Erica Wagner
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Seizure:  the playlist...

Seizure is threaded through with narratives taken from traditional ballads, many of which were collected by Francis James Child (1825-1896) and so have become known as The Child Ballads. Of course, it’s perfectly possible to read the book without having, as I do, a soundtrack in your head; but the soundtrack, I promise you, came first. These songs are stories of love and death, of the intersection between the earthly world and the world of the spirit. They are songs that cross the borders.
 
There are many, many versions of most of these songs available. These are a few I like. If you’d like to see the scope of what’s around, check out this website, which – out of the goodness of its heart – lists who’s recorded what, and when.
 
“The House Carpenter” is sometimes called “The Demon Lover”; Martin Simpson records it as the former on Kind Letters, 2005 (Topic Records, TSCD553); I like The Iron Horse’s version of “The Demon Lover”, Demons & Lovers, 1997 (Festival Records, CDLDL 1265).
 
Many stories and songs tell of people who transform themselves into seals and back again. There’s “The Silkie / The Song Of The Mermaid” on Smithfield Fair's Jacobites by Name, 2002 (Centaur Records, 5025351); "A Fisherman's Song" from Ossian's Seal Song, 1981 (Iona Records, IR002). I have a special fondness for Maddy Prior’s version, “Great Silkie of Sules Skerry” from her Ravenchild, 1999 (Park Records, PRKCD49 [N/A online]).
 
The story of a boy who meets the Devil in the road is called the “False Knight on the Road”; here’s one version by Steeleye Span on Please to See the King, 1971 (Shanachie, 79075). As for a girl who meets – well, let’s say a very charming man indeed as she travels on her way, that song is called “Reynardine”, and is one of the oldest (as far as anyone knows) and one of my favourites. Sheila Chandra sings it as “The Enchantment” on her album Moonsung, 1999 (Real World, 47184); a more trad version is June Tabor’s “Reynardine”, Airs & Graces, 1991 (Shanachie, 79055) and An Tua’s, on Six of One, Five of the Other, 2004 (Hanz Araki,  78277068926).
 
Seizure closes with a version of "Tam Lin", one of the best-known and most-sung of the great ballads. Once again, Steeleye Span sings it on Spanning the Years, 1995 (EMI [USA], 1136359); Nick Hennessey sings a remarkable version on his album Of Fire, Wind and Silver Stream, which is available through his website. Happy listening.

 

Seizure's Janet suffers from epilepsy -- as I did when I was a kid. I wrote an article about it for British Vogue, and you can find it here.

 

 

Here's an interview I did with Tom Chambers, whose terrific image, "Prom Dress #3" is the cover of the British and American editions of my book. You can read his biography on his own website.

 

Erica: How would you describe the work you do? "Photography" doesn't seem quite sufficient.

Tom: I don't really see myself as being a photographer in the traditional sense - photo illustrator might be a better term if the images were created as commercial illustrations. In the fine art world my images fit best in the photography category as galleries are becoming more open to accepting digitally manipulated images. Currently a large percentage of photographers use the computer to adjust their images in one way or another.

E: What drew you, initially, to the manipulation of images? What medium did you begin working in?

T: I have a graphic design background and work as an art director for a kitchen appliance manufacturer. The equipment, computers and printers are available for me to use, and 12 years ago I remember thinking it would be crazy not to take advantage of experimenting with them. In art school I took a number of commercial photography courses so I knew something about taking photos. I started with combining pieces of vacation images on my computer at work and it took off from there.

E: You grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, famous as the home of the Amish; after high school, you say on your website, you joined the Navy and spent a year on a patrol boat base in Vietnam which "profoundly affected [your] outlook on life". Would you be willing to elaborate?

T: It's not that I was traumatized in Vietnam, but I was very sheltered growing up in the conservative area of Lancaster. I left high school and found myself in Vietnam. What's the famous line... "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." To say the least, it was an eye-opening experience and in a short time I saw the world in a different light. I now see it not so much as black and white, good and evil but as grey... so many different sides, opinions and cultures combining together, softening the contrast.

E: You have a degree in graphic design: to what extent to you think artistic skills can be taught?

T: I remember seeing kids in their first year of art school seemingly without a lick of talent. It was amazing to see how they developed in a matter of 4 years. Where does that come from? Practice, desire and the will to remain open to outside influences .

E: What inspires you?

T: Mexican religious art is a major inspiration and influence. I can't say Im inspired by one medium of art in particular but a wide range from fine art to music, books and movies. Whatever it takes to make me step back and look at reality from a different angle.

E: Invidious to ask you to name favourite photographers or artists... but are there any which spring to mind right now?

T: My most influential photographers are Latin American... Graciela Iturbide, Flor Garduno, and Luis González Palma. A writer that comes to mind immediately is Cormac McCarthy. His book All The Pretty Horses put me in a different place. Other writers include Philip Roth, Wallace Stegner, and Russell Banks. I love a wide range of music including music by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Tom Waits along with the "more contemporary" PJ Harvey, Wilco, and Arcade Fire.