+tj gi i can see how someone might think it was cool and anti establishment and stuff but honestly even though it seems less cool they should've given it to charity or something
It's awesome because it's anti every establishment we have, from the music industry to money itself. Giving it to charity is the way we are taught these days to think we can make a difference, but charities are lies too and they have become the establishment klf fought against.
+MasterM it was the twist ending of the alleged "sex tape" that YACHT released. if you youtube search it you can find it and watch it it's only a 3 minute video
Has anyone else actually tried burning money? As a test we burned two fivers, and a few months later found a tenner just lying in a bush. Burning money raises all kinds of interesting metaphysical questions, such as where does the value of that money go? It has to go somewhere.
At the time of the brits I worked night security at Marcus Music in london. I say night security it was more like ordering taxi's, equipment, drugs and food for the artists. KLF were block booked in studio two. they'd probably been there a week before the awards. Now my memory is a bit hazy but I was working the night of the awards. I dont think they were on TV live but it must have been aired on the same night. I had a little portable TV on the desk and a video player and I had recorded the show because we knew they were on. Extreme Noise Terror rocked up at door sometime in the small hours (they were staying at the studio that night) absolutely loaded. we watched the tape and I seem to remember the bass player being super pissed that he couldnt hear his bass. Shortly after they disappeared to the bar and that really was that. The Next day though the KLF didnt turn up or the next or the next or ever again. A few days after or whenever the next edition of music week came out they had taken out a full page ad announcing that they had left the music business. I know its not much of a story but i thought i'd share
I had heard that Doctor Who song before. Way back when I was really into that show, the friend who introduced me to it sent me a link to the video. This whole story is way more interesting than that song, though. Burning a million pounds is an insane thing to do, but man is it hardcore.
It's worth reading The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds by John Higgs. It not only tells the story of the burning of the money but also the whole KLF ethos and offer suggestions on what was going on. An excellent read.
What is important in the context of burning a million pounds: They first had the million pounds nailed to a wooden wall and tried to show it in art galleries. But no gallery would show it, claiming insurance/security problems. (Which is strange, because most galleries show even more expensive art). As a reaction, the KLF (as The K Foundation) instated a price for worst art and handed it to the winner of the Turner prize for best art. On the same evening:) These guys were, and still are, FOR REAL!
Yep, that was one of their aliases. Also, Austrian band Edelweiss followed the instructions on The Manual to make their single "Bring Me Edelweiss"? Did it go number one? You bet your aaaass it did!
@Random Scottish Bloke It was number one for a week in the UK and knocked off the top spot by Kylie or Jason... Or kylie & Jason, Which is kinda funny because the Jams had released a single the year before called 'Kylie said to Jason' They were releasing music as 'The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu' (The Jams) at that time and didn't release anything as 'The KLF' until after going to number one as 'The Timelords'. They released music under all 3 names in 1988, some feckin boys.
To destroy money is to destroy the heart of the industry- caring about gaining money. Only by proving in the clearest way possible that they were no longer beholden to money could they feel detached enough from an industry they came to hate.
Toads McGroads in the capitalist system? it is. and sorry, there are people who wouldn't live off of a barter or communist system. what about all the people living in saudi arabia, without the money paying for water they'd all dehydrate before they reached a source that could feed them. Think about the ramifications of your ideas before they spout them
+Yourantsally I'm not saying that's what I believe. But I think the whole stunt of burning a million bucks could only have been an attempt to show that money is worthless/unnecessary/something they wanted no part of. Obviously it's wasteful and could have been put to better use.
I mean it's the same as some trust fund kid buying an expensive car and crashing it for fun, it's just a wasteful show of how much they dgaf when they could be doing some good with their effort
I've watched everyone of your videos, been waiting all afternoon today to watch the new one, and you post a video about my favorite band since the 8th grade. You complete me.
I love the KLF. One of my all time favourite bands. Their "Chill Out" album is one of the greatest ever and as a whole they were more punk than most punk bands.
Oddly enough, I was made aware of the KLF through my interest in country music because of their collaboration with Tammy Wynette on "Justified and Ancient."
Read Drummonds book called 33, in it he leaves hints + clues as to why they burned the money. I won't spoil it here, but it's great story and a big fuck you to the UK legal system.
"Before the other gods, there was Mumu, the god of chaos" This is from the "Illuminatus!" trilogy from the mid/late 70s, by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, and was where the name "Justified Ancients of Mumu" (aka "the JAMS") came from. the Timelords and KLF founders were obsessed with these books. References the the Ancients of Mumu are found in the chants in 3am Eternal and especially Justified And Ancient (which featured the late, great country music songstress Tammy Wynett). The KLF was insanely popular in the 90s, with videos played in heavy rotation on MTV, with fans taking the group as seriously as Mariah Carey and every other pop performer, with no clue what the inspiration or intent was. Basically, the KLF was to the music business what Andy Kaufman was to comedy. Either you get the joke, or you take it seriously and become the punch line!
Awesome episode! I love "The White Room"! Also KLF released "it's grim up north" under the name "The Jamms" AND, correct me if I'm wrong, they premiered a new KLF single over the speaker system at Glastonbury but said it wouldn't be released as a single until there was world peace. No delusions of grandeur there!
Excellent job as always Sam. A lot of ground covered in this vid, but there's a lot more layers to the KLF story, incredible how much stuff they did in 5yrs or so. Their first project together was the album "1987 (What the Fuck is Going on?)" in that year. I reckon it's one of the first British rap albums ever released, and it's full of Illuminati references and unlicensed samples. One of them ("Dancing Queen" by Abba) earned the duo a lawsuit and took the album from the shelves; so for their next act, they travelled by car/ferry to Sweden accompanied by a NME reporter (and all remaining copies of the record) to have a meeting with the Swedes. Unsurprisingly, they failed their goal, so they burned the records in some remote farm - whose owner later shot at their car. They got towed back to England by the AAA or something. Also, the Chill Out album is amazing.
YACHT is literally the most boring band I have ever seen live. It's like genetically engineered for out of town cool people who don't really care about music. SO boring!
2021: In true KLF style, all this is now totally irrelevant, since the KLF are now officially streaming their music online and officially posting their videos on TH-cam. Also, when they withdrew UKP 1,000,000 in cash (!) from a single bank, they nearly caused a bank panic.
Only if you're lazy and an under achiever, are fine with a job you most likely won't be able to do when you're older and minimal chance of a decent retirement, or mommy/daddy/friends/family give you a job at their owned workplace. End result if you're not wanting to put effort in, then yes college is a waste.
+Binge Watchers thing is, they USED to have success, this sex tape thing only happened like a week ago, so it's to be seen if it does anything beneficial. but so far it doesnt look good for them heh
Because you're upset you didn't get a sex tape? All this upset over Yacht seems like a bunch of entitled complaining to me. Like seriously, why does anybody give two craps about this at all?
I read The KLF's music and antics were inspired about Discordianism, a sort of anarchist philosophy/religion based around Eris, the Goddess of Chaos and Discord. You should do an episode on religions like that, and the Church of the SubGenius, Dudism, Woodism, and so forth.
If the KLF - or rather the K Foundation as they were by then had done anything else with that million quid rather than burning it nobody would be talking about it. I have a lot of respect for them for doing that - it was entirely their money and they got a lot of value from it.
The KLF was the first 'band' I ever became a fan of, back when I was 8 or so. I remember saving up my pocket money to buy a cassette of The White Room. But burning a million pounds is an unequivocal dick move. It's utterly futile to begin with, and there are literally a billion better things they could have done with it, no matter what their political or social beliefs. It's spitting in the face of anyone, ever, anywhere, who has gone hungry for lack of a dollar, who's foregone medical treatment due to poverty, who's ever suffered any deprivation at all.
+Buffoon1980 I think they once commented on how differently the "backlash" would be if instead of burning the money, they spent it all on drugs or something. Think about how many wealthy people spend that much money on drugs, or even useless shit that only serves to flaunt their status or for their own pleasure. What difference does a measly million pounds make when it could just as easily be spent on a car or a house or some kind of stock market pawn for personal gain?
shoegazefan It's an interesting point, and something I have thought about. Drugs, sure, that would be basically just as contemptible, in many ways, although it would be a much more interesting case to argue. At the very least, they would have got something out of that (not necessarily a good something, but it would have been less nihilistically futile). Car, house, stock market, to a greater or lesser extent these are valid choices in our capitalist society and rich people buying them are not a bad thing (unless you have problems with capitalism, which might also be valid). While buying personal luxuries may not be a moral positive, they're not a negative in the way that burning money is, IMO.
+Ari H that's not how money works, they are taking it out of circulation, but the government will probably just print more to offset it, that's what they already do to dollars that are destroyed every year, essentially a government keeps the value at how much they think is healthy for their economy
+Ari H but it's pointless, it doesn't get recirculated to people instantly, and they could have done some good with it. you're essentially saying "it's fine they threw out all that perfectly edible food in the trash instead of giving it to the homeless, because now they'll have to make more food"
Hated the KLF music - loved their balls! I grew up listening to Afx, Squarepusher, Autechre & always admired KLFs ideas, just not the music. You would often hear that RDJ or Autechre did an interview where they sent a mate instead or Afx was at a party and someone said to him "I love that Aphex Twin guy' because no-one knew who he was. Then there is the famous sandpaper on the turntable story... not a patch on KLFs antics though! :-)
There is so much more to The KLF story - it connects to Discordianism, Situationism, Ideaspace, Magic and more. If you want a deeper understanding about The KLF, read the excellent book about them by John Higgs. Drummond's own writings, while often entertaining, rarely offer much in the way of *why* they did the things they did, and that's because much of the time *they themselves didn't know*. They just kinda rolled with it. Higgs's nicely-written and wide-ranging yarn offers a speculative yet believable joining-of-the-dots, tracing out the wiring under the board.
I like the KLF for them playing the game while flipping everyone off. They created totally glossy pop songs, took the money and ran ….then set it on fire. Another group I think was truly subversive in a completely different way that people don't usually think of are the Village People. So super GAY and they licensed "In The Navy" to the US Navy. The "YMCA" is a staple of sport events and family theme restaurants when it's a song about cruising for dick at the Y ….and they had Halloween costumes of the "Leatherman" and "Cowboy" marketed to 6 -12 year olds made by Collegeville that you could buy at K-Mart. It's amazing!
I'm old enough to have been into pop at the time and was aware of the KLF, but too young to pick up on their antics and I thought they had burned through a million pounds metaphorically, as in wasted it. I didn't realise they actually burned it. Mind blown.
I own on mint all of KLF Vinyl and it is pure artistic genius, I dare anyone to smoke a blunt put a track on vinyl and play it through a decent system and tell me I am wrong.
Haha this is great! Bill Drummond is a friend of my family, he's been round for dinner a few times. Tell ya what, he's got a story to tell... well, in 2018...
Hey Sam, I love This Exists and your weird videos on pop culture, but I was wondering if you would ever consider doing a video on overlooked invasive species that are destroying ecosystems. Yeah, everyone knows about the pythons in the everglades and the Asian carp, but I'm talking things no one really notices like European starlings and feral cats in the US and snakehead fish. It's super interesting and divides people because the animals are thought of as wild/integrated rather than just invasive and feral.
Legend has it that at a live performance in Glasgow they were pelting front row audiance members with tightly rolled up 1000 pound notes (bills) so hard that it actually hurt.
I begin to wonder if Sam is a fan of Alan Cross and The Ongoing History of New Music. Probably. Also, Fun Fact: The car was officially a member of The KLF.
KLF is gonna rock ya! Gotta love these guys. They made a whole un-career out of finding the most entertaining ways to yell FUCK YOU at the music business, and man did it deserve it. It did look, for a while, like the internet was going to have a far reaching and positive impact on the industry, but it's got worse than ever, if anything. We could do with some people like the KLF right about now.
I torrented KLF's entire back catalogue because I had no choice, they deleted their entire back catalogue (as you mentioned) Doctorin' The Tardis is never going to be heard again on Biritsh radio, not because baleeted back catalogue, but because they sampled convicted paedophile and person non grata Gary Glitter (though this was before he was found out and Gary still had a career) Had the KLF still been going when he was busted, they probably would have re-released the single, more than likely under the name Joe Malik and the American Medical Association (in fact, I'm surprised they didn't) Also, everything about them was references to the Illuminatus Trilogy from _both_ of their nmes to the sampler at the beginning of Last Train To Transcentral ("OK, everybody lie down on the floor and keep calm")
The klf are fucking legends, and more punk than even Crass for doing what they did. I'm glad you mentioned the justified ancients of mumu as I feel at times they were superior to the klf at some times. Like completely butchering ABBA.
I remember that one of the guys from the band The Locust, has appeared on Jerry Springer. The bands said that it was a fake story, and that they pranked them.
I've never been sure what "deleting their back catalog" means. I mean, I'd heard that before, but... Since being a fan in 1991, I've managed to acquire their back catalog, so...? What exactly did they do? Burn the master tapes?
Shane McGraw What they did was make sure it was no longer in print, so they would be making no money from any future sales after all the records which had been pressed up to that point were sold and their record company could make no further money off of their work.
What the KLF did is the opposite of selling out. Awesome
+tj gi how is any of that awesome?
+Nicolas Young Cause the Brought In, Duh
+tj gi i can see how someone might think it was cool and anti establishment and stuff but honestly even though it seems less cool they should've given it to charity or something
It's awesome because it's anti every establishment we have, from the music industry to money itself. Giving it to charity is the way we are taught these days to think we can make a difference, but charities are lies too and they have become the establishment klf fought against.
tj gi that mostly makes sense and I think most people as individuals can make a difference but I'm pretty sure a MILLION pounds can.
The KLF’s music suddenly appearing on Spotify in early 2021 was one of the things that got me through the last of the lockdowns here in Scotland.
No group of artists so skillfully stuck a middlefinger to the face of the blasted music industry as The KLF.
Im sorry, the fuck was the mask ripping off thing?!?!
Right?!?
+MasterM would also like to know
+MasterM it was the twist ending of the alleged "sex tape" that YACHT released. if you youtube search it you can find it and watch it it's only a 3 minute video
+MasterM Meow believes that that was supposed to invoke "Deros" of "Shaver Mystery" fame.
+zoe99 LEAFY IS THE REPTILIAN LEADER HIEL LEAFY
This is real interesting - I especially like the Extreme Noise Terror part - my old man started that band haha
He teach you to play bass?
For real?
@@jrr832 yeah, he was the original bass player
Small world isn’t it..
Have you thought to ask him what the deal was with the band featured here was?
If not, ask him and let us know, might be interesting.
Thanks
This guy did a really awesome job literally reciting John Higgs book: The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds.
4:02 So are you in the works to getting this exclusive interview on November 5th, or are you just being optimistic?
I only learned about the KLF about... 5 years ago? something like that? Every new thing i learn about them makes me love them more and more.
Has anyone else actually tried burning money? As a test we burned two fivers, and a few months later found a tenner just lying in a bush. Burning money raises all kinds of interesting metaphysical questions, such as where does the value of that money go? It has to go somewhere.
At the time of the brits I worked night security at Marcus Music in london. I say night security it was more like ordering taxi's, equipment, drugs and food for the artists. KLF were block booked in studio two. they'd probably been there a week before the awards. Now my memory is a bit hazy but I was working the night of the awards. I dont think they were on TV live but it must have been aired on the same night. I had a little portable TV on the desk and a video player and I had recorded the show because we knew they were on. Extreme Noise Terror rocked up at door sometime in the small hours (they were staying at the studio that night) absolutely loaded. we watched the tape and I seem to remember the bass player being super pissed that he couldnt hear his bass. Shortly after they disappeared to the bar and that really was that. The Next day though the KLF didnt turn up or the next or the next or ever again. A few days after or whenever the next edition of music week came out they had taken out a full page ad announcing that they had left the music business. I know its not much of a story but i thought i'd share
They allegedly did record some tracks with Extreme Noise Terror for what was going to be the Black Room album.
It was shelved.
the KLF was a transcendentally brilliant entity. They're Justified and they're Ancient...
Amen brother.
Forever known as the Jamms....
I had heard that Doctor Who song before. Way back when I was really into that show, the friend who introduced me to it sent me a link to the video. This whole story is way more interesting than that song, though. Burning a million pounds is an insane thing to do, but man is it hardcore.
It's worth reading The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds by John Higgs. It not only tells the story of the burning of the money but also the whole KLF ethos and offer suggestions on what was going on. An excellent read.
I didn't even know YACHT was still a band, lol.
NGL though, Psychic City is still a bop all these years later.
5:47
...is that actually Gary fucking Glitter??
+CutThroatNin3 well yeah, the song that was used by KLF for "Doctorin' the TARDIS" was Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll (Part Two)"
TheGreggoProject Well I know that lol but I didn't expect them to go the full 9 yards n bring out Gary lol
yeah he recorded a version with them with new lyrics
+CutThroatNin3 It was Christmas top of the pops 1988 a completely different time I can remember watching it.
MultiJeangenie One can only imagine...
What is important in the context of burning a million pounds: They first had the million pounds nailed to a wooden wall and tried to show it in art galleries. But no gallery would show it, claiming insurance/security problems. (Which is strange, because most galleries show even more expensive art).
As a reaction, the KLF (as The K Foundation) instated a price for worst art and handed it to the winner of the Turner prize for best art. On the same evening:)
These guys were, and still are, FOR REAL!
The KLF are the biggest trolls in music history. Fucking love these guys. Chill out is easily in my top 3 albums of all time.
RolodexEnigma Well they are back.
Nope
I was so happy when they put their old stuff on Spotify in 2021. They featured heavily in my 2021 Wrapped.
The KLF were The Time Lords? Never knew that.
Yep, that was one of their aliases.
Also, Austrian band Edelweiss followed the instructions on The Manual to make their single "Bring Me Edelweiss"? Did it go number one? You bet your aaaass it did!
If you watch the Doctorin' the Tardis video "KLF" was written in big letters on their police car (aka Ford Timelord)
@Random Scottish Bloke It was number one for a week in the UK and knocked off the top spot by Kylie or Jason... Or kylie & Jason, Which is kinda funny because the Jams had released a single the year before called 'Kylie said to Jason'
They were releasing music as 'The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu' (The Jams) at that time and didn't release anything as 'The KLF' until after going to number one as 'The Timelords'.
They released music under all 3 names in 1988, some feckin boys.
Scooter also followed the book and became the best selling German band in history. They reference the KLF in a lot of their songs.
yo dude you're making one of the very few great shows in the internets. top 10 for sure. stay strong.
+Jimmy Boxman Thanks!
To destroy money is to destroy the heart of the industry- caring about gaining money. Only by proving in the clearest way possible that they were no longer beholden to money could they feel detached enough from an industry they came to hate.
+thewingedcroc or you know... the could have given it all to people who needed it, like the sick or homeless
+Yourantsally That would only prove that money is important and of value.
Toads McGroads
in the capitalist system? it is. and sorry, there are people who wouldn't live off of a barter or communist system. what about all the people living in saudi arabia, without the money paying for water they'd all dehydrate before they reached a source that could feed them. Think about the ramifications of your ideas before they spout them
+Yourantsally I'm not saying that's what I believe. But I think the whole stunt of burning a million bucks could only have been an attempt to show that money is worthless/unnecessary/something they wanted no part of. Obviously it's wasteful and could have been put to better use.
I mean it's the same as some trust fund kid buying an expensive car and crashing it for fun, it's just a wasteful show of how much they dgaf when they could be doing some good with their effort
I saw the title and immediately recognize that this video is about the KLF.
They truly did it for the art.
And if you haven't read the Illuminatus trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson, you won't ever understand the why.
'Never whistle while you are pissing"
I've watched everyone of your videos, been waiting all afternoon today to watch the new one, and you post a video about my favorite band since the 8th grade.
You complete me.
I love the KLF. One of my all time favourite bands. Their "Chill Out" album is one of the greatest ever and as a whole they were more punk than most punk bands.
My cousin knows the KLF guys. One of them was born/brought up in same town as my cousin so he's like a local legend.
Oddly enough, I was made aware of the KLF through my interest in country music because of their collaboration with Tammy Wynette on "Justified and Ancient."
Is that Simpson's wave I see on your This Exists list? That's awesome! I really hope you do that in an episode! :)
+Keith Stay tuned, my dude.
:D
I looked some of this up. What the hell is this stuff? I'm looking forward to that episode now.
Read Drummonds book called 33, in it he leaves hints + clues as to why they burned the money. I won't spoil it here, but it's great story and a big fuck you to the UK legal system.
+paul nash Now that sounds interesting
+Arnold Layne any idea where to get it? I've been looking a good 7 minutes and no joy yet
+Arnold Layne I think he meant "45"
+paul nash Just tell us why if you know, we're not going to read the book
Sorry, didn't mean it as a tease, it's just such a long convoluted story and I'm nowhere near skilled enough to tell it all properly.
"Before the other gods, there was Mumu, the god of chaos"
This is from the "Illuminatus!" trilogy from the mid/late 70s, by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, and was where the name "Justified Ancients of Mumu" (aka "the JAMS") came from. the Timelords and KLF founders were obsessed with these books. References the the Ancients of Mumu are found in the chants in 3am Eternal and especially Justified And Ancient (which featured the late, great country music songstress Tammy Wynett).
The KLF was insanely popular in the 90s, with videos played in heavy rotation on MTV, with fans taking the group as seriously as Mariah Carey and every other pop performer, with no clue what the inspiration or intent was.
Basically, the KLF was to the music business what Andy Kaufman was to comedy. Either you get the joke, or you take it seriously and become the punch line!
The thing about mumu is all true fore I AM HIM and I AM JUSTIFIED and ANCIENT!!!...
And I AM A traveler of both TIME and SPACE...
Awesome episode! I love "The White Room"! Also KLF released "it's grim up north" under the name "The Jamms" AND, correct me if I'm wrong, they premiered a new KLF single over the speaker system at Glastonbury but said it wouldn't be released as a single until there was world peace. No delusions of grandeur there!
you must be talking about K Cera Cera.
No delusions of grandeur, more like a statement that it would never be released without actually saying it would never be released 😎
Excellent job as always Sam. A lot of ground covered in this vid, but there's a lot more layers to the KLF story, incredible how much stuff they did in 5yrs or so.
Their first project together was the album "1987 (What the Fuck is Going on?)" in that year. I reckon it's one of the first British rap albums ever released, and it's full of Illuminati references and unlicensed samples. One of them ("Dancing Queen" by Abba) earned the duo a lawsuit and took the album from the shelves; so for their next act, they travelled by car/ferry to Sweden accompanied by a NME reporter (and all remaining copies of the record) to have a meeting with the Swedes.
Unsurprisingly, they failed their goal, so they burned the records in some remote farm - whose owner later shot at their car. They got towed back to England by the AAA or something.
Also, the Chill Out album is amazing.
My mum was a rave Queen. The KLF where my lullabys.
Edit: also fuck yacht
YACHT is literally the most boring band I have ever seen live. It's like genetically engineered for out of town cool people who don't really care about music. SO boring!
I wanna go hiiiigher....
I feel like 90% of episodes are about music or bands that I don't really care about, but it's so weird that I still love it.
2021: In true KLF style, all this is now totally irrelevant, since the KLF are now officially streaming their music online and officially posting their videos on TH-cam.
Also, when they withdrew UKP 1,000,000 in cash (!) from a single bank, they nearly caused a bank panic.
Hail Eris! Discordia forever.
Nick Collapsible yes. in every way, yes.
you know, if they didnt want that money they could have just given to me. #PayMyStudentLoansForMeAsPerformanceArt
*retweeted
I think you mean #payforMYstudentloansasperformanceartandnotthestudentloansofayoutubecommenternamedMaggieedna
+Crazzzzzzzziesandus Maybe #PayAllOurStudentLoansForUsAsPerformanceArt
+maggieedna No, it's more like:
#PayoffmystudentloansbecauseIwastedmyparentsmoneybygettingauselessdegree
Only if you're lazy and an under achiever, are fine with a job you most likely won't be able to do when you're older and minimal chance of a decent retirement, or mommy/daddy/friends/family give you a job at their owned workplace.
End result if you're not wanting to put effort in, then yes college is a waste.
Those Yacht people seem to be the worst, did they go on to have any sort of success?
+Binge Watchers thing is, they USED to have success, this sex tape thing only happened like a week ago, so it's to be seen if it does anything beneficial. but so far it doesnt look good for them heh
Good. I hope they don't get what they want
Because you're upset you didn't get a sex tape? All this upset over Yacht seems like a bunch of entitled complaining to me. Like seriously, why does anybody give two craps about this at all?
+Jeremy Morrow , no one cares about the sex tape. its the fact that they staged a crime to push their shitty "indie" pop music
There is no way that anyone is genuinely as offended about this Yacht thing as they're pretending to be.
Bill Drummond has a book coming out soon I think, probably called 23
I read The KLF's music and antics were inspired about Discordianism, a sort of anarchist philosophy/religion based around Eris, the Goddess of Chaos and Discord. You should do an episode on religions like that, and the Church of the SubGenius, Dudism, Woodism, and so forth.
Wow, did not expect that collaboration with Extreme Noise Terror. KLF was fucking brutal.
what? no mention of *Robert Anton Wilson*? the names K.L.F. and Justified Ancients of Mu Mu are from his groundbreaking "*The Illuminatus Trilogy*"
If the KLF - or rather the K Foundation as they were by then had done anything else with that million quid rather than burning it nobody would be talking about it.
I have a lot of respect for them for doing that - it was entirely their money and they got a lot of value from it.
would you ever do an episode on extreme body modification / biomechanics ? Artists like Stelark and Orlan come to mind. Love the show !
I'm so glad I have a physical copy of the Best of the Jams/Timelords.
it blows my mind that people don't know who the KLF are. Still.
The KLF was the first 'band' I ever became a fan of, back when I was 8 or so. I remember saving up my pocket money to buy a cassette of The White Room.
But burning a million pounds is an unequivocal dick move. It's utterly futile to begin with, and there are literally a billion better things they could have done with it, no matter what their political or social beliefs. It's spitting in the face of anyone, ever, anywhere, who has gone hungry for lack of a dollar, who's foregone medical treatment due to poverty, who's ever suffered any deprivation at all.
+Buffoon1980 I think they once commented on how differently the "backlash" would be if instead of burning the money, they spent it all on drugs or something. Think about how many wealthy people spend that much money on drugs, or even useless shit that only serves to flaunt their status or for their own pleasure. What difference does a measly million pounds make when it could just as easily be spent on a car or a house or some kind of stock market pawn for personal gain?
shoegazefan It's an interesting point, and something I have thought about. Drugs, sure, that would be basically just as contemptible, in many ways, although it would be a much more interesting case to argue. At the very least, they would have got something out of that (not necessarily a good something, but it would have been less nihilistically futile). Car, house, stock market, to a greater or lesser extent these are valid choices in our capitalist society and rich people buying them are not a bad thing (unless you have problems with capitalism, which might also be valid).
While buying personal luxuries may not be a moral positive, they're not a negative in the way that burning money is, IMO.
+Ari H that's not how money works, they are taking it out of circulation, but the government will probably just print more to offset it, that's what they already do to dollars that are destroyed every year, essentially a government keeps the value at how much they think is healthy for their economy
+Ari H but it's pointless, it doesn't get recirculated to people instantly, and they could have done some good with it. you're essentially saying "it's fine they threw out all that perfectly edible food in the trash instead of giving it to the homeless, because now they'll have to make more food"
i was lucky enough to go clubbing in the 90's when they were played...and babrie girl lol
My favorite thing about the time lords song is the car in the video actually has the writing credits to the song
This has been my favorite episode. Thank you.
I love ThisExists, and this video is one of the best uploads in awhile. Question: How have you guys NOT done an episode on the Voynich Manuscript?!
One of the most amazing exits from the music industry
Thank you for doing this episode! I've always thought that The KLF would eventually be covered on This Exists.
+shoegazefan haha you fucking memer what.cd represent
+Nekkoru o shit waddup
Bill Drummond is a legend on the British Indie scene. What a guy.
You should do a this exist about speedcore
yeah dude
+The Cybernaughts and terrorcore
+Iván Varaschin extratone.
lolicore lmao
Idk if he did, or it was mentioned in another video.
Hated the KLF music - loved their balls!
I grew up listening to Afx, Squarepusher, Autechre & always admired KLFs ideas, just not the music. You would often hear that RDJ or Autechre did an interview where they sent a mate instead or Afx was at a party and someone said to him "I love that Aphex Twin guy' because no-one knew who he was. Then there is the famous sandpaper on the turntable story... not a patch on KLFs antics though! :-)
idk man you should actually talk about DEATH GRIPS if you want to talk about marketing ploys
There is so much more to The KLF story - it connects to Discordianism, Situationism, Ideaspace, Magic and more. If you want a deeper understanding about The KLF, read the excellent book about them by John Higgs. Drummond's own writings, while often entertaining, rarely offer much in the way of *why* they did the things they did, and that's because much of the time *they themselves didn't know*. They just kinda rolled with it. Higgs's nicely-written and wide-ranging yarn offers a speculative yet believable joining-of-the-dots, tracing out the wiring under the board.
The moment "Doctorin The TARDIS" came up my mind was blown. I love that song and I'd never even thought to investigate it.
You should check out Drummonds book '45' about the things he did during his 45th year including travelling around the M25 25 times.
cutthr0atjake he’s probably the best artist (in the sense of “art”) in the past three decades.
Love the klf, yeah I was in my early teens at the time they released records but stadium house still sounds massive.
I like the KLF for them playing the game while flipping everyone off. They created totally glossy pop songs, took the money and ran ….then set it on fire.
Another group I think was truly subversive in a completely different way that people don't usually think of are the Village People. So super GAY and they licensed "In The Navy" to the US Navy. The "YMCA" is a staple of sport events and family theme restaurants when it's a song about cruising for dick at the Y ….and they had Halloween costumes of the "Leatherman" and "Cowboy" marketed to 6 -12 year olds made by Collegeville that you could buy at K-Mart. It's amazing!
I JUST heard about the KLF like yesterday from a Grimes interview (she's totally awesome by the way). Great video!
I'm old enough to have been into pop at the time and was aware of the KLF, but too young to pick up on their antics and I thought they had burned through a million pounds metaphorically, as in wasted it. I didn't realise they actually burned it. Mind blown.
I remember watching this vid when it came out and having ”doctor whoooooo, doctor who” in my brain for several weeks afterwards
I own on mint all of KLF Vinyl and it is pure artistic genius, I dare anyone to smoke a blunt put a track on vinyl and play it through a decent system and tell me I am wrong.
Here we are in 2021: KLF has now entered the building.
Haha this is great! Bill Drummond is a friend of my family, he's been round for dinner a few times. Tell ya what, he's got a story to tell... well, in 2018...
Hey Sam, I love This Exists and your weird videos on pop culture, but I was wondering if you would ever consider doing a video on overlooked invasive species that are destroying ecosystems. Yeah, everyone knows about the pythons in the everglades and the Asian carp, but I'm talking things no one really notices like European starlings and feral cats in the US and snakehead fish. It's super interesting and divides people because the animals are thought of as wild/integrated rather than just invasive and feral.
Thank you for this!! I NEVER knew KLF were the Timelords.
Astounding! Thanks!
Legend has it that at a live performance in Glasgow they were pelting front row audiance members with tightly rolled up 1000 pound notes (bills) so hard that it actually hurt.
i live in portland, not surprised that this happened here
They are back...
Quick plug: If anyone wants to know more about the KLF and the mindset that lead up to the burning read Chaos Magic Music Money.
I begin to wonder if Sam is a fan of Alan Cross and The Ongoing History of New Music.
Probably.
Also, Fun Fact: The car was officially a member of The KLF.
Holy shit less than a year untill we hear from the klf
You gotta' admire their balls.
No Music Day is my birthday. Well at least I have a new fun fact.
lol omg, i HAD the cassette single for "Doctorin' the tardis". the b-side was "gary in the tardis" lol
Yay, you finally did the KLF! :D
what is the background music when he's speaking?
I remember this. I remember there was a lot of talk about it being fake but It was a big deal at the time
THAT was television freedom. Never to be repeated !
Trying to explain The KLF in under 10 minutes is..... kinda impossible.
Read "The Illuinatus Trilogy" by Robert Anton Wilson. KLF got a lot of ideas from that novel.
1:07 genuinely freaked me out.
KLF is gonna rock ya!
Gotta love these guys. They made a whole un-career out of finding the most entertaining ways to yell FUCK YOU at the music business, and man did it deserve it. It did look, for a while, like the internet was going to have a far reaching and positive impact on the industry, but it's got worse than ever, if anything. We could do with some people like the KLF right about now.
I remember see that Brit Awards performance. I'll be seeing if I can find it on TH-cam.
The KLF were an awesome group, but I never knew that stuff about them. Makes them even more cool.
Thanks for letting us know. :)
If you thought this was weird, you should see what they did last year. They now run a funeral business...
I torrented KLF's entire back catalogue because I had no choice, they deleted their entire back catalogue (as you mentioned)
Doctorin' The Tardis is never going to be heard again on Biritsh radio, not because baleeted back catalogue, but because they sampled convicted paedophile and person non grata Gary Glitter (though this was before he was found out and Gary still had a career)
Had the KLF still been going when he was busted, they probably would have re-released the single, more than likely under the name Joe Malik and the American Medical Association (in fact, I'm surprised they didn't)
Also, everything about them was references to the Illuminatus Trilogy from _both_ of their nmes to the sampler at the beginning of Last Train To Transcentral ("OK, everybody lie down on the floor and keep calm")
"Lie down on the flor and keep calm" is a John Dillinger quote, not an illuminatus one.
@@CravingBeer Because the Illuminatus Trilogy made no mention whatsoever of John Dillinger and that quote never appeared anywhere in the books.
The klf are fucking legends, and more punk than even Crass for doing what they did.
I'm glad you mentioned the justified ancients of mumu as I feel at times they were superior to the klf at some times. Like completely butchering ABBA.
they drove an ice cream van...
I remember that one of the guys from the band The Locust, has appeared on Jerry Springer. The bands said that it was a fake story, and that they pranked them.
It must be so frustrating trying to describe The KLF to stupid people.
There's so many in this comment section.
Best episode ever.
the new lighting is dope
Aging myself here, but i had the cassette single for doctorin the tardis. God I've missed these guys
The KLF also made the first trance record, the original '88 what time is love.
I've never been sure what "deleting their back catalog" means. I mean, I'd heard that before, but... Since being a fan in 1991, I've managed to acquire their back catalog, so...? What exactly did they do? Burn the master tapes?
Shane McGraw What they did was make sure it was no longer in print, so they would be making no money from any future sales after all the records which had been pressed up to that point were sold and their record company could make no further money off of their work.