2009

The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour dates and locations will be added to the 2009 & 2010 pages over the coming months.

Bill Drummond delivered a 25 minute talk entitled The History of Music (Part 19) as part of BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival in Liverpool on 2 November 2008. The talk was followed by a Q & A session mediated by presenter Susan Hitch. The talk and Q & A session were broadcast on BBC Radio 3's Night Waves programme.

Bill Drummond gave a talk titled All Recorded Music Has Run Its Course at this year's Transmediale Festival. The talk was followed by a discussion with Martin Conrads. Drummond invited the audience as individuals to perform the score IMAGINE when they wake up in the following night.

Two photographs taken at the event, one of Drummond reading from 17 and the other of him being questioned by Martin Conrads have been added to Flikr.

Conversations is the name of work by artist Sally Lemsford. Lemsford uses conversations as a medium in her practice. These conversations are not documented. The conversation that she had with Bill Drummond in the hire van at the back of QUAD in Derby was begun by Lemsford posing the question 'If "The very urge to make recorded music is a redundant and creative dead-end", what is the motivation to produce hard copy artworks?'

The conversations that are included in Conversations work as a chain. The next conversation in this chain will be between Sally Lemsford, Bill Drummond and Tracey Moberly. Location and date of this conversation yet to be set.

It is announced that Linz in Austria are hosting No Music Day 2009 as part of the city's Horstadt (Acoustic City) initative. Linz is also the European Capital of Culture for 2009.

Surround Northampton Fishmarket was Bill Drummond’s contribution to the four-man exhibition 60 Miles By Road or Rail that ran at the Fishmarket in Northampton between 20 February and 28 March 2009.

Surround Northampton Fishmarket involved the promotion, execution and documentation of a performance of Score 328 SURROUND performed by The17. The performance of this score happened on Saturday 14 March 2007. 

This performance was part of Vocal Invention 2009 (a weekend of musical experiment). The first half of this performance was an introduction to The17 by Bill Drummond, the second half of the performance was the world premier of a new score by Drummond entitled Divide & Combine.

The title of this talk is The History of Music (part 19), and it is also part of Vocal Invention 2009. Drummond first gave a version of this talk as part of BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival.

This performance was only open to students at the university.

A performance of Score 328 SURROUND on the 5 kilometre circumference of a circle on the streets of Northampton. The centre of the circle is the Fishmarket. Bill Drummond gave an introductory talk at the Fishmarket at 3pm before the perfomance began. 

Photographic documentation by Mac Canonymous of some of the days events, can be viewed at Flikr

This performance of SURROUND is twinned with a perfomance at the 10th Open Performance Art Festival in Beijing, Chinabe in August 2009. This performance is part of the Coast-to-Coast world tour by The17.

For further information visit Silent Protest Berlin.

This was the world premier of Score 325 North V South. The match was between NFA Derby FC (The North) and Derbyshire Constabulary (The South).  This was only the first half of this performance, the second half was at QUAD on the 24 April 2009.

Bill Drummond gave the keynote speech at the M4Music Conference (2009). The title of the speech was The Meaning of Music. For further information click here

This was the world premier performance of the score NIGHTCLUBBING. For further information click here.  This is the first date on the City-to-City world tour.

Ted Hughes & Me is the title of a short film about Bill Drummond's relationship with the work of Ted Hughes. This was filmed by the BBC as part of their 2009 poetry campaign. It can be viewed here on the BBC site.

Amongst all the exhibits by other artists in this exhibition, there is one framed copy of Score 326 Stop, by Bill Drummond. This score was first performed on the 31 December 2008 on the Today Programme on BBC Radio 4.

"In the ancient world the stars served as markers for the coming of a new year, the changing of the seasons and dawn of a new day and as ‘signs’ they continue to facilitate our punctuation of time. In 2009, UNESCO's International Year of Astronomy, the world commemorates the 400th anniversary of Galileo's use of the telescope to observe the night sky. The science, the interaction of glass and light and the development of optical technology has revolutionised our understanding of our place in the universe. ‘Space-Time’ draws together works that capture a moment in space and time, that reflect upon applications of astronomical observations and the role of time in our everyday lives, memory and future."

This performance was for the first 17 people who stuck their names on the sheet of paper at Eastside Projects on the 31 October 2008. They know who they are. No further information.

This is the second part of the performance of NORTH V SOUTH. The first half was on the 23 March 2009. No Further information available.

Calvin & Me is the title of a short film about the influence of Presbyterianism on the life & work of Bill Drummond. This was filmed by the BBC as part of a programme entitled Natural Born Sinners to celebrate the 500 anniversary of John Calvin. It was screened on 14 September 2009 on BBC Four.

Michele Jackson and Bill Drummond made the first complete Cake Circle to ever be constructed in England. It was done over two days in the small town of Newton-le-Willows, half way between Manchester and Liverpool. Documentation of this Cake Circle and its construction is available elsewhere.

This was the world premier performance of the score DESTROY by Michele Jackson. Further details of this score and performance will be made available else where.

Recording first half of spoken word version of the book 17

Photographs of the Penkiln Burn painting floating down the Penkiln Burn. This is part of the of the ongoing photographing of the 25 Paintings. To view the photographs taken to date in this series click here. Photograph taken by Tracey Moberly.

This was the first in the ongoing sculpture The Life & Death Of An Artist. Photograph taken by Tracey Moberly.

Recording second half of spoken word version of the book 17

The UK premier performance of Score 80 HOKUSAI MOTION written by Simon Cullen.

Rupert & Me

Saul Taylor will perform Score 6 CLIMB on the top of Snowdon after he has completed competing in the Welsh 1000m Peaks race. His description will be added to this page once he has written it up. ABANDONED DUE TO EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS.

As part of taking part in The17's performance of Score 349 DESTROY at Chester University on 6 May 2009, it was decided to retire the website www.youwhores.com. This was symoblically done at the time by Bill Drummond daubing a canvas with the words I WILL FUCK YOU FOR £10,000 and then slashing the canvas. The site was not actually retired until 10 June 2009. It was replaced by the new job You & Me - Me & You. The You Whores site can still be visited but it can only be viewed as an museum peice; it is no longer open for business.

Caught By The River (hardback) is a collection of new writings on rivers by numerous living authors. The writers include Irvine Welsh, Jon Savage, Jarvis Cocker, Chris Yates and Bill Drummond amongst others. Drummond's contribution is called The Penkiln Burn, and an edited extract from this was published in The Times and here is a link to it. Caught By The River is available from Amazon.

All the artists who have previously exhibited at VOID between 2005-2009 have been invited to make a work of art using only a blank side of an A5 size post card. These are to be sold in aid of Void Art School.

A performance of Score 8 TAKE. This performance took place in a field near Aldeburgh, Suffolk, England. The members of The17 were Steve Peck, Ruth Crome, Frances Cavendish, Paul Benney, Rowan Swanson, Lucy Andre, Catherine Lindsay Davies, Ros Coleman, Rob Hawe, Adam Brace, Cally, Jeannie Calloman, Tracey Moberly, John Hirst and Bill Drummond

The photographing of the Get Your Haircut, Open, Paint and Sledgehammers paintings. These four are part of the 25 Paintings series of paintings. To view all those photographed to date click here. Photographs taken by Tracey Moberly.

This was the annual open day at the Curfew Tower, where all can vote for the best piece of work produced by an artist-in-residence over the previous 12 months. In the evening there was a bonfire in the backgarden and a free bowl of curry and glass of wine for all comers. The winner was announced at 11pm.

The17 were invited to perform at 10th Open Performance Art Festival in Beijing, China.

The performance they gave was a version of Score 328 SURROUND. This performance was twinned with a performance of the same score in Northampton, England, that took place on 14 March 2009.

The members of The17 taking part in this performance were made up of 100 Beijing market stallholders or their families.

Read a full account of The17’s performance in Beijing, written by Bill Drummond.

View the 100 Beijing market stallholder members of The17.

View Score 328 Surround in Chinese.

This performance is part of The17’s Coast-to-Coast world tour.

A talk was given by Bill Drummond about The17's performance of the score SURROUND that happened earlier in the day. This talk was for the other visiting artists and members of the public.

This is one of the 40 graffiti being done as part of The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour. To view all graffiti done to date click here.

This is one of the 40 haircuts or shaves had by Bill Drummond, at 40 different barbers in the cities, towns or locations on The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour.

This is one of the 40 graffiti being done as part of The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour. To view all graffiti done to date click here.

A drive from London to Murlough Bay and back via Northampton, The Mull-of-Galloway, Cushendall, Derry & The Penkiln Burn.

This is one of the 40 graffiti being done as part of The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour. To view all graffiti done to date click here.

This is one of the 40 graffiti being done as part of The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour. To view all graffiti done to date click here.

This is one of the 40 haircuts or shaves had by Bill Drummond, at 40 different barbers in the cities, towns or locations on The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour.

Photographs of City-to-City and Coast-to-Coast paintings nailed to trees. This is part of the 25 Paintings project. To view all photographs taken to date in this series click here. Photographs taken by Tracey Moberly.

Calvin & Me was not thought a sexy enough title by the powers that be in the BBC - so the title was changed to The Scots: Natural Born Sinners. The programme was trailed as a 'lighthearted documentary about the effect of Calvinism on the Scottish psyche, in which a cast of well-known Scots ruminate on growing up under Calvin's shadow.' Bill Drummond has said that if he had known it was to be 'lighthearted' he would not have taken part. He also has made it known that he believes that his contribution was so edited that it lost the meaning of what he had to say.

Photographic and performance event to promote No Music Day in Linz on the 21 November 2009. 

This is one of the 40 haircuts or shaves had by Bill Drummond, at 40 different barbers in the cities, towns or locations on The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour.

A talk was given by Bill Drummond to staff & 6th formers of Kingswood School. And a performance was given by The17. The members of The17 for this performance were the members of staff and 6th formers. This talk and performance were done as a way of introduction to the perfomances that were to be carried out in Kingswood over the following two weeks.

Przedostatnie kuszenie Billa Drummonda (The Last Temptation But One Of Bill Drummond) is a play written and directed by Marcin Wierzchowski for the Theatre Wilama Horzycy, in the city of Torun, Poland. The real Bill Drummond has neither read, seen or had anything to do with the production. There is/was a second run of the play in December 2009.

Over the previous two weeks 24 classes of pupils ranging between year 7 and year 11 (11 to 16 in age) from Kingswood School have become members of The17 and put together a version of Score 7 COLLABORATE. Their performance of this score was played back to them at 2pm on this date. The recording was not deleted immediately

This performance is also twinned with a performance of the same score in early December 2009 in a school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. At the performance in Port-au-Prince, the recording of what was done in Kingswood was  played for pupils there to compare and contrast with what they had done.

Both are part of The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour.

This was the premier performance of Score 354: RECEIVE/TRANSMIT. The members of The17 performing it were: Jonny Ambrose, Caitlin Desilvey, Sara Gadd, Christine Haven, Caroline Healy, Jessie Higginson, Lisa Lucas, Elizabeth Masterton, Eric Masterton, Hannah Maughan-Robb, Carol Patten, Lizzie Ridout, Bryony Rogerson, Andy Rossiter, Katherine Smith, Adam Stringer & Mike Westley.

For further information about this performance please contatct Elizabeth Masterton info@elizabethmasterton.com

This was the premier performance of Score 354: RECEIVE/TRANSMIT. The members of The17 performing included: Jonny Ambrose, Caitlin Desilvey, Sara Gadd, Christine Haven, Caroline Healy, Jessie Higginson, Lisa Lucas, Elizabeth Masterton, Eric Masterton, Hannah Maughan-Robb, Carol Patten, Lizzie Ridout, Bryony Rogerson, Andy Rossiter, Katherine Smith, Adam Stringer & Mike Westley.

For further information click HAPPIDROME

For further information about this performance please contatct Elizabeth Masterton info@elizabethmasterton.com

This was a performance/lecture open to the public given by Bill Drummond concerning selected aspects of his practice.

This was for students attending the university.

Part of The IPCRESS File

This is also part of The IPCRESS File.

A world premier of Score 329 TWO TRIBES was performed in south Wales between two sides of break dancers - one from Swansea the other from Cardiff. It was performed on neutral territory between the two cities. This performance was to be twinned with a performance of the same score by two tribes in Papua New Guinea.

This is part of The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour.

100,000 disposable mats used on the trays in McDonald's restraunts in Upper Austria carried information pertaining to No Music Day 2009.

For further information regarding this press conference given by Bill Drummond please contact Pia Leydolt for German language media, or Maija Handover for rest of world media.

For further information regarding this press conference given by Bill Drummond please contact Pia Leydolt for German language media, or Maija Handover for rest of world media.

Public discussion between Austrian musician & writer Rainer Krispel and Bill Drummond.

Live DJ-Set with DJ DSL (Hamburg/Vienna) at Solaris Bar. 

At the stroke of Midnight as DSL's set ended, Bill Drummond welcomed in No Music Day 2009.

Linz is the capital of the Austrian state of Upper Austria.

The following are a cross section of the institutions and businesses in Linz and Upper Austria that, in their various ways, are observing No Music Day 2009:

Church: The Jesuit parish of the Old Cathedral Saint Ignatius will celebrate all masses on No Music Day without organ, choir or any congregational singing whatsoever;

Radio: Upper Austria's  Radio FRO will resist from playing any music for the 24 hours.

Supermarkets: Throughout Upper Austria the 122 branches of the SPAR and 140 branches of the Maximarkt will not be playing piped music.

Schools: The Upper Austrian Music School will be closed. The students will spend the day discussing the future of music.

Shops: The majority of shops along Linz' central shopping mile Landstrasse will not run their instore radio stations or soundsystems, including for example the Diesel flagship store.

Cinema: Moviemento Cinema will be screening films that use no musical soundtrack - further details below.

Venues: The city's culture institutions, concert halls and music spots will host no concerts, gigs or DJs. These venues include the Brucknerhaus, Posthof, Ars Electronica Center (featuring No Music Day on its huge glass front to the city and the Danube), Café Strom, Grand Hotel Café Zum Rothen Krebsen, the OK - Offenes Kulturhaus and the Solaris Bar (playing a central role on No Music Day 2009).

At 6pm Bill Drummond began to make soup in the Solaris Bar. The soup was ready by 8pm. As long as supplies lasted, it was free to all those that turned up and answered one of his questions. This is a Soup Lines International project.

At 6pm Moviemento Cinema screened the first of the evening's two films without music. The first film was "Ten Skies" (James Benning / USA / 2004).

At 8pm Moviemento Cinema screened the second of the evening's two films without music. The second film was "13 Lakes" (James Benning / USA / 2004)

At 10.30pm, Bill Drummond gave a talk about the hows & whys he imagined No Music Day in the first place; the successes and failures of the No Music Day between 2005 and 2009; and what could become of No Music Day in the future.

This was a performance by Sprechbohrer (Talking Drills). The performance was sandwiched by performances by Sprechbohrer on both the 20 & 22 November in the same venue. The performance on the 20th began at 23:00 and ended at 23:59 and on the 22nd it began at 00:00 and ended at 01:00. The performance included recitals of the following works by the following composers:

   Georg Sachse: in dubio 1 (2009 UA)
   Peter Behrendsen: Atem des Windes
   Sigrid Sachse: ZU-VO-EL
   Harald Muenz: de(ux)ChiffrAge
   Stefan Streich: Nr. 1 aus 15 Gesänge
   John Cage: 4'33

The programme on the 20th was constructed to constitute one single decrescendo from "music" via speech-only pieces until reaching Cage's 4'33. This last (and iconic) piece acting as a bridge to the 24 hours of No Music Day.  At 00:00 on the 22nd, the same works were performed again but in the reverse order starting with the hush of 4'33 building up through the speech-only pieces to the crescendo of the "music" pieces at the end. Thus leading the audience and performers back to the world of noise and music. 

Kunst-Station St. Peter, as well as being a venue for art and contemporary music, is an active Catholic Church. The mass taking place on No Music Day was celebrated without the use of music.

For further information visit this site

The Waiting Room (TWR) is a UK-based new music radio programme broadcast on US-based radio station WOXY. Instead of the usual two hour playlist of new releases they had a number of guests in the studio discussing the topics that arise from No Music Day.

The Waiting Room broadcast times are:

Saturday - 1pm GMT / 8am ET

Repeated Sunday - 9pm GMT / 4pm ET

Podcast Monday - 1pm GMT / 8am ET

The Sound of Mu opened at 3pm and stayed open until the early hours of the 22nd. Visit their web site to learn more.

Yet again the singing of Happy Birthday were stopped at the birthday celebrations of Toby Dyter.

Portland, Oregon hosted No Music Day.

At the stroke of midnight DJ Michael Fakesch (Funkstörung/K7) ended No Music Day 2009 and welcomed in the festivities of Saint Cecilia's Day. 

Saint Cecilia is the patron saint of music. In many countries the 22nd of November is the day chosen to give thanks for and to celebrate the existence of music.

Those that supped soup on this occasion were: John Banks, Katie Dixon, Dustin Lyons, Dave West, Geoff Salisbury, Ross, Nicola, Simon Marson, Danny Wilkinson, Tracey Moberly & Bill Drummond. John Banks, the host, would like it known that the Soup Line goes right through his house and that if there was any soup left that he would not be putting it on eBay and that you should check out Bumblepuppy.

From Bethnal Green, London to Mathew Street, Liverpool via Lowton, Lancs and back. The drive featured the head gasket blowing while driving at speed and other incidents.

Bill Drummond performed Score 1: IMAGINE while standing on the manhole cover at the bottom of Mathew Street, Liverpool, three yards in front of what was the entrance of the Liverpool School of Language, Music, Dream and Pun. This performance was twinned with a performance of the same score outside the Brill Buildings, New York. It is also part of The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour.

Bill Drummond had his haircut by Bert Jackson in 2005. Bert's barbers shop is one of the most memorable that he has ever come across. Drummond was looking forward to having it cut by Bert again and to interview him. On arrival at his shop, Drummond found it closed. He enquired, at the newsagents next door, if Bert was still in business to be told that Bert 'passed away two or three months ago'.

This will still be considered one of the 40 haircuts or shaves had by Bill Drummond, at 40 different barbers in the cities, towns or locations on The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour.

Bill Drummond performed Score 1: IMAGINE while standing on the manhole cover in front of the Brill Building on Broadway, New York.  The performance included Drummond singing Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow to the Brill Building. This performance is twinned with the performance of the same score that happened at 00:23 on the 2 December 2009 on Mathew Street, Liverpool. It is also part of The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour.

As part of the Ghetto Biennale in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, The17 performed Score 7 COLLABORATE. The members of The17 for this performance were made up of 60 + students from L'Ecole Guillaume Manigat, Rue Chareron, off Blvd Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Grand Rue). This is part of the Coast-to-Coast world tour by The17.

All The17 at L'Ecole Guillaume Manigat holding photograph of The17 at Kingswood, Corby. Both schools performance of the same score were twinned with each other.

Score 328 SURROUND was performed by citizens of the Grand Rue area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

This is one of the 40 graffiti being done as part of The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour. To view all graffiti done to date click here.

This is one of the 40 haircuts or shaves had by Bill Drummond, at 40 different barbers in the cities, towns or locations on The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour.

Bill Drummond took part in a public discussion called Does It Bleed, along with Myron Beasley, Leah Gordon and other artists and academics taking part in the Ghetto Biennaale. Drummond's brief was to respond to these following words "the dematerialisation of art and the relevences and conflicts this could have for artists in the developing world".

This event was part of the Ghetto Biennale Conference. The conference began at 12:30pm and ended at 6:00pm.

This was to be the site of one of the 40 graffiti being done as part of The17's Coast-to-Coast world tour. But it being a Sunday none of the local hardware stores were open to purchase paint and brush. To view all the other graffiti done to date click here.