to mess with it

I'm preparing a huge list of links related to radio broadcasts, labels, clubs, art galleries, webzines, reviews, festivals, all that concerns improvisation, sound art, contemporary music, preformances. Everyone who wants to add or warn about one of the topics on the list, is free to email me.

What prompted you to try to prepare a piano in the first place? What about it initially intrigued you?

The short answer is I wanted to play piano without being a classical robot or some schmuck doing BVs and playing bad synth hooks in a covers band. I distinctly remember the turning point being playing in a certain commercial radio broadcaster’s comedy show about 10 years ago. While playing the synth pads for the intro to ‘Walking in Memphis’ I thought to myself (completely ripped to dull the pain), man, all those hours of practising Beethoven and Bach to perfection over 14 years and it’s come this…I thought just before I reached for the cowbell for the chorus. Something had to be done. This is best solution I could come up with.

What have you learnt from piano preparation? What continues to interest you?

A big thing I’ve learnt is that the piano is a powerful cultural icon across the board – to mess with it so intimately is blasphemy for some.

Anthony Pateras interviewed by Bob Baker Fish