Psychic TV - "Godstar"

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge died about a month ago.  You probably never heard of Genesis, and I'm not going to be able to summarize their career in any meaningful way (I must confess, I understand -- truly understand -- only a small portion of it myself).  But among the many things that Genesis did was be the focal point for both Throbbing Gristle, arguably the first industrial band, and later Psychic TV, arguably the first acid house band.   For more about Genesis and their impact on modern music, read the articles by BBC, NPR, Pitchfork, The New Yorker (!), and Rolling Stone.  You might not have heard of bands like Throbbing Gristle, but they were influential on bands that you have heard of, like NiN.  His influence also extended into mysticism projects like Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth, which included members of other bands in Genesis's orbit, such as Coil (one of Herbert's favorite bands).

I first heard of Psychic TV via Terry when we lived on Chesapeake Ave in the mid 90s.  He got a VHS tape, probably "8 Transmissions 8", and we watched it on his giant projector.  Clearly it made quite an impression on me, especially the video for "Godstar", an homage to Brian Jones.  "Godstar" is probably some of Genesis's most accessible music; I'm almost embarrassed to use this song to memorialize Genesis, but it's simply a great song.

I thought about marking Genesis's death during Women's History Month, or postponing it until Pride Month (June).  But I'm honestly not sure if either are completely appropriate.  On the surface, you could say Genesis was trans, but the "Pandrogeny Project", where he and his wife Lady Jaye underwent body modifications to become the same person, some how seems different.

In summary, although I know only the tiniest portion of their canon (Throbbing Gristle has 87 LPs and Psychic TV has 90), I know enough to know that Genesis might be the most influential modern musical artist you've never heard of.

Psychic TV - "Godstar"