Billy Childish

Billy Childish was born, lives and works in the English city of Chatham , Kent. From his words about his father, John Humper, it is known as a “sociopathic narcissist,” and also that during his teenage years, Bill’s father was imprisoned for drug smuggling. ^[2]

At the age of 9, he was sexually abused by a family friend ^[3]

At 16, he graduated from high school. Had an undiagnosed dyslexia . Having been refused at a local art college, he went to work as a mason's apprentice at Chatham shipyard . The next 6 months were the only long period when he had any regular job. During this time, he painted about 600 paintings in the "tea huts of hell." Thanks to these works, he was eventually admitted to St. Martin's School in London, where he studied painting with his friend Peter Doig . However, this training was short-lived, and he was expelled in 1982.

After that, he lived for about 15 years on unemployment benefits .

In the early 1990s, he practiced yoga and meditation. ^[four]

He recorded records in the genres of punk rock, blues, folk, experimental genres, spoken ward. In a letter to Childish, musician Ivor Cutler once said: “You are perhaps too sharp and sophisticated for the mass market.” Among Childish’s music projects are: TV21, later known as Pop Rivets (1977-1980), where he played with Bruce Brand, Romas Furd, Russell Wilkins and Russell Lax. He later founded Thee Milkshakes (1980-1984) with Mickey Hampshire, Thee Mighty Caesars (1985-1989), The Del Monas, and later Thee Headcoats (1989-1999). In 2000 he assembled the group Wild Billy Childish & The Friends of the Buff Medways Fanciers Association (2000-2006), named after the chicken breed of his hometown. The Buffs, as they were called for brevity, broke up in 2006, and a new project was born - Wild Billy Childish & the Musicians of the British Empire . In early 2007, Billy put together the Vermin Poets project with former Fire Dept vocalist and guitarist Neil Palmer and A-Lines guitarist and vocalist Julie Hamper, his wife.

Since the early 1990s, Thee Headcoats performed monthly in the Wild West Hall of St. John's Tavern in northern London, and in 1996 moved to the Dirty Water Club .

Childish was repeatedly mentioned one way or another by more popular colleagues in the workshop, such as Kurt Cobain, Graham Coxon, The White Stripes (Jack White spoke on Top of the Pops with his name written on his hand) and even Kylie Miunoug , who called her the long-playing album Impossible Princess in honor of Billy Childish’s book Poems to Break the Harts of Impossible Princesses (sic).

On September 11, 2009, the Damaged Goods Records label (under which Childish was recording at the time) released a message saying that Childish's wife, Julie (also known as nurse Dujley, Basitska MBE) is pregnant. The reason for posting the message was that "as a result, the MBEs go on vacation, and the Buff Medways continue to perform with the original bassist Johnny Barkre and drummer Wolf Howard."

As a confessional poet, Childish wrote over 40 poems. In 1979, Childish became a founding member of The Medway Poets, a poetry group that recited poetry at the Kent Literature Festival and at the Cambridge International Poetry Festival 1981 year. Creative relationships within the group developed complex. A documentary was shot about the activities of the group.

Twice Chaldish was nominated for a national poetry award.

He is the founder of the Stakism movement, which advocates a return to figurative painting. In 1999, he wrote the so-called "Stackism Manifesto." In 2000, as part of this project, he founded his own artistic movement - remodernism and published the essay “Remodernism”. ^[five]

Despite the lack of a number of necessary formal qualifications of the artist, he tried to enter art schools on the basis of the submitted works. The first attempt was made by him in 1977 at the Medway College of Design (now en: University for the Creative Arts ), but in the end he got to the art department of St. Martin's School in 1978, where he studied for only a month. In 1980, he was again admitted to St. Martin's School, and in 1982 he was kicked out for refusing to paint in the walls of the school and other violations of the rules.

At the art school, he became friends with Peter Doig and shared his passion for the work of Edward Munch , Van Gogh and the blues. Peter later helped Billy organize a show in London at the Cubit Street Gallery.

Despite the fact that in the early period of his work he was familiar with many artists, later known as “ Young British Artists, ” he resolutely asserted his independent status and distanced himself from them.

In the 1980s, he influenced the artist Emin Tracy , while a student at Medway College of Design. His influence is also noted on her later work.

Childish's exhibition activity grew, and in 2000 his work was presented at the fifth British Art Show among 50 artists.

In 2010, a personal exhibition of Childish's painting, poetry and music was held at the Institute of Modern Art in London, along with the display of some of his paintings at the en: White Columns Gallery in New York.

In October 2012, Ben Moore presented Childish's works at the Lower Art exhibition at Regent's Park Underground Station, as part of the Frieze Art Fair .

To date, the work of Childish are presented in galleries in Berlin, New York ^[6] , London ^{[7] [8]} .

In his youth, Childish was influenced by Dadaism and, in particular, Kurt Schwitters . He tattooed a poem by Kurt Schwitters on his left buttock and in 1980, along with director Eugean Doyan ^{[ specify ]} made the short film “The Man with Wheels” about the poet’s life. ^[five]

Guest lecturer at Rochester Independent College. ^[9]

In addition to the actual creative activity, Billy Childish created the publishing labels Hangman Books , Hangman Films, and Hangman Records .

In 2002, along with Wolf Howard By Simon Williams ^{[ clarify ]} and Julie Hamper formed the Chatham Super 8 Cinema group. Filming was conducted on a used Wolf camera purchased at a local flea market. In 2004, the band published a 30-minute documentary called Brass Monkey , about a march undertaken in the uniform of World War I to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Mons on August 23-24, 1914 as a reconstruction of the retreat of parts of the British army.

In 2008, he created the “non-organization” The British Art Resistance and held an exhibition entitled “Hero of The British Art Resistance” at the Aquarium L-13 Gallery in London. A large collection of paintings, books, reports, pamphlets, poems, copies of the film, letters, film, photographs taken in 2008 was presented. ^[ten]

He is a consistent advocate of amateurism and free emotional expression. ^[five]

• In July 2014, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Kent. ^[eleven]

• Official site