67. Bruce Lindsay on Ivor Cutler

Illustration by Lani Morrison

The late musician/poet/author/humorist Ivor Cutler was born 100 years ago. He was a self-described Oblique Music Philospher, and released tons of art by way of radio, television, books and records, born and raised in Scotland. His work, no matter the medium, is thoughtful as it is absurd, as irreverent as it is romantic. Author Bruce Lindsay took it upon himself to write the greatest-and-only biography on the O.M.P. called Ivor Cutler: A Life Outside the Sitting Room. Markly Morrison and Andrew “Hollywood” Dorsett speak at length with Mr. Lindsay on Ivor’s storied career that spans from the 1950s until his death in 2006 including his work as a music teacher, his recurring radio and television performances on the BBC, the story behind his character “Buster Bloodvessel” in the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour movie, his books for children and adults, his friendship with prog-rocker Robert Wyatt, his shocking habit of vandalism, and artists who have covered Mr. Cutler. One such artist is Jim O’Rourke, who in the first few minutes shares an anecdote about the time that Ivor reached out to him.

Here’s the book!

Songs discussed in this program include:

And here is a terrific playlist of Ivor’s broadcast pieces on archive.org.