Uncanny Landscapes #14 - Jem Finer

An interview by Justin Hopper with artist and musician Jem Finer.

Jem Finer is an artist and musician whose work spans the musical gamut from co-founding The Pogues to creating Longplayer, a 1,000-year-long composition that has been performing itself, so far, for 23 years.

On Mayday, Finer and co-conspirator Jimmy Cauty (of the KLF) release the first record as Local Psycho - a hurdy-gurdy led acid-barn-dance band - and will infuse a newly erected standing stone with its sounds.

Jem talks about Local Psycho and Longplayer, as well as other projects of his, archaeo-astronomy and 'psychocosmology', and more.

Jem's got a website, as does Local Psycho and their label, Heavenly Recordings. The music in this episode is also by Jem, from his album Hrdy-Grdy on Thanet Tape Centre.

 

Caught by the River's event on 29 April includes the new Hurdy-Gurdy standing stone. Separately, Jem is playing Norwich on 5 May.

 

Host Justin Hopper has an Uncanny Landscapes substack - it's free, and has the first post of the podcast + more. JH can be found via LinkTree or on Instagram; there is an Uncanny Landscapes twitter feed.

 

Title sounds by The Belbury Poly, courtesy Ghost Box Records.

 

The Uncanny Landscapes icon is by Stefan Musgrove.