ART SEX MUSIC
by Cosey Fanni Tutti
The female half of the alternative music group Chris and Cosey reveals the “harsh and definitely not rose-tinted view of my past.”
Drawing on her library of diaries, musician and performance artist Tutti’s autobiography is an apt reflection of her daring, lifelong restlessness and creative ambition. Born in 1951 in Kingston upon Hull, known during post–World War II Europe as the “most violent city in England,” Tutti was raised in a strict household, and her mother’s singing voice and father’s penchant for electronics “fed and formed my notions of music and sound.” As her mischievous nature emerged, so did the 1960s counterculture in music, art, TV, and other areas. The author went on to co-found the COUM Transmissions art collective and broadened their productions to incorporate prop and dance elements that expanded into controversial commissioned installations on sex and prostitution, including an esteemed exhibition for the British Council. Tutti’s experiences in the stripping and pornography industries inspire pages of brazen, provocative anecdotes that fans will devour. All of these experiments in expression led the author to a passionate coupling with fellow artist Chris Carter and the development of the bands Throbbing Gristle in the 1970s and then Chris and Cosey in the artistic bacchanal of the 1980s. All of these historic events are lavishly and painstakingly detailed, much like the intriguingly written diaries they are culled from. Tutti clearly takes great delight in sharing the roller-coaster emotions experienced within each era and how particular watershed moments shaped her as an artist and an independent woman. Most impressive is the author’s reflection on the decisions that defined her and her personal and professional relationship with Carter that, to this day, has managed to survive culture shifts, age, health scares, and the evolutions of both the music industry and their fan base. Without a hint of regret, Tutti bares all in the name of art and personal integrity.
A bravura rock memoir vibrating with fierce and fearless memories—a must-have item for Chris and Cosey and Throbbing Gristle fans.