Nighttown and Cabal

[tinhuviel]

For me, in my mind, Shriekback and Clive Barker have always been inextricably linked. The reason for this is that I began actively listening to Shriekback at the same time I was exploring the various worlds of Clive Barker. The Shrieks provided the soundtrack for many of Clive's books, including The Hellbound Heart, Weaveworld, The Damnation Game, and Cabal. Then, there was of great importance, the reading of Imajica whilst listening to Big Night Music. It was during this time that my fear of Barry Andrews was kindled, and it's probably due to my reading material at the I was first exploring Barry's musical world. When you explore two worlds at the same time, they tend to weave together in your psyche. Even now, when I read Clive, I have to listen to Shriekback. It's an unwritten law in my own dark world.

At this time, in 1990, I was also piecing together the stories that would eventually become The Chalice. I was working on the creation of a villain, which turned out to be not too very hard, as he was instantaneously born out of a vision propagated by Shriek music. So there was the influence of Clive Barker and Barry Andrews stamped like a brand upon the brow of the entity later known as Cadmus Pariah. One of the Shriekback albums that deeply influenced the creation of Cadmus was Go Bang! despite it's seemingly upbeat and pop-pie sound. The lyrics to many of the Go Bang! tracks belied their happy musical accompaniment. This is the album I was listening to at the time I read Cabal. It turned out to be a perfect match, especially when it came to the song "Nighttown." It was like Barry was singing from the viewpoint of the Midianites.

Here are the lyrics.



NIGHTTOWN written by Barry Andrews

Take a look at this - drink it in - it is such a wicked sight
By the river; in the city; in the country of the night.
So exotic; so mysterious. Look out where you go.
Stand under the yellow moon, stand under the yellow moon
Of NIGHTTOWN... NIGHTTOWN

Someone said to me that all of history is just a cry in the street
All the apparitions up at the window, well - who can sleep in this heat?
This is the crucible and everything is burning - turning golden brown.
All framed in the nightmare light, all framed in the nightmare light
Of NIGHTTOWN... NIGHTTOWN

Our own and Golden City.
Our own and Golden City.
Our own and Golden City.
The air is full of cries:
Our own and Golden City.
Our own and Golden City.
Our own and Golden City.
The night is bright with eyes
in NIGHTTOWN... NIGHTTOWN

Meet the military making merry where the magic people go.
They are looking at us looking at them and we know they know we know.
It's a nuclear sort of feeling and it's close to melting down.
All washed in the blood and rain. All washed in the blood and rain.
Of NIGHTTOWN... NIGHTTOWN

Our own and Golden City.
Our own and Golden City.
Our own and Golden City.
The air is full of cries:
Our own and Golden City.
Our own and Golden City.
Our own and Golden City.
The night is bright with eyes
In NIGHTTOWN

Our own and Golden City.
Our own and Golden City.
Our own and Golden City.
The air is full of cries:
Our own and Golden City.
Our own and Golden City.
Our own and Golden City.
The night is bright with eyes
In NIGHTTOWN

NIGHTTOWN...
NIGHTTOWN...
NIGHTTOWN...
NIGHTTOWN...
NIGHTTOWN...





Years later, when I met and formed an alignment with fellow Shriekback fans to create the Shriekback Digital Conspiracy, we were keen on having a name for ourselves. So I thought about it and discussed it at length with Derk. During one of our chats, thoughts of Clive returned to me, and I suggested to Derk that we could be called The Cabal Iguana. The word cabal perfectly described us and what we were doing, and adding the name of a reptile aligned us with the Shrieks in a very personal way. So, again, Shriekback and Clive Barker were connected, not just in my mind this time, but in a public capacity.

A few years later, I encountered fellow writers booraven22 and morriganwind. As we discussed our various writing projects and shared our experiences in writing, we formed a very close bond. Cadmus Pariah became a living entity during this time, and he forged me a place amongst my more talented comrades. booraven22 solidified our writerly union by giving us a name - The Writers' Cabal. Again, I found myself part of a groups whose name brought to mind Clive Barker's work and, therefore, the living presence of Shriekback. It all just confirmed my belief that everything is connected and everything cycles around in its time.

Time now to go work on the The Harming Tree.