In Lithuania, every phone call is peppered with gerai (pronounced gerr-ray) meaning great, cool, OK. 2003 is the tenth anniversary of a public art commission in Hamilton that was the subject of a Radio Scotland debate. It basically turned a car park from deep deep grey to green, and caused a stir. It removed the grey from a kind of grey area and “was heavily criticised by as number of citizens”.

The grey project began in 1989 after seeing Gerhard Richter’s monochromes and vier: of a grey planet includes a big nod to the KLF’s it’s grim up north, the work of radiotopia and the sound collages produced by Kurt Cobain as used in cantaudio3; remixes for the mind rather than the body. The 1979/Raven section was inspired by a conversation with Pavel Büchler at the Baldessari opening at The Cornerhouse Gallery in Manchester about buying records from the year exactly prior to the year you bought your first vinyl, ie when music wasn’t a product but something in the ether. host town began on a cold dull grey January in Newcastle in 2003 and is remixed during a cold grey Liverpool in October/November of the same year.

GRAYVEN is cantaudio4, the ongoing series of audio works that are purposefully ecelctic, and desparately ridden with the pressure of getting everything down like those early public enemy LPs.

things should be black & white, but never grey, Rover advert, circa 1999

entering fact centre, liverpool - greyworld

i’ve spoken to gary, andy twaddle, bbc scotland

i’ll try you on your mobile, bill drummond’s international grey

everyone lives in fear: act of fear

fears of guns, birthday party

cheers, bye now, bill drummond’s international grey

fear is a man’s best friend, john cale

think the money, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

alan it’s bill drummond here, bill drummond’s international grey

when they cleaned it up, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

they’re just coming back from the duplicater now, andy twaddle, bbc scotland

the money could probably have been better spent elsewhere, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

cheers mate, bye, bye, andy twaddle, bbc scotland

think the money could have been put to better use, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

scanner, fact centre

is a man’s best friend - john cale

even when i’m old and grey - frank sinatra

even when i’m old and grey - julio englasias & frank sinatra

grey day - madness

when they cleaned it up - Radio Scotland Speaking Out, 1993

fade to grey - intro - visage

warning, warning nuclear attack - specials (man at c&a)

for example, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

old age pensioners, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

and yet they’re spending £50,000 on that? no! bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

and now alongside motorways, it’s municipal or public _____ and it’s paid for by _____ but do we ______ and do we have a say _______? Today, citizen art critics are speaking out / out speaking are critics art citizen today, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

intro, roll call, pete murphy

i come from kaunas and my language is lithuanian

gerai

my guest today is the German painter Gerhard Richter, a master of exquisite obscurity; his subjects include ordinary objects such as chairs and candles, and houses, and portraits of the famous

on a long and winding grey paved street, roll call, pete murphy

old grey cat

cold and grey, cranberries

cold and grey, eilert pilarm

cold and grey, nevrez caliskan

cold and grey, nick cave

cold and grey, ryan pelton

cold and grey, dr kingsize

if you’re worried about the merits of public art, or the cost, call me, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

it looks like, tom muir, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

i wasn’t even informed, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

it looks like, tom muir, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

i certainly wasn’t consulted, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

you’ll be my, blockbusters: long haired lover from liverpool

and the latest offering is in hamilton, where the walls of the town centre car park have been, well, garishly painted and heavily criticised by a number of citizens, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

the grey race, bad religion

a most strange looking place, tom muir, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

in these present days of financial pressure, unemployment and deep cuts in public expenditure, what on earth can justify diverting thousands of pounds from hard pressed welfare and housing needs into paintings, murals, relief sculptures and all sorts of big art? bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

and let’s hear from tom muir, a local resident, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

it looks like, eh, army camouflage to me actually, i really find it beyond description, tom muir, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

when you come round the corner in a car you suddenly see this thing that looks probably an army barracks which has been camouflaged to keep the enemy from knowing that it’s there, i really find it beyond description, tom muir, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

the grey land is falling, killing joke: we have joy

it’s like a procession towards a battle or something, it looks like the procession to the battle of the boyne, i really find it beyond description, tom muir, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

what does it mean? what is it? bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

bottles and cans, tom muir, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

fade to grey

what does it mean? what is it? bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

rohbau: grau in grau

their house was getting painted, tom muir, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

now i think that’s an indictment of 199 society, tom muir, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

i’m a barbie girl, in a barbie world, yasmin & levi notman, carlisle, 1997

i really don’t think it does anything to help the people in the area of hamilton at all, tom muir, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

grey, teenage jesus & the jerks: burning rubber

well there’s been suggestions the money could’ve been better spent on something to help the people of hamilton but are you against money being spent on public art? bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

medeaconnection: grey in the grey morning

grey sky to blue, abc: look of love

all i see is grey, husker du: standing in the rain

i think, i don’t think, you must encourage people to have art in a public place, tom muir, bbc radio scotland, speaking out, 1993

this song is called the black and the grey, the demics: the black and the grey

guitar, julio jaramillo: nube gris

nothing, nothing but grey

yoohoo otto, haven’t seen you for years, come and pimp for me like old times, oh, why did carla hire a moron like that? may as well have hired him for a bolshoi ballet, ah give it up george, it’s over, it’s not a fighting war, not like in our day, it’s grey, beryl reid as conny, smiley’s people

grey lagoon, roxy music

headache grey, rem: daysleeper

they’re painting your life with a permanent grey, the beat: all out to get you

cold grey ashes, charlie cake park, the mekons:

she sees nothing but grey, legendary pink dots: belladonna

the grey land, killing joke: we have joy

cold grey light, elton john

silent and grey, morrissey: everyday is like sunday

and even when i’m old and grey, frank sinatra:

isn’t it really cosy in here? cranberries

staring out on the grey street

a thousand shades of grey

cold and grey, cranberries

shades of grey

providence, sonic youth (gerhard richter sleeve)

I’m the man in grey, specials: man at c&a

zyban is here

he wants to stay out, he don't want to go h(ome), specials: stereotype

(gh)ost town, specials: ghost town

he wants to go out, but he has to stay h(ome), specials: stereotype

(gh)ost town, specials: ghost town

this town, is coming like a, specials: stereotype

(g)host town, specials: ghost town

all the clubs are, specials: ghost town

just a stereotype, specials: stereotype (repeat)

bottles and cans, angie stone (free hmv cd, don't pay for dance)

liscard techno tales, apple mac (see belfast 1998)

what does it feel like, felix da housecat (free hmv cd, don't pay for dance)

is this the in place to be? specials, nite klub

ad-is-dad (work in progress)

ERP-LIV-OOL (web download)

grey is the colour of hope, irene ratushinskaya

ban zyban is here

we are available to..., bbc radio scotland, 1993

i just wanted to check, andy twaddle, bbc scotland

the dark rainy, specials: stereotype

music played, specials: ghost town

on the dance floor, specials: ghost town

the dark rainy, specials: stereotype

dancefloor, specials: ghost town

doesn't really exist, specials: stereotype

the doctor said, specials: stereotype

all the clubs, specials: ghost town

won't play no more, specials: ghost town

the doctor said, specials: stereotype

bands, specials: ghost town

won't, specials: ghost town

really exist, specials, stereotype

repeat chorus

stereotype (40%)

who's the grey man? here

(Apocalypse Now released)

i’ll never look into your eyes again, the doors: the end

basically, basically, s-cally, essential logic: wake up

i don’t know where to start, magazine: back to nature

the people are dying, bob marley: one drop

ooohhh-aaah, blondie: heart of glass

to get a breath of fresh air, boys next door: death by drowning

i accuse you, members: offshore banking business

although nothing seems right, gary numan: cars

giant steps are what you take, the police: walking on the moon

la la la la la la la, dickies: banana splits

touch me baby, I go half wild, cramps: the way I walk

ain’t he cute? no he ain’t , specials: too much too young

I don’t believe in a word they said, japan: suburban berlin

will tear us apart, joy division: love will tear us apart

you need hands to brush away the tears, sex pistols/malcolm mclaren: you need hands

instrumental, bauhaus: bela lugosi’s dead

rock, rock, rock, rock, the ramones: rock’n’roll high school

and guess who’s dying, roxy music: dance away

way of talking about what I couldn’t say to all the boys at work, scritti politti: confidence

slide down the banister, take the escalator, siouxsie & the banshees: staircase mystery

she doesn’t mind the language it’s the beatings she can’t take, squeeze: cool for cats

no dark sarcasm, pink floyd, the wall

from my window I’m staring as my coffee goes cold, nick lowe: is she really going out with him?

look behind me eyes, you don’t wanna know what they have seen, frank zappa: token of my extreme

I never know which version I’m going to be, I seem to have so many choices open to me, wire: 40 versions

good timing, beach boys: good times

my head really hurts, if I don’t find a way out of here, black flag: nervous breakdown

all the time, bad brains: pay to cum

with anxiety, the ruts: babylon’s burning

this is just another song, swell maps: another song

with just our minds, bad brains: pay to cum

I don’t have the time to pray, only ones: from here to eternity

everyone has their price, the pop group: we are all prostitutes

are you, au pairs: you

we should have, should’ve got it right, we should have, should’ve got it right tonight, echo & the bunnymen: pictures on my wall

the evil I see sends bad vibrations through me, adam & the antz: tabletalk

so I listen to the radio, smoke a cigarette, slits: ping pong affair

oh, oh, buggles: video killed the radio star

why don’t you dance with me? B52’s: dance this mess around

a place where nothing ever happens, talking heads: heaven

keep on, michael jackson: don’t stop ‘til you get enough

so tonight i’m gonna party like it’s, prince: 1999

1979, smashing pumpkins: 1979

sad things known to man, but ain’t too much sadder than, beat: tears of a clown

what she did was hard to believe, klark kent: too cool to kalypso

I tried to laugh about it, cover it all up with lies, I tried to laugh about it, hiding the tears in my eyes, but, the cure: boys don’t cry

she’s out of my life, michael jackson: she’s out of my life

life’s an illusion, love is the dream, life’s the illusion, love is a dream, life’s the illusion, love is a dream, buzzcocks: everybody’s happy nowadays

‘cos they ain’t got government licence, the clash: capital radio

I said now is the time to, james chance & contortions: contort yourself

ah, you’re a good lad, fall: music scene

I didn’t want to see the film tonight, madness: my girl

I bought an A-Z guide book, jam: strange town

I’m tired of the soup de jour, devo: smart patrol/mr. dna

music to march to, killing joke: war dance

stars, art attacks: punk rock stars

no one saw the ambulance, undertones: jimmy jimmy

can’t quite take it in, dexy’s midnight runners: I’m just looking

she picked me up and sat me on her knee, raincoats: lola

ain’t you, kleenex: ain’t you

john peel, skids: tv stars

yeah, xtc: making plans for n igel

instrumental, yellow magic orchestra: computer game

broken english, marianne faithful: broken english

and I could not share, adam & the antz: deutscher girls

I guess the bruises won’t show if she wears long sleeves, but the space in her eyes, shows through, david bowie, repetition

the cassette played, public image: poptones

ooooohh, the damned: smash it up

alternating, throbbing gristle: hamburger lady

electricity, omd: electricity

she doesn’t think so, gang of four: I found that essence rare

can you hear those people behind me? delta 5: mind your own business

with anxiety, ruts: babylon’s burning

oh lord, oh lord, selecter: too much pressure

drum sounds, flying lizards: money

don’t you wind me up, ‘cos i might get excited, jane aire & the belvideres: wind up

I tried to get to you, joy division: insight (end of unknown pleasures)