Feb 6, 2022

A guy named... Brilburn Logue

Below, a poem from the inside sleeve of Bauhaus's 1981 album Mask signed by... Brilburn Logue.
The cover of Bauhaus's live album This Is for When featured a longer version of the poem; some of the lines were also included in Moore's spoken intro to a live version of their song "Double Dare" on the Satori In Paris EP, and also the version on their live album This Is For When.
 
Obviously Brilburn Logue is an other nom de plume used by Moore in the 80ies. 
But it's not a mystery at all. In an interview from Cerebro vol.3 no.15, July/August 1982, The Man from Northampton revealed: "And as a scintillating tidbit of information for all you fans of the adorable Bauhaus pop group I can reveal that the sleeve notes on the second album 'Mask' were also by me in the guise of avant garde poet Brilburn Logue." More info HERE

The Bauhaus's poem is the only work credited to Brilburn Logue. Read Lance Parkin's post here, too.
Mask version
This is for when the radio is broken and crackles like uranium orchids
This is for when the fohn-wind rattles the telegraph wires like a handful of bones
This is for when dream ambulances skitter through the streets at midnight
This is for when you get caught in a sleep-riot and the sky is out of order
This is for when your sex is full of voodoo
This is for when your clothes are imaginary
This is for when your flesh creeps and never comes back
- Brilburn Logue, 1981
This Is for When version:
THIS IS FOR WHEN THE SLATS OF THE NIGHT SLAM SHUT ON YOU, FOR WHEN THE RADIO IS BROKEN AND CRACKLES LIKE URANIUM ORCHIDS, FOR WHEN THE FÖHN-WIND RATTLES THE TELEGRAPH WIRES LIKE A HANDFUL OF BONES, AND FOR WHEN DREAM AMBULANCES SKITTER THROUGH THE STREETS AT MIDNIGHT. IN THE AMUSEMENT ARCADE A SAILOR WHOSE MUSCLES WRITHE WITH TATTOOS AND PORNOGRAPHY, DOUBLED UP, HIS VOMITING EMERALDS. ELSEWHERE A BLACK MAN WITH BRASS TEETH AND A SWALLOW SKIN TIE IS LAUGHING AND LAUGHING AND OFFERING POISONED CANDY FLOSS TO THE CHILDREN. THIS IS FOR WHEN YOUR CUFF GETS CAUGHT IN THE COGS OF AN URBAN EVENING, FOR WHEN YOUR VISION IS FRAYED AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MORE LUST. THIS IS FOR THE WASP-WOMAN. THIS IS FOR THE TORTURERS' WIVES WITH THEIR THUMBS BLUE AS BILLIARD CHALK. THIS IS FOR ALL THE MATHEMATICIANS WHO GOT MIXED UP IN THE DREAM GANG. THIS IS FOR WHEN YOU GET CAUGHT IN A SLEEP-RIOT, THIS IS FOR WHEN YOUR JISM TURNS TO PLATINUM, FOR WHEN THE TELEVISION IS FULL OF MURDER, FOR WHEN THE SKY IS OUT OF ORDER, FOR WHEN YOUR ROOM IS CRAWLING WITH CHEAP POETRY. THIS IS FOR WHEN YOUR VEINS ARE SINGING WITH INDIGO, FOR WHEN THE RADIATOR IS FULL OF FEVER, FOR WHEN YOUR SEX IS FULL OF VOODOO, FOR WHEN YOUR CLOTHES ARE IMAGINARY, FOR WHEN YOUR KITCHEN IS DEAD. THIS IS FOR WHEN YOUR FLESH CREEPS AND NEVER COMES BACK. - BRILBURN LOGUE 1981

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