#cosmo sheldrake
when i was reading the book entangled life which is about fungi and the author merlin sheldrake said that once he got his first author copies he was going to dampen the pages and use them to grow oyster mushrooms and yeast and then use the yeast to brew beer and then drink the beer with the mushrooms to complete the cycle of fungal knowledge. i was like really and truly this guy gets it
His brother Cosmo Sheldrake (their parents must be very fun people) made a song about this kinda! Not the beer part.
From the YT Description: “Timelapse video of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus) sprouting from my brother Merlin Sheldrake’s book: Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, & Shape Our Futures, with accompanying song by me.
All sounds apart from voice and double bass are recordings of the fungus devouring the book. Recordings of the fungus were made by sound ecologist Michael Prime using electrodes which detect the bioelectric activity of the fungus and control a tunable oscillator. The fluctuations in pitch and rhythm are real-time sonic representations of the activity of the fungus as it digests the book.”
i don’t typically add to posts but “their parents must be fun people” is the funniest possible thing to read if you are aware of their father, rupert sheldrake. the dude is the pioneer of morphogenetic field theory, an absurdly pseudoscientific theory with proposed ties to biology, chemistry, and even behavioral psychology. in a similar spirit to carl jung’s collective unconscious, sheldrake proposes that the structure of molecules, the larger-scale organization of cells, and the instincts that animal populations carry are all the result of a morphogenetic field, an informational field that links plants together, links animals within the same species together, et cetera… and the ‘grooves’ that are etched into this field through repetition cause similar structures to be repeated over and over— again, body shape, crystallization, animal instincts. he proposes that it explains why dogs know when their owners are about to return, why some molecules take on certain forms over another, and even why certain laws of physics exist the way they are in the first place.
needless to say, like, it’s interesting to read. i read one of his books for fun. the concepts are brought up in pop culture sometimes— in the zero escape series, with many liberties, and most recently i saw it referenced in outlast as well, with both using it as a mechanism for ‘psychic’ powers.
that all being said, it is absolutely not taken seriously within the wider science community, and there are alternative explanations for many of the problems he claims to solve (did you know that cells know how to organize themselves due to chemical gradients? neat). but you can totally see where merlin and cosmo get some of their respective interests in animal and plant behavior. i read an interview once where cosmo specifically cited his father’s work on morphogenetic field theory as a huge contributor to his interest in nature and, subsequently, his music.
but…. they certainly are An Odd Family.
@hexabeast mostly @ ing you because this is cool as shit and the song reminds me of you jhghjk
HUH
I’ve been a fan of Cosmo Sheldrake’s music for ages, and I had no idea he came from a line of nature-themed weirdos. Nice. Here’s some of my favorite songs from him.
Music you’ve probably or probably never heard before and I would recommend
Tally Hall: Band that basically made whatever they wanted until they stopped making music. really, they made hard rock, rap, and whimsical stuff all in one album. very Beatlesque.
Jellyfish: 90′s band i don’t know much about, but theyre similar to Tally Hall
Jack Stauber: The guy that made that Peppermint song and Buttercup(oh, I’ll do it sometime). he’s got a youtube channel with short little songs paired with claymation, vhs-type animation, irl video, all in one and more
I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME: They’re an indie band with a new-wave type feel. got dire lyrics and catchy, fun tunes.
Tori Amos: Alternative and punk artist that started in the 90′s and is still going. she’s got a lot of slowish songs and some upbeat ones; I recommend “Raspberry Swirl.”
Bryan Scary (and the Shredding Tears): the man usually makes music ALL BY HIMSELF, and occasionally adds other people. he’s got the piano playing of Elton John and the voice of Billy Joel. sounds like 70′s pop.
Cosmo Sheldrake: like the more whimsical brother of Hosier.
Beach Bunny: girl who writes tumblr aesthetic songs; gives you nostalgia from when you were never alive.
Studio Killers: masters of party music. You’ve probably heard heard them before, just didn’t know who they were.
Lemon Demon: Heard one of his songs. So groovy, I melted. same guy that made potter puppet pals. genius.
MIKA: reincarnation of Freddie Mercury.
Mother Mother: Haven’t heard much of them. “Oh Ana” is good for you if you’re interested in cool chords and anorexia(i think that’s what it’s about).
*Exception* The Beatles: Yeah I know you’ve heard them before, but just don’t let their music die. (Edit: disregard this one, I was absolutely obsessed with them when I posted this listen to the Who instead)
Arlie: Beatlesish nostalgia feel.
Jade Bird: Awesome woman on guitar who writes 90′s-type hits and throws you back to the 70′s.
Listen to them all, even if it’s just one song. Any additions?
