Don't Make Me Jock Pleasure

Don’t make me Jock Pleasure Jesse Rae is an extraordinary man. Since the late 70s he has donned the attire of the Highland warrior, and worked as a singer-songwriter and musician, and perhaps most importantly a film-maker. His work has largely been concerned with identity, his own constructed Highlander contrasting with his long time collaborators P-Funk and their explorations and definition of black American identity. Jesse Rae was born and raised in Lowland Scotland, son of a schoolmaster. He studied art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in the 70s developing his interest in lens-based work, exploring the expression of identity. A series of photographs of naked old people engaged in various activities offers an insight into the thought process and pre dates by 30 years the work of a number of contemporary artists. Jesse maintained an interest in music and on leaving art school became the singer for progressive rock group Camel for a European tour. He then accepted another singing role fronting a heavy metal band working in the United States. Jesse by now encased in his trademark image, collided with arch-funk caravan Funkadelic on one of their many forays from the mothership. Meeting Bernie Worrell (joint composer of many of the funk master works) in a lift was mutual recognition at first sight, and it must have been some sight. Highland warrior meets space traveling Woo warrior - as Funkadelic sported some of the most extreme fashion known to man - in a lift. The meeting spawned a highly creative period for Jesse working and writing with members of P-Funk. Together with Jimmy Douglass he penned ‘Inside Out’ for Odyssey - a Studio 54 disco classic. Albeit a disco classic with some considerable bite, describing from a woman’s perspective her feelings regarding her husband’s infidelity, a masochistic revelling in pain. Jesse’s own material saw the light of day in the early 80’s with a major hit ‘Over the Sea’. It is perhaps the accompanying video that really offers the creative leap in Jesse’s work (as well as providing the model for the ‘Highlander’ movies). Scorsese described the video as the best fusion of music and image, this coming from a director who cites Michael Powell (recognised as the master of sound and vision) as his principle influence. Further music and video pieces continued the themes of Jesse’s work, bringing together the Highlander and black US culture in locations across the globe. The Thistle brought Jesse together with Roger Troutman and P-Funk for an elaborate video work in the Highlands of Scotland. Jesse’s ambition with his visuals have included locations as diverse as the top of Brooklyn Bridge, Inverness to Skye railway and viaduct, the gates of Edinburgh castle and his own borders farm. The images are startling precursors to Mathew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle, featuring Highland garb, heavy machinery, formation dancing and complex fusions of language associated with identity. All of these works were self-directed, produced and financed. Jesse then moved to Scotland to raise his family in the unique environment of a Scottish village. Jesse’s music career shifted to more local concerns establishing a local radio station – Brick FM - for St Boswells. Jesse brought his fusion of cultures right back home, working closely with his own community. He introduced and maintained an international perspective to a rural community; Brick FM covered the Scottish Rugby tour of New Zealand live and exclusively, swelling listeners to record levels. Brick FM regularly featured both locals and international stars as well as being vehicles for Jesse’s continued experiments in multicultural fusions. Jesse pioneered the use of ISDN using the internet to record across three continents – a fusion of a South African Community Choir, US Funk musicians and Jesse’s own vocals broadcast to 2 million people across Africa. Grizedale Arts have commissioned Jesse to produce the Community Radio station for the Coniston Water Festival he will also be producing the ‘Funky Ceilidh’ on the 18th September with a host of his collaborators. Jesse Rae is currently working on a new film centered on Coniston Water.

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