Ted Milton
Encyclopedia
Ted Milton is an English poet and musician, best known for leading the Blurt
, an experimental jazz-rock group.
Milton grew up in Africa
, Canada
and Great Britain
. He published some early poems in magazines like Paris Review
. In 1969 his poetry was published in the anthology Children of Albion: Poetry of the Underground in Britain
.
In the mid-sixties he began performing as a puppeteer
, participating in numerous international festivals and appearing on So It Goes
, the TV show hosted by Tony Wilson
. He contributed a short scene for Terry Gilliam
's film Jabberwocky
.
In Eric Clapton
's autobiography he describes hanging out with Ted at Milton's girlfriend Clarissa's apartment often in the summer of 1965. "Ted was the most extraordinary man. A poet and a visionary...he was the first person I ever saw physically interpreting music...to enact it with his entire being, dancing and employing facial expressions to interpret what he was hearing. Watching him, I understood for the first time how you could really live music, how you could listen to it and completely make it come alive, so that it was part of your life. It was a real awakening."
In the late seventies he began to play alto-saxophone
and founded the group Blurt
.
The first single "My Mother Was A friend Of An Enemy Of The People" was soon followed by the live album In Berlin (1981). Since then Blurt released more than twenty records, splitting up in 1992, after which Milton recorded as a solo artist.
While living in Brussels
in the mid-nineties, Milton started making book-objects with found materials
. These were shown on several exhibitions and have been taken up in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris
as well as in the British Library
.
Ted Milton also makes art-objects and installations, having had shows in "Nadine" in Brussels and bookstore "Tropisme" in Brussels,
In 2000 he published the CD Sublime with Andreas Gerth (loopspool).
In 2001 Ted Milton staged a hommage to the Russian author of the absurd Daniil Kharms
: "In Kharm's Way", a mixture of music, puppeteering and spoken word, with the electronic musician Sam Britton.
In 2007 he collaborates again with Sam Britton in the "ODES"-project; an overview of 25 years solo work outside of Blurt.
Milton now lives in Deptford
, in the southeast of London
.
Blurt
Blurt is a British musical group founded by the poet, saxophonist and puppeteer Ted Milton in 1979 in Stroud, Gloucestershire; with Milton's brother Jake Milton, formerly of psychedelic group Quintessence, on drums and Peter Creese on guitar...
, an experimental jazz-rock group.
Milton grew up in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. He published some early poems in magazines like Paris Review
Paris Review
The Paris Review is a literary quarterly founded in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen and George Plimpton. Plimpton edited the Review from its founding until his death in 2003. In its first five years, The Paris Review published works by Jack Kerouac, Philip Larkin, V. S...
. In 1969 his poetry was published in the anthology Children of Albion: Poetry of the Underground in Britain
Children of Albion: Poetry of the Underground in Britain
Children of Albion: Poetry of the Underground in Britain, an anthology of poetry, was edited by Michael Horovitz and published by Penguin Books in 1969...
.
In the mid-sixties he began performing as a puppeteer
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
, participating in numerous international festivals and appearing on So It Goes
So It Goes (TV series)
So It Goes was a British TV music show presented by Tony Wilson on Granada Television between 1976 and 1977. It is most famous for showcasing the then burgeoning Punk rock movement...
, the TV show hosted by Tony Wilson
Tony Wilson
Anthony Howard Wilson, commonly known as Tony Wilson , was an English record label owner, radio presenter, TV show host, nightclub manager, impresario and journalist for Granada Television and the BBC....
. He contributed a short scene for Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
's film Jabberwocky
Jabberwocky (film)
Jabberwocky is a 1977 British fantasy black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars Michael Palin as a young cooper who is forced through clumsy, often slapstick misfortunes to hunt a terrible dragon after the death of his father...
.
In Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's autobiography he describes hanging out with Ted at Milton's girlfriend Clarissa's apartment often in the summer of 1965. "Ted was the most extraordinary man. A poet and a visionary...he was the first person I ever saw physically interpreting music...to enact it with his entire being, dancing and employing facial expressions to interpret what he was hearing. Watching him, I understood for the first time how you could really live music, how you could listen to it and completely make it come alive, so that it was part of your life. It was a real awakening."
In the late seventies he began to play alto-saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and founded the group Blurt
Blurt
Blurt is a British musical group founded by the poet, saxophonist and puppeteer Ted Milton in 1979 in Stroud, Gloucestershire; with Milton's brother Jake Milton, formerly of psychedelic group Quintessence, on drums and Peter Creese on guitar...
.
The first single "My Mother Was A friend Of An Enemy Of The People" was soon followed by the live album In Berlin (1981). Since then Blurt released more than twenty records, splitting up in 1992, after which Milton recorded as a solo artist.
While living in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in the mid-nineties, Milton started making book-objects with found materials
Found object
A found object, in an artistic sense, indicates the use of an object which has not been designed for an artistic purpose, but which exists for another purpose already. Found objects may exist either as utilitarian, manufactured items, or things which occur in nature...
. These were shown on several exhibitions and have been taken up in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
as well as in the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
.
Ted Milton also makes art-objects and installations, having had shows in "Nadine" in Brussels and bookstore "Tropisme" in Brussels,
In 2000 he published the CD Sublime with Andreas Gerth (loopspool).
In 2001 Ted Milton staged a hommage to the Russian author of the absurd Daniil Kharms
Daniil Kharms
Daniil Kharms was an early Soviet-era surrealist and absurdist poet, writer and dramatist. One of his pseudonyms, which was signed in Latin alphabet, was Daniel Charms.- Life :...
: "In Kharm's Way", a mixture of music, puppeteering and spoken word, with the electronic musician Sam Britton.
In 2007 he collaborates again with Sam Britton in the "ODES"-project; an overview of 25 years solo work outside of Blurt.
Milton now lives in Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
, in the southeast of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Albums
- Love is Like a Violence (1993), Embryo
- Magic Moments (1994), Bahia - ted Milton & the Blurt Big Band
- Nogales (1995), T.M. - Ted Milton & The Back to Normal Orchestra
- Sublime (2000), Charhizma - Ted Milton & Loopspool
Singles
- "Confessions of an aeroplane farter / I don( want to go poo-poo!" (1979), Echt! - Ted Milton and Mr.Pugh's puppet theatre
- "Ode: O to be Seen Through Your Eyes" (1985), Toeblock
- "Postcard" (1994), T.M. - Ted Milton & Bobonus Beats
- "The Inflatable Hedge" (1994), T.M. - Ted Milton & Goz of Kermeur
- "O Pity Us" (1999), House Musik - Ted Milton, Andreas Gerth, and Paddy Steer