Peter Christopherson

Peter Martin Christopherson (also known as Sleazy, 27 February 1955 – 25 November 2010) was an English musician, video director, commercial artist, designer and photographer, and former member of British design agency Hipgnosis.

He also co-founded the Industrial Records band Throbbing Gristle (TG).

After the disbandment of Throbbing Gristle, he participated in the formation of Psychic TV along with Genesis P-Orridge and Geoff Rushton—Rushton later changed his name to John Balance.

After his short time in Psychic TV, Christopherson formed Coil with Balance, which lasted for just under 23 years, until Balance died of a fall in the Weston-super-Mare home he shared with Christopherson.

Christopherson was born on 27 February 1955 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England.

His father, Derman Christopherson, was a professor of engineering who became master of Magdalene College, Cambridge.

Following school, Christopherson studied computer programming, theatre design, and video at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, where he developed an interest in performance art and the work of avant-garde photographers such as Robert Mapplethorpe and Arthur Tress.

Christopherson was a founding member of Throbbing Gristle, who are credited with creating the industrial music genre before disbanding in 1981.

Following the split, members Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti formed Chris & Cosey, while Christopherson and the band's other member Genesis P-Orridge formed Psychic TV with John Balance and other musicians.

Balance met Christopherson as a Throbbing Gristle fan and the two became intimate partners.

Christopherson worked on the first two Psychic TV albums, Force the Hand of Chance and Dreams Less Sweet, joined by Balance on the latter.

The two performed live several times with Psychic TV prior to forming their own project Coil.

Coil consisted of Christopherson and Balance, while Steven E. Thrower occasionally played bass guitar and drums.

Balance was the lyricist and also played Chapman Stick and some keyboards.

Over two decades, Coil released myriad recordings, in addition to contributing to the work of other artists.

They recorded parts of the album The New Backwards at Nothing Studios in New Orleans, owned by musician Trent Reznor at the time.

Christopherson participated in the reunification of Throbbing Gristle and, after his relocation to Thailand in 2005, composed an album for his solo endeavour The Threshold HouseBoys Choir.

In 2005, following the death of Balance, Christopherson relocated from England to Bangkok, Thailand and founded the solo project The Threshold HouseBoys Choir.

He also released the final Coil CDs—The Remote Viewer, Black Antlers, ...And The Ambulance Died in His Arms and The New Backwards —on the band's own Threshold House label.

In addition to the CD releases, Christopherson also released a 16-DVD box set following his relocation, entitled Colour Sound Oblivion, that was produced in a wooden box, in which a fifteen-page booklet, the program for Balance's funeral ceremony and a large collection of 6-inch × 4-inch postcards (mainly tour photographs) were also included.

Throbbing Gristle also reformed for a few concerts in 2005 and announced a new album called Part Two.

The group announced several additional concerts in 2007 for the promotion of the album.

In 2007 Christopherson released the debut album of The Threshold HouseBoys Choir.

The album, Form Grows Rampant, consists of five "parts" or songs, and includes a DVD of the album set to video footage of Thai rituals in Krabi, Thailand.

One tour promoter who organized a Threshold HouseBoys Choir concert described it as "easily the most shocking thing I have ever experienced".

In the liner notes of the 2008 CD release, Christopherson wrote: "Thanks to everyone there, especially Trent Reznor who made it all possible."

Despite Christopherson's long and extensive history as a musical artist, he only released two tracks under the name "Peter Christopherson".

The first, "In My Head A Crystal Sphere of Heavy Fluid", appeared on the compilation Foxtrot, a benefit album for Balance's rehabilitation from alcohol dependence, while the second, "All Possible Numbers", appeared eleven years later on Autumn Blood (Constructions) released on Fourth Dimension Records.

In 2008 Christopherson and Ivan Pavlov (aka CoH) started a new project called Soisong.

The band officially premiered in Tokyo on 9 March 2008 and later performed several shows in Europe, having self-released their debut EP.

As part of the tour, Soisong performed a live soundtrack to Derek Jarman's film Blue in Rovereto, Italy.

In April of the same year, Christopherson and Pavlov, alongside David Tibet, Othon Mataragas and Ernesto Tomasini, also performed a live soundtrack for The Angelic Conversation in Turin, Italy.

In 2009 Soisong recorded their first full-length album xAj3z, the release of which was followed by a European Reunion Tour and a worldwide campaign in search of the band's missing virtual vocalists featured on the record.

Christopherson died in his sleep on 25 November 2010.

In 2010 Soisong declared a "Split Phase 2010", during which all of the members would concentrate on their personal work; however, two independently recorded solo EPs, both entitled Soisong, were scheduled for release.

The release consists of a CoH Soisong EP by Pavlov, originally recorded in 2010, and a collection of four unpublished sketches by Christopherson that were made available on the band's website.

In 2010 Christopherson started collaborating with Hirsute Pursuit, featuring Harley Phoenix and Bryin Dall, via email.

They finished two songs together, "One Sleazy Night in Bangkok" and "One Sleazy Night in New Orleans", for the album Tighten That Muscle Ring.

The album was signed to Cold Spring Records, but Christopherson died prior to its release.

Christopherson never finalized his work for the release, but Soisong Split was eventually published in September 2012, nearly two years after Christopherson's death.