Book

Art Sex Music

by Cosey Fanni Tutti

📖 Overview

Art Sex Music is Cosey Fanni Tutti's autobiography chronicling her work as a performance artist, musician, and provocateur from the 1960s to present day. She recounts her involvement in the COUM Transmissions art collective and industrial music pioneers Throbbing Gristle, as well as her solo career spanning decades. The narrative follows her journey from working-class Hull to becoming a key figure in the British avant-garde art scene and experimental music movement. Her experiences in sex work, which she incorporated into her art practice, are presented alongside her musical innovations and gallery exhibitions. The book documents the author's creative process and collaborative relationships, including those with Genesis P-Orridge, Chris Carter, and other artists in her orbit. Her reflections on motherhood, creative independence, and maintaining artistic integrity run throughout the text. This autobiography examines the intersection of art, sexuality, and sound while challenging conventions about gender roles and creative expression in the late 20th century. The work stands as both historical document and meditation on the costs and rewards of radical artistic practice.

👀 Reviews

Readers appreciate Tutti's detailed account of the 1970s experimental art and music scenes, with many noting her straightforward writing style about difficult subjects. The book receives praise for documenting the realities of being a woman in avant-garde circles and the music industry. Multiple reviews highlight Tutti's honest discussion of her experiences in COUM Transmissions and Throbbing Gristle. Common criticisms include the book's length and pacing in certain sections. Some readers found the early chapters about Tutti's childhood less engaging than later material. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (500+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (150+ ratings) Sample reader comments: "Unflinching account of an artist's life" - Goodreads "The industrial music history alone makes it worth reading" - Amazon "Sometimes gets bogged down in minutiae" - Goodreads "Important documentation of experimental art movements" - Amazon

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🤔 Interesting facts

🎵 Cosey Fanni Tutti originally changed her name from Christine Newby after being inspired by the opera "Così fan tutte" by Mozart, though she adapted the spelling to make it more provocative 🎨 The memoir details her groundbreaking work in COUM Transmissions, where she challenged artistic boundaries by using her own body as both medium and message, leading to controversy and police raids ⚡ During her time in Throbbing Gristle, widely considered pioneers of industrial music, she helped create their distinctive sound using unconventional instruments including modified electronics and medical equipment 🎬 She worked as an adult magazine model and film performer in the 1970s, later incorporating this material into art exhibitions - including the infamous "Prostitution" show at London's ICA in 1976 📝 The book reveals her difficult relationship with Genesis P-Orridge, both personally and professionally, offering a counter-narrative to previous accounts of their artistic collaboration and romantic partnership