Saturday, August 23, 2025
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A Melody from a Past Life Keeps Pulling Me Back
Kylie and Jason
Sat, Aug 23, 2025, 7:00 PM
Meet at 7pm, ride at 7:30pm sharp.
End location: 44:43 minutes from the start
The KLF are the Banksys (before Banksy was a thing) of the music world. In 1991 they were the biggest-selling singles act on the planet. They created The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way). They collaborated with the first lady of country Tammy Wynette. They deleted their back catalogue. On one August 23rd, at the height of their success in 1990s Britain, they went to Jura, Scotland, and set fire to a million pounds. The band's 1990 ambient album Chill Out (released by Wax Trax in the US) is one of the most beautiful and etheric pieces of music in existence, recorded in a continuous 44:43 minute live take. Taking the form of a road trip through the USA, soundscapes paint landscapes of rolling trains and fields, sunrises and sunsets, hopes raised, dreams dashed and wishes yet to be fulfilled. A soundtrack for the soul's movie, it's dotted with birds whistling, sheep bleating and a touch of Tuvan throat singing. Flashes of news reports, commercials and preachers also feature. Samples used are from Elvis, Fleetwood Mac, Van Halen and Acker Bilk. We'll ride our bikes beside the train tracks, through industrial areas, by drive-thrus and gas stations and ice cream shops, past street art, under trees and along the river as we listen to this spirited slice of aural heaven. Ride time is 44 minutes 43 seconds. Stay on at our final stop for KLF jams and creativity. More ride and route info to come, but we'll be justified and ancient as we roam the (Port)land all bound for Mu Mu land. We are in contact with King Boy D and Rockman Rock about this ride and route. They are welcome to take over leading it in a manner as they deem fit. Suggestions for the ride: - Dress as a sheep to mimic the Chill Out album's bucolic cover. - Turn your bike into an ice cream van. - Wear a Queen of the South FC shirt or a smiley face or some KLF 2323 World Tour merch. - Decorate your bike with daffodils. - Bring along a copy of How to Be an Artist by William Ernest Drummond. - Bring along a Jimmy Cauty Lord of The Rings poster. - Bake a cake for someone on the ride with a note attached: "I have baked you a cake, here it is." After the ride is done we'll play more of The KLF's jams, and for anyone who wants to: - We'll record you speaking one sentence about the emotions and evocations that emerged within you while listening and riding along to Chill Out. We'll gift this as an audio file to Bill Drummond (along with a red, blue, yellow, black or white knitted square containing one thousand stitches (40 rows of 25 stitches)), and Jimmy Cauty. - Show us an item of your own that embodies 'what art is' to you. We'll photograph these and gift the composite image to Bill Drummond (along with a red, blue, yellow, black or white knitted square containing one thousand stitches (40 rows of 25 stitches)), and Jimmy Cauty. - Bring your own art supplies so we can all create something inspired by Chill Out at the end of the ride. We'll compile these into a book and gift it to Bill Drummond (along with a red, blue, yellow, black or white knitted square containing one thousand stitches (40 rows of 25 stitches)), and Jimmy Cauty. America: What Time Is Love? It's when this ride takes place.
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