Jordi Valls

Musician and Artist: Vagina Dentata Organ

Jordi Valls

Jordi is a Catalan performer, visual and audio artist.

He arranged live actions for Whitehouse and Throbbing Gristle before releasing his own records as Vagina Dentata Organ in the early eighties. He continues to release recordings and perform live sporadically, as well as working in visual art.


1.) WHICH RECORD HAS HAD THE MOST PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON YOU?
The recordings with a profound impact on me are: Throbbing Gristle’s ‘The Second Annual Report’, ‘Discipline!’ and ‘Five Knuckle Shuffle’, Whitehouse’s ‘Erector’ and ‘Dedicated to Peter Kurten’, and Nurse With Wound’s ‘Salt Marie Celeste’ and ‘Chance Meeting on a Dissecting Table of a Sewing Machine and a Umbrella’.

2.) HOW MANY HOURS DO YOU SPEND A WEEK RECORDING/PLAYING/CREATING?
I work 24/7 creating concepts especially if I am asleep. I always ask other people to do the recordings for me. I don’t play musical instruments.

3.) WHICH OF YOUR OWN CREATIONS IS YOUR FAVOURITE?|
I love all my records all the same.

4.) WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST REGRET?
Perhaps I regret not having recorded before NWW: ‘Salt Marie Celeste’. It’s not only about mysterious ocean sailing but is also about cosmic time travelling. A huge metaphysical masterpiece by Steven Stapleton.

5.) WHAT DO YOU DO TO RELAX?
I never relax.

6.) OTHER THAN FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHAT IS YOUR MOST CHERISHED POSSESSION?
I love my books and my paintings.

7.) TELL ME THREE OF YOUR HEROES/HEROINES?
The anarchist Quico Sabaté and Josep Lluís Faceries, mountain and city guerrilla fighters against Franco’s regime when I was a kid. The painter Francis Bacon, and Lucian Freud who I met in London.  Ulrike Meinhof, because I’m interested in all kinds of obsessive, fanatic behaviour. Janis Joplin the girl with polyphonic voice. She had brutal beauty all over her.

8.) WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE IN THE WORLD?
Without a doubt. My favourite place in the world is Cadaques, Catalonia. The little sea village where Salvador Dalí, José García Lorca, Luis Buñuel, Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Richard Hamilton, Man Ray, and so many other artists spent part of their summer time.

9.) IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE YOUR ART WHAT OCCUPATION DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE DOING?
I could have become a juvenile delinquent for life.

10.) IF THERE IS ONE THING THAT YOU WOULD WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT YOU HAVE NEVER CONVEYED IN AN INTERVIEW BEFORE WHAT WOULD THAT BE?
Enjoy life!