The human situation
Time to respond
Growing up like vines
We resent the same things
William S. Burroughs, ever the literary magician, popularized his friend Brion Gysin’s “cut-up method,” a delightful form of textual collage. Take a piece of writing, snip it into bits, and then toss those pieces into the air to see how they land. The magic lies in the unexpected juxtapositions and fresh perspectives that emerge, tapping into the subconscious in ways that more orderly forms of writing might miss. It’s a bit like consulting an oracle, peering through a doorway into the unknown.
This technique caught the fancy of some intriguing minds—Patti Smith, Thom Yorke, David Lynch, and in particular, David Bowie. During his Diamond Dogs and Low phases, he would slice up printed texts—sometimes his own musings, other times snippets from newspapers—and then reassemble them, resulting in lyrical themes and imagery bubbling up from the depths of his subconscious, creating songs that were as surprising as they were profound. It’s a wonderful reminder that sometimes, a little chaos is all you need to uncover hidden treasures.
Tapping into this creative force, Los Angeles poet and performance artist Pat Salway, also known as Blone Noble, decided to dive into the deep end. He turned to his own diary entries, chronicling the end of a long relationship. Not one to do things by halves, he left his longtime home in a famous historic occult temple in the Hollywood Hills and moved to entirely new and unfamiliar territory, embracing the unknown with open arms and a curious mind.
“I decided to move into a skid row hotel and get rid of all possessions not directly linked to the creation of art, including my car,” he says. “The result has been as intended—a torrent of inspired activity and a deeper connection to my purpose.”
This curve ball in life resulted in something profound…in the case of Blone Noble, it’s become Life’s New Adventure, his first single and video of 2024 and the first in a series coming out over the summer that will culminate in the fall release of his debut EP.
The music for this track draws a playful nod to David Bowie’s Scary Monsters and Low era—just take a glance at that suit, the swagger, and the delivery. Add a sprinkle of Scott Walker’s A-side flair from the Nite Flights album, and you’ve got a recipe for something delightfully offbeat. In a realm filled with cookie-cutter approaches, Blone Noble dances to his own rhythm, keeping it all wonderfully fresh by embracing the unconventional in his songwriting. It’s like finding a rare bird in a forest of pigeons, reminding us that true artistry often lies in the unexpected.
The music video was directed and edited by Pat Salway for Veneer Publications and shot by cinematographer Yoni Shrira. We see him strutting throughout downtown LA, hopping turnstiles, riding the rails to an unknown destination, dancing on escalators. Wherever Blone Noble is headed, it is sure to be interesting.
Watch the video for ‘Life’s New Adventure” below:
Life’s New Adventure is out now on Veneer Publications. Blone Noble produced the track, recording the instrumentation at his studio at the Hotel Bristol in Downtown Los Angeles, with live drums and vocals recorded at his drummer Brendan Peleo-Lazar’s East Hollywood studio. Mixed and mastered by long-time collaborator Jonny Bell at Jazz Cats Studio in Long Beach, CA.
Blone Noble will embark on his first-ever European tour in support of the new release in July, with performances in Paris, Barcelona, and London. More dates TBA.
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