That band are such firm Linkous fans that Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood is handling their lightshow At the mention of Radiohead, Mark’s voice lights up. Every twist of his surreal tales and every bleakly distorted vocal reflects his intense perspective on life. No wonder then, that the Sparklehorse live experience is not akin to a rabble-rousing pop gig. But the success of their latest music, as well as the support and friendship of Radiohead, has brought better times to their songwriter Mark Linkous
Anyone who’s heard the vivid despatches from the soul that made up last year’s acclaimed Sparklehorse album, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, will know songwriter Mark Linkous takes his music more seriously than most. Sparklehorse are anything but good-time rock and rollers.
“The club scene grew out of nothing and has fragmented, but it’s come so far. We try to be humorous and informative and provide `Infotainment’. Club Vision’s job is to chart the culture’s course – whichever direction the scene goes, we’ll be there to film it.”Club Vision `Ibiza Special’ is available in Virgin Mega Stores and Trumps, pounds 7.99 per video/pounds 42 per series (6 videos).Call 0171-613 4868 for subscription information and additional enquiries.. Yet with many people predicting the demise of club culture, how far can Club Vision go?”I’ve been clubbing for over 20 years now, back when Carl Cox was playing at wedding receptions,” he says. Tony De Vit, Brandon Block and Danny Rampling all feature in the latest offering.More importantly, all the clubbing caricatures that we know and love are present. Tanned Mediterranean club owners who look like extras from The Godfather (“We love everybody who come into my club”), wide London boys out on the razzle and Essex girls complaining bitterly about the lack of male talent before concluding “We’re definitely coming back next year”.Future productions promise features on other European destinations like Amsterdam; the great British clubber will travel almost anywhere for a good DJ and a friendly crowd.
“With most programmes, the makers come from a television background, but we did it the other way and learned as we went along.”For clubbers, the videos offer an accurate picture of their culture in addition to providing them with access to DJs who are usually seen on raised stages a hundred yards away. It features the obligatory shots of clubbing revelry, but also offers excellent DJ/promoter interviews and extensive attractions of Ibiza island by day – something summer pilgrims forego in favour of sleep. The Ibiza clubbing formula is predictable, but by the end of the video I was ready to pack my bags.Innovative camera shots, combined with the slick delivery of presenter Lisa Nash (above) make the video compelling, and a far cry from earlier efforts.”The first edition was very different,” he laughs. If we just did a London-based show, people in Belfast, Glasgow and other northern cities wouldn’t be interested. Northern clubbers often travel, book a hotel and visit different cities. They make a real weekend out of it, but Londoners are a little more lazy and don’t want to go further than down the road.”Launched in March 1996, the videos have gone from strength to strength. Club Vision doesn’t attempt to set a clubbing agenda, choosing instead to document club culture as a whole.
Their latest release (volume IV series II) is an Ibiza special. “There’s more acid in a Cox’s than a Golden Delicious,” he explains. “But it’s the same gene that eventually produces that acid.” The clue is that another gene in the plant modifies the action of the acid-making gene. “Maybe we could, if we wanted, make Golden Delicious more acid, and so more tasty.”Then again, maybe not for a while. An apple’s DNA contains about 50,000 genes, and while scientists have laid down a few milestones, Dr King reckons it’ll be another ten years at least before they have them all mapped out – including their function.
