The Daily Swarm

Natty Brooker, who was responsible for much of Spacemen3 and Spiritualized aesthetic, having introduced members Pete Kember and Jason Pierce to blues and gospel, played drums on the first Spacemen3 album and to many was the heart and soul of the outfit. He also appeared on the demos called Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To.

It was also Natty who provided the design for the first Spiritualized album and the last Spacemen3 album, which will be on display as a retrospective of his life’s artwork, in Los Angeles on October 10th. Curated by friend and former band-mate Will Caruthers, the show is a collection of a life of work for Brooker. The show is first in a series of shows in art capitals around the world, including New York, London and Berlin.

From Spacemen 3 & The Birth of Spirtualized:

“For me Spacemen 3 began with Natty, even though the band existed before,” Bassman recalled. “Natty was just the guru. He was like Salvador Dali. I mean Natty was kind of what Ringo Starr was to The Beatles. Can you imagine The Beatles without Ringo Starr? Natty is and always will be a true artist. He was very much a true spirit, and a person who can only create.” Natty’s tastes in literature and music erred toward the obscure which made him instantly akin to those collectors around him. His affection for Delta blues, soul and screwball antics of Captain Beefheart gave him an almost curatorial status among his friends. Much of his musical knowledge he passed on to Bassman, Sonic and Jason. ”[Natty] used to tape this radio show that played a lot of roots and blues music,” added Jason. ”[He] introduced me to John Lee Hooker, jazz and very early, pre-Stax, Staple Singers.”

This is sad news. But gladly Natty will have a chance to receive some long overdue praise for those that only got a glimpse of his talent.

Gallery info:

Substrate Contemporary Fine Art Gallery
709 North Ridgewood Place
Los Angeles, California 90038