It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mike Corley. (Discuss)

The Corley Conspiracy is an opera by Tim Benjamin to a libretto by Sean Starke who also directed. The work premiered on 19 September 2007 in the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre in London; the orchestral parts were played by the ensemble Radius.^[1] The opera was commissioned by the London Design Festival 2007.

[edit] Roles

The performance of the work lasts for about 75 minutes.

[edit] Structure

Unusual for an opera, all the vocal parts are spoken, but unlike a play, the music is continuous and relates strongly to the text.

[edit] Background

Based on a true story that unfolded on Usenet bulletin boards, this new opera is a gripping portrayal of a paranoid mind that raises unsettling questions about a society under surveillance.

—from the programme notes

MI5 logo

The text of the work is based on Mike Corley's experiences and theories, as shown in his Usenet posts and on his website.^[3]

Mike Corley is an Information Technology specialist residing in the United Kingdom. He has a long history of posting Usenet messages detailing how MI5 has bugged his home and is sending people to follow him around and harass him. These messages are often crossposted to many different newsgroups. His claims of being persecuted by MI5 (the Subject: line of his posts) have led to claims that he is suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.^[4][5] He has claimed in his posts that television personalities are often talking about him in code and are part of the MI5 conspiracy.^[6][7] He has been banned from posting through Google for his abuse of Usenet^[8] and has been similarly barred from most Internet service providers in England.

In 2007, Tommaso Lanza and Ross Cairns designed the Corley Radio with custom-made electronics and voice recognition software, to help Mike Corley to keep track of who is talking to him — the tool that everyone who is concerned of conspiracies should have.^[9][10]

[edit] See also

• Crapflooding
• Usenet celebrity

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.thecorleyconspiracy.com/ The Corley Conspiracy (opera)
2. ^ Bannit, Jemima (September 2007). "The Corley Conspiracy – The Programme" (PDF). Radius Music. http://www.radiusmusic.org/CorleyProgramme.pdf. Retrieved 3 April 2008.  with detailed background information
3. ^ Corley, Mike. "Xenophobic Persecution in the U.K. (Mike Corley's web page)". http://www.five.org.uk/. Retrieved 3 January 2008. 
4. ^ Iain L M Hotchkies (5 May 1996). "Corley FAQ (v0.1)". http://www.five.org.uk/root/#hotchfaq. Retrieved 6 January 2008. 
5. ^ "Mike Corley — Conspiracy Theorist". BBC h2g2. 21 March 2002. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A694523. Retrieved 21 July 2008. 
6. ^ MI5Vic...@mi5.gov.uk (Mike Corley) (17 November 2007). "MI5 Persecution: Ravenscourt Park 20/3/99 (4522)". alt.games.video.xbox,nctu.club.ji-ren,sfnet.urheilu.moottoriurheilu,alt.sports.college.acc,3do.bad-attitude. (Web link).
7. ^ MI5Vic...@mi5.gov.uk (Mike Corley) (25 August 2007). "MI5 Persecution: Neil Fox (Nov/1998) (6190)". it.salute.tumori,alt.biology,fa.netbsd.tech.net,alt.games.video.xbox,nctu.club.ji-ren. (Web link).
8. ^ "Google Groups — Profile (MI5Vic...@mi5.gov.uk)". http://groups.google.com/groups/profile?enc_user=h49VURQAAADWEFJIj4XA-tw-rL5xadhEu4lJHmc1F3kkd59baL6OJA. "This account has been banned because it violated the Google Groups Terms Of Use." 
9. ^ Lanza, Tommaso (December 2007). "Corley's Radio". http://www.designunits.com/projects/corleys-radio/. Retrieved 21 July 2008. 
10. ^ Cairns, Ross (2007). "Design Interactions, Corley Radio". Royal College of Art. http://www.interaction.rca.ac.uk/people/alumni/07-09/ross-cairns/projects/CorleyRadio.html. Retrieved 21 July 2008. 

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Dammann, Guy (21 September 2007). "Bugs, cameras, action". The Guardian. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/09/bugs_cameras_action.html. Retrieved 15 July 2008.  Review of the work