In June 2017, Bob Fischer wrote a feature for Fortean Times magazine entitled “The Haunted Generation.” Concentrating primarily on the television of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, Fischer’s piece exploded the fringe hauntology theory into the mainstream (or at least a far less fringe version of it), perfectly explaining just why a seemingly disparate collection of original sources had resonated with those of a certain age.
As well as looking at some more contemporary filmmakers influenced by the classic texts, Fischer also shined a light on the small scene of musicians making music that either sounded like it should have soundtracked such fare or invoked similar pattern recognitions (as feature in our latest issue), and can be found compering live performances by some of the scene’s standouts, as well as compiling his own Haunted Generation Radio Shows for discerning Mixcloud listeners.
Now, though, Fischer’s gone a step further and embarked on adding to the already considerable weight of new material intended to conjure the spirit of that fuzziest of epochs by co-founding Mulgrave Audio, a multi-media exercise in creating something new but old, something original yet familiar.
Joined by fellow northeasterners Andrew Orton (who also provides Mulgrave’s retro design aesthetic) and Andrew T Smith, Fischer himself has scripted the label’s first release, the hour-long Simon Perkins’ Lurgy, the story of a 15-year-old with a mysterious ailment trapped at his gran’s house where his only company is what passed for daytime TV in 1974.
Starring local teenager Ethan Warren as Simon, the drama also features former continuity announcer (and BBC Radiophonic Workshop alumnus) Roger Limb. A two-hander that feels both claustrophobic and expansive, the piece has a Play for Today feel to it, dipping into the fantastic but still feeling very grounded in its period setting.
“As a child in the 1970s, I was obsessed with the telly and often fantasised about the presenters speaking to me personally through the crackly speakers of our rented TV set,” explains Fischer. “The play is an attempt to take that feeling to its illogical extremes! And although Simon is very much a fictional character, it was tremendous fun incorporating lots of my own memories of the era. I hope we’ve created a play that evokes the feel of the mid-1970s. Skiving off school and pushing cold fish fingers around your dinner plate, while watching strange Open University modules on BBC2…”
With a score by Ben Hopkinson, channel idents and theme music by Bristol duo The Twelve Hour Foundation, and additional music from Limb himself, Simon Perkins’ Lurgy is also firmly rooted in the music scene that Fischer has become such a champion of. A logical progression, then, and one worth keeping an eye on.
Simon Perkins’ Lurgy is released on April 25th 2023 and is available to pre-order now from mulgraveaudio.co.uk.
