RIP Peter Christopherson of Throbbing Gristle

Before we get on with our familiar Thanksgiving celebrations, let’s all pay thanks for a man who helped push the parameters of electronic music. Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson who helped define the sound of Throbbing Gristle with mostly his manipulation of tapes has died. According to TG’s website, he passed away in his sleep last night at the age of 55.

Starting out in the world of music in the mid-70s as something of an art-project, Throbbing Gristle would later come to define industrial music.  Christopherson would also play key roles in bands like Psychic TV and Coil. He was also a designer in Hipgnosis, famous for some of the most interesting album covers in rock history (see Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, Genesis, etc.).

Sleazy worked on another level of the creative arts and set the stage for so many other more popular artists through his work as a pioneering member of TG. We should all be happy he left his mark or else the music would have never had bands ranging from Stereolab to Nine Inch Nails.

I leave you with something that should reveal the confounding presence of Gristle during the English post-punk movement of the late 70s:

(Copyright 2010 by Hans Morgenstern. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)