T
There are numerous incredible accounts surrounding Jaz Coleman. One instance involved his disappearance and subsequent nomadic lifestyle in Western Sahara. He has also stated that he witnessed a UFO, specifically seven orange orbs, with one having the image of a stick figure, in central London. Another incident involved him reacting to a negative review by dumping rotting liver and maggots at the reception desk of Melody Maker’s offices. However, during our video call from Argentina, he appears to be contemplative and full of emotion.
“I am still in a state of utter shock,” the 64-year-old says while wearing dark sunglasses in the bright South American sun. “It has been an extremely challenging time for everyone involved with Killing Joke.” He is referring to the passing of Kevin Walker, who was better known as Geordie. The widely respected guitarist and co-founder of the band passed away in Prague in November at the age of 64 from a stroke.
During the performance, Walker played a semi-acoustic Gibson ES-295, a guitar famously used by Elvis Presley’s guitarist Scotty Moore. He played the instrument in a lower tone, with thicker strings and a delay effect, adding a beautiful intensity to the band’s post-punk-industrial-dance style. Lead singer Coleman even compared his playing to “fire in heaven”. Walker’s captivating guitar skills resulted in multiple albums reaching the UK Top 20 and a successful hit single in 1985 with “Love Like Blood”. Their fans range from a younger generation in the industrial scene to well-known musicians like Metallica and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. In his first interview since Walker’s passing, Coleman describes him as a national treasure.
I’m unable to rephrase this as it is an instruction to view an image in fullscreen mode.
However, he discloses that worries about Walker’s well-being had been growing for a while. “One year ago, a physician attending to him warned me, ‘When it happens, it will happen very quickly. So prepare yourself.'” I did not take it seriously at the time, as I believed Geordie was invincible.
Coleman is beginning a tour where he will speak and answer questions, but he realizes that it will be overshadowed by the death of his fellow band member. However, there is one query he is not prepared to respond to: “I’m kindly requesting that people refrain from asking about the fate of Killing Joke, as I am still grieving.”
Walker has been Coleman’s steady partner throughout all performances and recordings since 1978. Coleman and drummer Big Paul Ferguson initially attempted to finalize the group by using a black magic ritual to summon bandmates, but the location of the ritual caught fire and burned down. As a result, they instead found Walker and bassist Martin Glover (also known as Youth, who became a prolific music producer) by placing an advertisement in the music magazine Melody Maker. Coleman recalls, with a slight grin, that Walker contacted them and claimed to be the greatest guitarist ever, despite having only played in his mother’s bedroom prior to joining the band.
The Cheltenham-born, classically trained Anglo-Asian singer and synth player, and the County Durham-born guitarist who was a Siouxsie and the Banshees fan, rarely agreed on music. But both were well-read and bonded over politics, philosophy and spirituality. “I’d had a considerable occult library since I was seven,” Coleman explains. “Geordie was a master Kabbalist” – a believer in esoteric Jewish mysticism. “We shared an interest in all that side of things.”
Walker joined Coleman on a famous expedition when Coleman visited Iceland in 1982. He claimed to be escaping the end of the world, but his reasons for being there have changed over time, from studying ley lines to starting a marijuana business. According to Coleman, there is some truth to each of these explanations, but ultimately he went to Iceland to discover a missing piece of himself.
Enlarge the image to full screen mode.
During a performance in Reading, the band had a shared encounter where they felt as though they were playing in a magnetic field causing everything to decelerate. Intrigued by this geomagnetic force, they traveled to Iceland to conduct ritual experiments near powerful volcanic areas. Some unusual occurrences took place, including one person being struck by lightning twice and surviving, and what seemed like a levitation achievement.
Coleman miraculously found the missing piece in Iceland and chose to pursue a composing career alongside his existing one (reportedly selling more classical albums than Killing Joke albums). In recent times, Coleman and Walker have spent less time together as Coleman has stopped drinking.
“Killing Joke has often resembled a dysfunctional family,” he clarifies. “Although we share a deep love, there are moments where we harm each other. I have engaged in three intense fights with Geordie. During our last altercation, we inflicted enough damage to require stitches. Afterwards, Geordie questioned if our drinking habits were excessive.”
In January 2006, shortly after, Coleman declared that he would no longer participate. He claims, “My system has a 100% success rate.” He also states, “The promise I made was that if you break the commitment, you face death.”
Unfortunately, Coleman continues to possess the now-empty tequila container that was once consumed by Walker during his last performance with Killing Joke at Royal Albert Hall in May. The vase has since been filled with flowers. “Walker was unable to control his excessive drinking habits, consuming two bottles each day. He would often begin drinking two hours before a show and I would discreetly switch out the alcohol for water while he was using the restroom.” Coleman expresses with a sigh, “This was a routine that we had maintained for two decades. I hold a grudge against alcohol due to its role in my friend’s untimely death.”
Skip over the advertisement for the newsletter.
after newsletter promotion
After the passing of Walker, Coleman was forced to leave Prague where they had both resided. He also owns a farm in New Zealand and has been drawn to the lively and chaotic atmosphere in Argentina. However, he is troubled by the high poverty rate of nearly 60% of the population and fears that the UK is following the same path. He blames the string of past governments, including the current prime minister, whose extreme wealth is in stark contrast to the struggles of the people. Similarly, in the US, 80% of citizens are only two paycheques away from being homeless.
Coleman has been known for his predictions of global turmoil and destruction since his early days in 1979 with the release of “Turn to Red” and the 1980 hit “Wardance.” However, his outlook for the future has only become more bleak. He believes that the world is on the verge of economic collapse unlike anything we have seen before, resulting in famine, conflict, and an even greater divide between the privileged few and the marginalized many. He also frequently discusses the tensions between countries, drawing on his experiences living near the Ukraine border and collaborating with musical groups in Russia, which he believes will inevitably lead to war.
Individuals in Russia consistently expressed their concerns to me about the feeling of being surrounded as a country, according to him. However, another factor that motivated my departure from Europe was the constant push towards conflicts and a general lack of diplomacy. Like many others, there are times when I am unable to handle watching the news. It is disheartening to see the prioritization of weapons of mass destruction over important investments in our healthcare systems. The Doomsday Clock is currently at 90 seconds to midnight, yet many seem unfazed by this alarming development.
Display the image in a full-sized view.
There is concern that we may unintentionally trigger a nuclear conflict due to the reliance on artificial intelligence to control defense systems. If one AI system misinterprets another, it could result in catastrophic decisions. Although not the first musician to express concerns about AI, there is a warning that this is just the beginning and could lead to transhumanism, where some individuals will have the ability to download an IQ above 600 and access life extension programs, while others will not. This could result in a visible distinction between two types of humans in the future. While this may seem like something out of a science fiction movie, the artist points out that his 1982 song “Empire Song” actually predicted the Falklands War, released just two weeks before the invasion by Argentina. He also believes that his songs contain prophesies and warnings for humanity.
In 2022, the EP Lord of Chaos featured the last recordings of Walker’s time with the band. This came during what had been a challenging couple of years, during which Coleman had a “near-death experience” while in a diabetic coma in Mexico in 2021. Life in Killing Joke is always full of excitement, but Coleman remembers having a final conversation with the guitarist who had expressed his desire to not continue with the original lineup. Despite Coleman’s attempts to reason with him, Walker ultimately passed away.
Walker was the second Killing Joke musician to die prematurely. Paul Raven, who replaced Youth for several years before all four founder members reunited in 2008, died aged 46 in 2007. “But I believe in reincarnation and the ancestral spirit,” says Coleman, “which is to say that Raven and Geordie are together. There are times that I can hear them, so when it comes to the future of the group, their will will be taken into consideration.”
Source: theguardian.com
