81. Mayo Thompson
The Red Krayola founder speaks about his latest novels, favorite hip hop artists, growing up in Texas, and his varying methods of creative process over the past six decades.
Illustration by Jack Habegger
Mayo Thompson is the founding member of The Red Krayola, an experimental rock group that has existed in various formations since 1966. He’s collaborated with The Raincoats, Pere Ubu, and the Fall as a record producer, is an active visual artist, and has recently published his second novel, “After Math,” a sequel to 2020’s “Art, Mystery” (both available via Drag City Publishing). Mayo joins Low Profile to discuss the unconventional processes of several Red Krayola albums, his lone solo album “Corky’s Debt to His Father” and its recent live embodiment, his experience as a writer, a long-standing collaborative relationship with the conceptual collective known as Art and Language, and working with others including Lora Logic, featured on the previous episode. The interview is conducted by a panel featuring returning cohosts Dylan Shearer and Jack Habegger teaming up with Markly to tackle this heavyweight guest.
unedited tape of this episode (an hour longer) is available for people supporting this show at patreon.com/lowprofile
80. Lora Logic
Laura Logic from X-Ray Spex and Essential Logic delves into her rebellious beginnings, her deep connection with Krishna teachings, and how it shaped her musical journey.
Once upon a time in England, a teenager named Susan Murphy brought her saxophone to audition for a new punk band called X-Ray Spex- a group that was not looking for a sax player. Despite that fact, she made the cut, and like her fellow new band mates, she adopted a stage name: Lora Logic was born. When her tenure with the band was unexpectedly cut short, a friend with a studio encouraged her to forge her own path, and in 1979 the underground scene was introduced to her next project Essential Logic- a groove-laden and experimental sort of progressive punk rock. Somewhere along the way she became a Krishna devotee and let her music career take a back seat, re-emerging on occasion with a new set of songs. Nearly 50 years after it all began, Essential Logic is back with a new album called “Land of Kali,” and a box set called “Logically Yours.” Dylan Shearer co-hosted this episode, and we spoke with Lora at length about everything- how it all began, how things have changed, her nuanced collaborative relationship with X-Ray Spex vocalist Poly Styrene, why she plays the sax, her travels to India, and collaborating with her daughter on the latest iteration of Essential Logic. Lora also shares a favorite vegetarian recipe.
79. Death
Founding member of Death, Bobby Hackney, shares about the group’s evolution and excursions. His son, Julian, helps introduce the show.
About fifty years ago, three brothers started a garage band in Detroit. Their sound was forward-thinking and ferocious, and their band name – Death – played no small part in killing their music career. That didn’t stop them from doing what they loved, in private, where they amassed dozens of songs that have yet to see the light of day. Their debut album For the Whole World To See was recorded in 1973, but was never released until 2008 when one of the singer’s sons discovered the group’s lone single. Since then, a documentary has been made about the group, and several more albums have been released. Today I’m speaking with vocalist Bobby Hackney about the group’s genesis, reformation, and the music he and his brothers made during the nearly three-decade interim. He also shares about his love for reggae music and his new book Vermont Reggae Fest - The Power of Music. Death has a new split single on Drag City Records with the band Rough Francis. That group’s guitar player, Julian Hackney, helps introduce today’s episode.
78. Vashti Bunyan
Vashti Bunyan joins Markly to discuss her re-emergence into the music world, and her memoir “Wayward.”
illustration by Jack Habegger
When I started this show five years ago, I made a short list of artists I wanted to feature. Near the top of that list was the British musician Vashti Bunyan. Vashti Bunyan released her beautiful album “Just Another Diamond Day” in 1970, and it was almost immediately buried in time.
She’d had her fair share of disappointment in the music business and walked away from it altogether, until some three decades later when people like me discovered her music for the first time. Suddenly, Vashti was in demand, and her music career was back on track. In her recent memoir, “Wayward” from White Rabbit publishing, she chronicles her early days in the pop music world, collaborations with members of The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, her unbelievable horse and wagon journey throughout the UK that inspired her first album, and her unlikely return to the music world. Vashti speaks with me today from her home in Scotland.
This episode was edited by Rose Nielsen.
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