NPR

The KLF's Greatest Protégés Didn't Really Know What Was Going On

The KLF — Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty — were, and remain, unparalleled masters of both music and manipulation. The Austrians they inspired, however, are... a different story.
Members of Edelweiss and "entourage" at New York's Unique Studios, 1986 — Top row, from left: Walter Werzowa (Edelweiss), Dennis (recording engineer), singer Mercedes Hall; Bottom row, from left: rappers Cooly C and Raf, Martin Biedermeier; Seated: Matthias Schwerer (Edelweiss)

In January, a cryptic poster plastered on a London wall announced the imminent return of The KLF — also variously known as The Kopyright Liberation Front, The JAMs, The Timelords, The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, The K Foundation, K2, among others — after a 23-year hiatus. That the person who "discovered" the poster happened to manage one of its two members came as little surprise to anyone familiar with The KLF, whose lead instrument is f****** with people, at which both are virtuosic.

Just over a month after the poster appeared, publishing house Faber & Faber announced a forthcoming trilogy of books written by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu – one of the group's many alter-egos, you may remember — to be "presented as a utopian costume drama, set in the near-future, written in the recent past." NPR Music was delighted to receive an advance copy of the first book in the trilogy, , and only slightly less delighted — truly

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR8 min read
A Photo Depicted Dead Children In Gaza
A reader was scrolling through her news feed when she clicked on an NPR headline about an air assault in Gaza and found herself looking at a photo of dead children. She was upset by the picture and immediately felt as if the people she was looking at
NPR3 min read
Michael Cohen Continues Cross-examination In Trump's Criminal Hush Money Trial
Once an ally of the former president, now Cohen is in his third day of testifying against him. He alleges Trump knew about the deal with an adult film star to keep quiet about an alleged affair.
NPR4 min read
'Whale Fall' Centers The Push-and-pull Between Dreams And Responsibilities
Elizabeth O'Connor's spare and bracing debut novel provides a stark reckoning with what it means to be seen from the outside, both as a person and as a people.

Related Books & Audiobooks