Kornel: You once had a music-theatrical performance with Sam Britton called In Kharms Way, which used texts by Daniil Kharms. What does Kharms mean to you, and when and how did you discover him?
Ted: I’ve always been keen on Russian literature. I can’t tell you how or when I came across Kharms.
The first time I met Sam, he proposed we make a piece using Beckett’s texts. I insisted on Kharms instead, so we constructed a show with me reciting his texts, playing some sax, and a sequence with puppets, while Sam provided the music electronically.
What does Kharms mean to me? I can only suggest your readers check him out. Then they’ll know the reason why.
Kornel: You began publishing your poetry at a very young age. Your first poetry book, Mungo, was published in 1963, and you were also included in the renowned poetry collection Children of Albion: Poetry of the Underground in Britain, published in 1969. How important is your poetry to Blurt as a band, and who are some of your favorite poets?Ted: One of the first songs we ever recorded, ‘The Ruminant Plinth,’ used a text written years before the band began. Poetry and songwriting—it’s much the same to me.
Favorite poets? I don’t often read poetry. Short stories are my preferred format. I love Raymond Carver’s poetry. Mayakovsky too!
Klemen: You’ve created art objects and installations, and your work has been featured in prestigious collections. How do you approach these projects differently from your musical and literary work?
Ted: As a fully paid-up dilettante, I am, by definition, free to dabble in whatever medium takes my fancy.
Kornel: Blurt has been associated with many labels over the years, including Hungarian Bahia Records, which released two of your albums. How did this collaboration come about, and are there any plans to reissue those two albums (‘Magic Moments’ and ‘Celebrating The Bespoke Cell Of Little Ease’) on vinyl?
Ted: That’s a good idea—to reissue those albums on vinyl. Bahia? I’m not exactly sure how that partnership started. We used to play in Tiloz in the ’80s and enjoyed significant popularity in Hungary for a while.
Klemen: I would love it if you could delve into the making of your Blurt debut. What are some of your strongest memories from recording it?
Ted: The first release was one side of a double album called, I think, ‘The Factory Quartet.’ Those were the first recordings made on Brother Jake’s 4-track Teac. The first full album came next—’Blurt in Berlin’—which comprised a live recording at a Rock Against Junk concert in Berlin. May I refer back to the bottles of Jim Beam I’ve already confessed to and say that my memories of these early days are not strong—they don’t exist!
Klemen: Do you feel that it opened doors for your future ventures in album making?
Ted: We’d got the bug by then.