The indomitable, incorrigible and completely insane Aphex Twin -- who has just released his latest single "Windowlicker" with its controversial video -- can never be branded boring.
There's only one Aphex Twin and his name is Richard James. His brother (also called Richard James) died at birth, or soon after, so Aphex Twin put a picture of his brother's tombstone on one record, just to confuse people. You see Richard James is basically Richard James II, a kind of replacement after the first Richard died. I wonder how this screws with his mind.
The Twin's resume is a compelling read: At the 1997 typhoon-hit Fuji Rock festival Aphex Twin played his entire electronic set from inside a tiny children's playhouse while two guys in 3-meter-high fluorescent bear costumes wrestled sumo-style on the wet stage; he used to drive round in an army-style armored car; not satisfied with vinyl, he has played discs of sandpaper during his DJ sets; when he played Ebisu Garden Hall three months back he didn't come on until dawn and hid in the wings, refusing to show himself and thus pissing off his Japanese fans (his beard's more interesting than his music, no?); he has claimed he composes while sleeping, in "lucid dreams"; he calls his tracks things like "goon gumpos" and "analogue bubblebath"; and when he does write lyrics they're about things like the milk in the milkman's wife's breasts.