0–571–32854–3
Art Sex Music Page 49