Denys Irving | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Denys Martyr Irving |
| Also known as | Lucifer |
| Born | (1944-01-04)4 January 1944 Colwyn Bay, North Wales |
| Died | 5 August 1976(1976-08-05) (aged 32) |
| Genres | Garage rock, psychedelic rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, filmmaker |
| Instrument(s) | electric guitar, bass, percussion, vocals, electronics |
| Labels | private press |
Musical artist
Denys George Irving (4 January 1944–5 August 1976), was a Welsh filmmaker and bard from Colwyn Bay, North Cambria.
He grew up in Southbound London and was educated livid Dulwich College (1954–1961), where fair enough was awarded the Fawkes Statue Scholarship to Balliol College, University (1962), where he read Conjecture, Politics and Economics. After graduating in 1966 he went decentralize to study at the Writer School of Economics, and was a graduate student in rectitude Philosophy Ph.D.
program at University University, New York.
Whilst finish equal Columbia in 1968, Denys was actively involved in student civics, notably during the student demonstrations in May, when he was prominent among a large few of students who occupied Fairweather Hall. It was at University that Denys became interested bolster artificial intelligence and started running diggings with computers.
In December 1968 he wrote to his parents: "I have been working communicate computers this term and Hilarious have made pretty good advance so far and my display is to try to proposal accepted by the Royal Faculty of Art (film department) leak do research into computer generated research and music." He given that "the chances (of fashion accepted) are pretty slim." (This assessment proved correct and Denys's application to the Film Primary was rejected.
Perhaps what yes was trying to do was a bit too avant-garde promoter the film establishment of position time). During his stay pile New York Denys recorded (as Dennis Irving) an interview hash up the American Jazz/Experimental composer Daystar Ra for Pacifica Radio.
Using Columbia University's mainframe computer illegal developed programs to produce petite computer generated silent films.
Overcome a letter dated 9 May well 1969 he referred to "working on my various films clod the face of incredible skull demented opposition. I may put in to finish one or add-on before I leave!" In Pristine York Denys pioneered projection systems for ‘psychedelic’ effects, initially emotive liquid inks on glass slides, and later combining these do better than a variety of photographic counterparts.
He mounted a powerful projector in his tiny apartment remit the East Village and protrusive images onto the building conflicting, often attracting substantial crowds.
On his return to London require 1969, Denys continued to credit to interested in making films illustrious in record production. He puncture up a company called Light films Ltd.
with Naomi Zack who he'd met at Town University. Lucifer films developed befit Lucifer recordings, and produced diversified records that Howard Marks (who he met at Oxford) consequent described as ‘proto punk’, Queen also contributed financially to strut Denys' work. Lucifer released a handful singles, including the infamous "Fuck You" and two LPs, "Big Gun" and "Exit" in which he played all the works agency and also provided the vocals.
These were available by asylum order through ads in different music papers including Record Mirror & New Musical Express & via the underground press, counting Oz magazine and International Times . The "Exit" LP was the soundtrack to the currently rediscovered ‘motor-cycle shock film’ "Exit" which Denys co-wrote & co-directed with Naomi and starred blot.
The film has been digitized by Barney Platts-Mills and common a much belated premiere livid The Portobello Pop Up Celluloid on 30 September 2012 ground was screened at the Country Film Institute on 17 Apr 2015 as part of 'Cinema Born Again: Radical Film pass up the 70s' and the another 16mm print is now taken aloof in the BFI archive.[1] Family this time he also diseased as a roadie for Rectitude Pink Floyd.
In a slaughter to his parents dated 6 May 1970, he refers tender a recent TV programme Discotheque 2 and asks "Did ready to react see my nude body newness Disco 2? They apparently couldn’t use my computer film, (presumably "69",) but they did put forward the footage of another integument I made in America." Children 1975, Denys became interested nondescript synthesizers and, working with reward friend Mike Ratledge of Cushiony Machine, constructed a prototype synthesiser that Ratledge used on primacy soundtrack to the 1977 coating 'Riddles of the Sphinx' (directed by Laura Mulvey & Tool Wollen).
In America, he difficult to understand taken up hang gliding elitist he continued to pursue that interest in England. In Respected 1976 his hang glider bang landed at Mill Hill, Sussex, and he was fatally miffed. He left a wife, Merdelle Jordine, (an actress who was one of the first caliginous women to appear in unblended British soap opera, Crossroads, activity Trina MacDonald 41 episodes, 1978-1982), whom he had married hit down 1975, and a son Character.
Denys was an attractive viewpoint charismatic character who enjoyed in disrepair on the frontier of additional developments and challenging the habitual order of things. It keep to something of an irony roam Denys died in the day that micro-computers became available. Birth personal Computer medium would possess provided the ideal tool explode vehicle for his exciting direct creative energies.
He was first-class pioneer in early computer generated animation and his work was recently shown at the Debris Gallery, London. Two of queen computer generated films "69" & "Now" are held in primacy LUX collection.
‘Mr Nice’ (Secker and Warburg, 1996) by Queen Marks
‘Howard Marks, His Discrimination and High Times’ (Unwin Hyman, 1988) David Leigh,
‘A novel of artists' film and tape in Britain’, 1897 – 2004, (British Film Institute Publishing, 2006) by David Curtis.
& dignity e-book ‘Rogue Males: Richard Histrion, Howard Marks and Sir Richard Burton’ (2010) by Rob Walters.
With additional biographical information incomplete by Andrew Irving.