62: Bill Drummond

This month we return to our first in-person recording for way too long, as we sat down with writer, musician and all-round cultural agitator Bill Drummond.
As half of the KLF, Bill produced some of the finest singles of the 1990s, before dumping a dead sheep at the door of the Brit Awards, deleting the group's back catalogue and burning a million quid on a Scottish Island. But he has a writing life so rich and interesting that we don't ask him a single question about any of that.
You can access Bill's series of spoken novels and associated material at Penkiln Burn: https://www.penkilnburn.com/home/ - as discussed, they can't be binged and are on a rotation with a new one each day.
You can read a bit more of Bill's writing about the Curfew Tower in Cushendall, and see some photos, here: https://visualartists.ie/ask-for-zippy-bill-drummond-tells-the-tale-of-how-and-why-he-established-the-artists-residency-in-a-tower-on-the-antrim-coast/

Thanks to the School of Advanced Study, University of London, for providing use of their new podcast studio to record this episode.


UPDATE 7/5

For any listeners noticing that the headshot has changed. Bill sent the following update on the new image....

Sunday the 5th of May 2024

Folks,
Anyone who grew up in the same culture as I did would know who Oor Wullie was and still is. This is along with knowing all about the dynamics of the Broon family.
If I had been a generation older, instead of Bill being the hypocorism of my name (William) it would have been Wullie. That said, if my parents had been of Irish descent, it might have been Liam.
Anyway...
Last week for my 71st birthday, my youngest son drew a picture of me for a birthday card. This picture was more of a caricature than a life like image of me. But this caricature triggered a chain of thoughts that led me to discover an inner Wullie. Maybe not the Oor Wullie of my childhood but maybe the Your Wullie of my old age.
Anyway...
A few weeks ago, I agreed for the first time ever, to be the guest on a podcast. For this they wanted a contemporary headshot of me that they could use on their site. I did not have one, so they just grabbed one off the internet. 
My son’s caricature of me made me think, I should ask him to do a picture of me that I could use as my official headshot. And that every year around my birthday, for however many birthdays I have left, he does another picture of my head. Thus, the picture both reflecting me getting older and the way he makes pictures evolves.
Of course...
By the time he turns 13 (in just over a year and three months) drawing a picture of his dad might be the last thing he will want to do.
But...
Putting that to one side and allowing the construct of The Life Model to have influence, I like the idea of inviting anyone to re-interpret the picture my son has done. And this re-interpretation to be in whatever way they feel like (except of course not AI created). And for this re-interpretation to be used in whatever way they feel like. As in tear it up or use it to replace whatever headshot is being used on the Wikipedia page that has my name at the top. 
I embrace lack of control, thus...
I like the idea of their being numerous versions of this image my youngest son has created and for them to evolve in different directions at the same time. From ten second scribbles to a detailed woodcut... From oil on canvas to reductive screen print. From a Steve Ditko to a Naoki Urasawa.
Thus...
Freeing me up from the vanity we might be hardwired to carry, when attempting to choose a photograph of ourselves to go public.
Also...
If you do one, please feel free to share it with [e-mail] for a future joint Your Wullie outing.
I am...
Or at least for now...

Your Wullie


Post Script:
Your Wullie m