Well, this damn band grew on me. I now have listened to their first three albums and (for some reason) loved it. Why are they so great?

^I'm glad it finally worked for you. What is it that you love this time? What was the hook?

I have a question. In one of their interviews, they said that they were artists and not musicians. I'm confused in this. I thought all musicians were artists?

^Well, they were interested in concepts and ideas as much if not more than music. Music was one way to express those concepts, but not the only one. Performance played a big part also, not to mention philosophy, interest in subversive and transgressive literature and just one strong attitude which was not mere rebellion in a conventional rock 'n' roll sense of the word.

For those who like Throbbing Gristle and Jimi Hendrix, take a look at this:
YouTube - Psychic TV - Are You Experienced

Genesis P-Orridge is a founding member of this group. This song is just amazing.

Yeah, this has been one of my favorite all time covers ever since i first heard that back around 88 or so. That's a good thing to post.

Despite what they say I'm still voting for shock value on that one.

My theory is that they included such dark themes in their live performances mainly to showcase how awful humanity is/can be. I often get hung up on the more despicable and disgusting things people have done, mainly because people don't like to look at them, so those qualities of humanity are often ignored. I often see TG as one of those entities that flesh out every negative thing they can all for the sake of being a counterpoint to say, maybe, people who think the world is full of dandelions and twee music.

I find it a bit sad when you have ultra conservative types who berate/harass artists that represent or present the darker side of humanity when they are essential to help keep a healthy state of mind. The only example I can think of right now is when a bunch of knee-jerk protestors had gotten a bunch of DIJ and Boyd Rice shows canceled due to constant threats and angry letters sent to the venues booking them.