This brief paragraph was written some years ago while watching a favorite musician of mine debut a new band that was just (I thought) terrible. The band has built a following but I still don’t like them.
Porn Rock- designed to make you like it, if only in a visceral way. Not to surprise you or challenge you but to just fucking grind a pelvis in your face. Like AC/DC, but they at least might get credit for perfecting the form when it was still in its ascendance. But like what the fuck were The Strokes about except giving you the same shit that got your dad off before he met your mom, and maybe after? Pornography is a simple formula, tried and true, and doesn't need to be anything else. At least not to attract and keep a certain audience. The same thing's true with porn rock. The only thing that changes over time is the haircuts.
Showing posts with label SFAON. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SFAON. Show all posts
20100203
Shit From an Old Notebook (Milk and Cookies to D. Boon)
My story on Sam Shalabi was accepted by a magazine in editorial upheaval. I interviewed Sam the morning after a fantastic show he did with his band and the Stooges-esque Montreal group The Donkeys on stage at the same time at the 2004 Victoriaville festival. I was watching him at the hotel bar after the show thinking he'd never make it to our breakfast interview the next morning, but he poured himself out of bed and met me. Then the magazine killed the story. Here is some of what he told he through his morning-after haze, bless his soul.
"I wanted to write something for specific people and use The Donkeys. It's the first time I composed something or put something together like that.
"I just play what I like - I think the older I get, the more I'm trying to play music that I like. In the past, I was trying to just do improv, which I love, or do electronic stuff.
"A US printer refused to do Osama [his record that uses his given name as the title]. They said it was in bad taste, which was kind of funny. I wanted some of the text [on the recording] to be for someone who's really paranoid about what's going on in politics in the States. There's a message in it.
"I can't believe how many people think the first song is about Osama bin Laden, when it's about guitar collecting.
"There's a lot of improv going on that's not documented at all, that's not free jazz or actuelle. There's all this other stuff that's a younger generation that's not documented.
"At this point I don't really see - whatever 'political' is, how do you avoid that? I don't do political music. Either you ignore it or it's banal - what you write about, what you choose to say. When people use the word 'political' they think it's got to be one thing - either it's party political or Communist. In daily life, it's the choices people make and what they do. When you do an up song, there's an element of politics in that. That happens all the time - world politics affect what people write about or choose not to write about. Even a year after 9/11, there were huge artists like Radiohead talking about globalization. There was this event, media, cultural, that they could have said something about, they could have investigated it in their own work. Bono is a good example: There's a guy who's supposed to be socially conscious and there was nothing. In interviews, in this vague way that has nothing to do with their work, they say their concerned about the world. You had this event that touched on everything that a band like Radiohead talked about and they don't want to touch it. Put your money where your mouth is. You're spouting this watered-down activism and you have this cultural event that's tangible. That's a decision. Either say something or just shut up. It was almost embarrassing. With these bands like U2, Radiohead, Peter Gabriel, there's this thing where they're supposed to be political and when there's this thing that demands a response, there's no response.
"Probably some people are going to think I'm a 'political' artist. I just don't see how you can avoid it. Art is supposed to be a reflection of life, and these things are really big in people's lives."
"I wanted to write something for specific people and use The Donkeys. It's the first time I composed something or put something together like that.
"I just play what I like - I think the older I get, the more I'm trying to play music that I like. In the past, I was trying to just do improv, which I love, or do electronic stuff.
"A US printer refused to do Osama [his record that uses his given name as the title]. They said it was in bad taste, which was kind of funny. I wanted some of the text [on the recording] to be for someone who's really paranoid about what's going on in politics in the States. There's a message in it.
"I can't believe how many people think the first song is about Osama bin Laden, when it's about guitar collecting.
"There's a lot of improv going on that's not documented at all, that's not free jazz or actuelle. There's all this other stuff that's a younger generation that's not documented.
"At this point I don't really see - whatever 'political' is, how do you avoid that? I don't do political music. Either you ignore it or it's banal - what you write about, what you choose to say. When people use the word 'political' they think it's got to be one thing - either it's party political or Communist. In daily life, it's the choices people make and what they do. When you do an up song, there's an element of politics in that. That happens all the time - world politics affect what people write about or choose not to write about. Even a year after 9/11, there were huge artists like Radiohead talking about globalization. There was this event, media, cultural, that they could have said something about, they could have investigated it in their own work. Bono is a good example: There's a guy who's supposed to be socially conscious and there was nothing. In interviews, in this vague way that has nothing to do with their work, they say their concerned about the world. You had this event that touched on everything that a band like Radiohead talked about and they don't want to touch it. Put your money where your mouth is. You're spouting this watered-down activism and you have this cultural event that's tangible. That's a decision. Either say something or just shut up. It was almost embarrassing. With these bands like U2, Radiohead, Peter Gabriel, there's this thing where they're supposed to be political and when there's this thing that demands a response, there's no response.
"Probably some people are going to think I'm a 'political' artist. I just don't see how you can avoid it. Art is supposed to be a reflection of life, and these things are really big in people's lives."
20100127
Shit From an Old Notebook (Winks and Nods to D. Boon)
Notes from Keith Rowe press conference Festival Internationale de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, 2004
This press conference really should have been video-taped. A stare-down between a handful of journalists and an artist is, more often than not, a pretty drudgerous thing, especially if it happens before noon. But Rowe is a fantastic conversationalist, and would much rather be interesting than be bored. The meeting culminated in him taking one of us witless scribes to the doorway to look at a vase of flowers in the hallway and to consider how they change with just the slightest shift in vantage. It really should have been filmed. Below are the direct quotes I managed to gather.
"If you put four very clear things together, you get chaos. If you take four very clear colors and spin them, you get brown.
"The fetish of sound of the Berlin school in the last three to four years is beginning to break down. The fetish of volume that get in Tokyo in the last two or three years is beginning to break down, just in the last few months.
"What is the meaning within this? What is profound?
"When we listen to Brahms, we have a sense of what profound is, but what is profound electronic music?
"Personally, I think interplay with other people is horrible. I really don't like it. We have interactions and we have juxtapositions. I think juxtaposition is much more interesting.
"If I'm sitting here playing and listening to the piano, suddenly I'm not here as much. The interesting thing is to listen without thinking about the history of the piano.
"When I laid the guitar flat, it changed from an expression to a reflection. The consequence of that is I think we ditched gesture very early on. You tend to be reflecting the environment rather than reflecting your expression of the environment. I can put an electric motor ext to the pick-up and it reflects the environment.
"The room is a highly complex concept. The room involves the physical nature of the room you're in but it also includes the history of painting, the history of music. It includes you and whoever is in the room. It probably also includes the war in Iraq and all the Palestinians that have been killed. It doesn't just include the acoustic properties of the room.
"The most profound music that has been made probably has been in quartet form ... you could argue that.
"Tal Farlowe, Charley Christian, Wes Montgomery, all my favorite guitar players, they really developed their own languages. You have festivals where they're supposed to pay homage to Django Reinhardt, and they rip him off."
This press conference really should have been video-taped. A stare-down between a handful of journalists and an artist is, more often than not, a pretty drudgerous thing, especially if it happens before noon. But Rowe is a fantastic conversationalist, and would much rather be interesting than be bored. The meeting culminated in him taking one of us witless scribes to the doorway to look at a vase of flowers in the hallway and to consider how they change with just the slightest shift in vantage. It really should have been filmed. Below are the direct quotes I managed to gather.
"If you put four very clear things together, you get chaos. If you take four very clear colors and spin them, you get brown.
"The fetish of sound of the Berlin school in the last three to four years is beginning to break down. The fetish of volume that get in Tokyo in the last two or three years is beginning to break down, just in the last few months.
"What is the meaning within this? What is profound?
"When we listen to Brahms, we have a sense of what profound is, but what is profound electronic music?
"Personally, I think interplay with other people is horrible. I really don't like it. We have interactions and we have juxtapositions. I think juxtaposition is much more interesting.
"If I'm sitting here playing and listening to the piano, suddenly I'm not here as much. The interesting thing is to listen without thinking about the history of the piano.
"When I laid the guitar flat, it changed from an expression to a reflection. The consequence of that is I think we ditched gesture very early on. You tend to be reflecting the environment rather than reflecting your expression of the environment. I can put an electric motor ext to the pick-up and it reflects the environment.
"The room is a highly complex concept. The room involves the physical nature of the room you're in but it also includes the history of painting, the history of music. It includes you and whoever is in the room. It probably also includes the war in Iraq and all the Palestinians that have been killed. It doesn't just include the acoustic properties of the room.
"The most profound music that has been made probably has been in quartet form ... you could argue that.
"Tal Farlowe, Charley Christian, Wes Montgomery, all my favorite guitar players, they really developed their own languages. You have festivals where they're supposed to pay homage to Django Reinhardt, and they rip him off."
20100120
Shit From an Old Notebook (Hugs and Kisses to D. Boon)
I got to speak briefly to Pamelia Kurstin in February, 2006 immediately after the first of Issue Project Room's Theremin Society evenings. What I hoped would blossom into a feature about the new wave of thereminists failed to garner much editorial attention. As I recall, the interview went very quickly over a beer and a fast walk down the street to an apartment that wasn't hers in Brooklyn, while she was packing and rushing to the airport. Here's a few lines that stood the test of time and saved notebooks.
"I didn't know what scene was out there. I just saw the documentary and thought, "oh, I want to do that.' I'd tried other instruments. I didn't understand that there weren't other people playing it.
"I wish I could sing and then I probably wouldn't play any instrument.
"If you go out on the street and there's someone playing a violin, you know more or less what to expect, but when people see a theremin they're just infatuated with someone moving around.
"I don't want it to sound like a theremin. I'd much rather it sound like a voice or something.
"I think a lot of musicians dismiss it as being a toy or think it's impossible.
"I would never criticize, even if someone is doing something that's giving you a splitting headache, as long as they're not murdering you.
"It's something that can be taken so extremely seriously and also it can be laughed at.
"After I saw the documentary, I saw Clara Rockmore play. She set a standard for it for her time and she was doing something that nobody thought was possible. It was so important, the documentary came out and there's a document of her playing."
"I didn't know what scene was out there. I just saw the documentary and thought, "oh, I want to do that.' I'd tried other instruments. I didn't understand that there weren't other people playing it.
"I wish I could sing and then I probably wouldn't play any instrument.
"If you go out on the street and there's someone playing a violin, you know more or less what to expect, but when people see a theremin they're just infatuated with someone moving around.
"I don't want it to sound like a theremin. I'd much rather it sound like a voice or something.
"I think a lot of musicians dismiss it as being a toy or think it's impossible.
"I would never criticize, even if someone is doing something that's giving you a splitting headache, as long as they're not murdering you.
"It's something that can be taken so extremely seriously and also it can be laughed at.
"After I saw the documentary, I saw Clara Rockmore play. She set a standard for it for her time and she was doing something that nobody thought was possible. It was so important, the documentary came out and there's a document of her playing."
20100113
Shit From an Old Notebook (Tea and Scones to D. Boon)
Notes from the 30-something-by-the-time-it-was-all-over-hour 2006 Bang on a Can Marathon. I attended the whole thing. Having failed to sell a review of the event, I decided to keep experiential notes.
Sat 7 pm
This is my third weekend away from home. Two weeks ago I went to Quebec. Last weekend to DC. Today I traveled the length of Manhattan to spend 26, 27 really, hours in the World Financial Center Winter Garden for the Bang on a Can Marathon. By volume, I'm carrying as much today as I took to DC. Much of that, however, is a double wide comforter and a pillow. But being as it seems a remote part of the city to spend the weeked, I've also brought nourishment:
3 liters of water
2 bananas
a container of hummus
a bag of pita bread
a box of raisins
a can of mixed nuts
a box of granola bars
2 cans of taurine drinks
Probably more than I'll need. Definitely. But it will be good to have stuff to share, or trade, on this new music urban camping trip. I also brought some Stri-dex pads. Excellent camping tip.
The bagpipes are warming up.
It took me forever to get here. Going to DC, including the cab ride to the airport, was probably quicker. The A train was out of service - had to take a shuttle bus 30 blocks south. And then was compelled - with provisions in tow - to go to Academy Records where I'd seen a John Lee Hooker record I never knew existed. I don't have a player with me (hardly seemed necessary on the way to a solid day of concert) so I won't be able to hear it until tomorrow night.
There's a woman holding her ears to block out the bagpipes. Why do I think she won't last through tomorrow?
I'm obsessed with trying to plan when to sleep. I know I won't be awake the whole time. I did manage to sleep until 10 am today, but that would still be a good 40 hours awake, which I know I can't do sitting in one place most of the time. I am looking forward to being bleary and exhausted tomorrow, tho. I do think BOAC's record of Eno's Music for Airports is pretty beautiful, and it might be a nice thing to sleep through as well. It's a different level of music appreciation. That's from 1-2, and could lead me in to a nice snooze until the Steve Reich piece at 4:30. The most important thing is Iva Bittova at 10 am, when I'll certainly be awake, whatever has happened in the ensuing hours. I'm going to go see if I can find out about restaurant hours. Despite a wealth of healthful snacks, I might want a meal at some point.
8:00
Bagpipes are a brilliant way to start the marathon. They're set up in the back of the room. My neck would be sore if I had to turn my head backwards on this metal sofa until this time tomorrow.
9:00
There are a couple of givens to BOAC for me. First, it's pretty much all going to be of pretty high standard. Second, it will for the most part all be composed, which means it won't be my favorite music. So i've committed to 26 hours of stuff I'll appreciate more than love. Which is OK. But Chris Adler's "Signal Intelligence" is fantastic, making me realize that my favorite composed music is often for percussion. I just bought a CD of traditional Chinese percussion compositions - I'll have to go home and listen to that - after the John Lee Hooker CD and the Iva BIttova DVD I bought, that is.
9:20
There's a huge line outside Starbucks. They close in 10 minutes. I get 16 oz of espresso. A guy in line takes a photo of the shop. A manager comes out and tells him he's not allowed to take photos of Starbucks. I ask him why and he says "It's against the rules, inside or outside the store. It's just one of their rules, like you're not allowed to take a dog in the store." As he might be the only purveyor of caffeine for me tomorrow, I decide not to press the issue.
The Lois V. Vierck piece was also performed off the main stage. My friend Bruce and I didn't even realize there was a performance going on and talked through it. I felt bad.
11 pm
The Books turn out to be a happy surprise. 2 young guys from Massachusetts, guitar and cello with Todd Reynolds sitting in on violin. Songs, video, light, entertaining. They get the most applause so far tonight when they're introduced. They drew a crowd. I'd never heard of them. Do young people make more enjoyable art? Not better, not more refined, but maybe they're still feeling the freshness of their own ideas. Maybe by virtue of youth they're able to be lighter, more carefree, of wilder eyes. They were something like Byrne / Eno, something like something else, but I forget already. And not much like B/E either, really, except for the found vocal thing. A bit like the Knee Plays, though.
12:40I love being at a concert where people are walking around with pillows and blankets under their arms. My right arm is hurting a bit. It's the left arm that's the heart attack one, right?
1:00Music for Airports is the second big applause getter beforehand, so far, at least beforehand. Michael Gordon's piece "Gotham" was well received, and deservedly so. He makes orchestras rock like nobody. It's been a while since I've listened to Music for Airports, either the Eno or the BOAC version. The last time, I think, was actually in an airport, and it worked quite well, though I can't remember when or where that was. Placing a memory of an airport is kind of like trying to imagine what goldfish think about. But is it possible the ensemble is rushing it? Probably not. I probably just remember it slower than it is. I wonder how they're keeping pulse - seems like the pianist and the percussionist are in charge. Makes sense.
I brought a pack of gum (Dentyne Ice Arctic Chill - the best gum) that only had one piece left in it. I feel as if I should have held out longer before chewing it. A fair number of people are clearing out after the first movement. What did they expect? "Baby's on Fire"? Not that that wouldn't have been cool - and for that matter it'd just be cool to have a roomful of people thinking about "Baby's on Fire." Still it's surprisingly full. My first crowd estimate - oh hell, I don't know. More than 300, I think.
This atrium feels a bit like an airport - the reverberating voices in the back compliment the piece beautifully.
2:15
I'm feeling fine after the Music for Airports lie-down, and kidding myself into thinking I'm set for another 20 hours.
3 am
Thing's are getting rough. Juara Molinera's [failed to get the right name here] introduction was a bit bedraggled, and then tech problems delayed her start. She has to be on, though. It'd be hard to be a working musician - no being susceptible to jet lag or insomnia, you gotta be pro. There's still a few hundred people here, and we're getting over the "don't talk to strangers" mentality. One fellow had to leave after the Varese to drive to DC and get his wisdom teeth pulled. It wasn't, I'm pretty sure, in reaction to the Varese. A woman I met earlier asked if she could borrow my blanket, but then quickly asked it it was "stinky." I assured her it wasn't, tho it probably has cat hair on it. She told me that in a previous life she'd been married to a Chicago gangster and had died in a car accident. I liked her - whereas on the subway I might have tried to ignore her.
5:30
Nothing compares to the feeling of waking up and brushing your teeth to Music for 18 Musicians.
6:20
Steve Reich was the mile marker for many people here. The roar of applause woke all the sleepers up and we've suddenly dropped from about 250 people to 50 or so. A long, quiet solo piano piece by Michael Harrison, Revelation: Music in Pure Intonation has begun and I haven't had caffeine for 6 hours. I wonder if I'm up for the day.
There's a little meeting of security guys or something, 3 of them standing in the aisle and talking too loudly, their radios squelching on and off.
It's amazing how much bodies effect room temperature. It's gotten pretty cold in here, but even when it was crowded it seemed like the temperature would go up when people were moving around between pieces. The security guards are now going around and making people sit up.I might have to go get some Claritin.
8:45
A tour group walks through, to see real and true bedraggled NY new music afficianados in their natural habitat. I get busted for lying down. My friend Matt B was told by a security guard he couldn't stand to listen. Apparently the only allowable posture is seated.
10 am
The players actually never play together at the same time ... "hocketing" ... so fast it's actually physically impossible for them to play it." (playing with separate click tracks) John Fitz Rogers
5:15 pm
At this point there only two kinds of music: the kind that sounds like how my head feels and the kind that doesn't. They're equally good.
7 pm
Meredith Monk's Three Heavens and Hells is far and away that best thing I've heard here. With the best qualities of Gertrude Stein and Lucian Berio, it made me feel wide alert insane. It was just an excerpt, and even if (maybe especially if) the full piece is just more of the same, it will be crazy beauty.
8:30
More composed percussion - Julia Wolfe's Dark Full Ride reinforcing my adherence to my recklessly generalized claim about percussion and composition. It reminds me of the dual-drummer Melvins, except without The Melvins in it.
John Fitz Rogers' Once Removed also great percussion composition. Of course Monk's choral piece was very composed and had no percussion. I don't feel like trying to reconcile that, tho.
[later, unstamped]THIS IS SO ASS!
Sat 7 pm
This is my third weekend away from home. Two weeks ago I went to Quebec. Last weekend to DC. Today I traveled the length of Manhattan to spend 26, 27 really, hours in the World Financial Center Winter Garden for the Bang on a Can Marathon. By volume, I'm carrying as much today as I took to DC. Much of that, however, is a double wide comforter and a pillow. But being as it seems a remote part of the city to spend the weeked, I've also brought nourishment:
3 liters of water
2 bananas
a container of hummus
a bag of pita bread
a box of raisins
a can of mixed nuts
a box of granola bars
2 cans of taurine drinks
Probably more than I'll need. Definitely. But it will be good to have stuff to share, or trade, on this new music urban camping trip. I also brought some Stri-dex pads. Excellent camping tip.
The bagpipes are warming up.
It took me forever to get here. Going to DC, including the cab ride to the airport, was probably quicker. The A train was out of service - had to take a shuttle bus 30 blocks south. And then was compelled - with provisions in tow - to go to Academy Records where I'd seen a John Lee Hooker record I never knew existed. I don't have a player with me (hardly seemed necessary on the way to a solid day of concert) so I won't be able to hear it until tomorrow night.
There's a woman holding her ears to block out the bagpipes. Why do I think she won't last through tomorrow?
I'm obsessed with trying to plan when to sleep. I know I won't be awake the whole time. I did manage to sleep until 10 am today, but that would still be a good 40 hours awake, which I know I can't do sitting in one place most of the time. I am looking forward to being bleary and exhausted tomorrow, tho. I do think BOAC's record of Eno's Music for Airports is pretty beautiful, and it might be a nice thing to sleep through as well. It's a different level of music appreciation. That's from 1-2, and could lead me in to a nice snooze until the Steve Reich piece at 4:30. The most important thing is Iva Bittova at 10 am, when I'll certainly be awake, whatever has happened in the ensuing hours. I'm going to go see if I can find out about restaurant hours. Despite a wealth of healthful snacks, I might want a meal at some point.
8:00
Bagpipes are a brilliant way to start the marathon. They're set up in the back of the room. My neck would be sore if I had to turn my head backwards on this metal sofa until this time tomorrow.
9:00
There are a couple of givens to BOAC for me. First, it's pretty much all going to be of pretty high standard. Second, it will for the most part all be composed, which means it won't be my favorite music. So i've committed to 26 hours of stuff I'll appreciate more than love. Which is OK. But Chris Adler's "Signal Intelligence" is fantastic, making me realize that my favorite composed music is often for percussion. I just bought a CD of traditional Chinese percussion compositions - I'll have to go home and listen to that - after the John Lee Hooker CD and the Iva BIttova DVD I bought, that is.
9:20
There's a huge line outside Starbucks. They close in 10 minutes. I get 16 oz of espresso. A guy in line takes a photo of the shop. A manager comes out and tells him he's not allowed to take photos of Starbucks. I ask him why and he says "It's against the rules, inside or outside the store. It's just one of their rules, like you're not allowed to take a dog in the store." As he might be the only purveyor of caffeine for me tomorrow, I decide not to press the issue.
The Lois V. Vierck piece was also performed off the main stage. My friend Bruce and I didn't even realize there was a performance going on and talked through it. I felt bad.
11 pm
The Books turn out to be a happy surprise. 2 young guys from Massachusetts, guitar and cello with Todd Reynolds sitting in on violin. Songs, video, light, entertaining. They get the most applause so far tonight when they're introduced. They drew a crowd. I'd never heard of them. Do young people make more enjoyable art? Not better, not more refined, but maybe they're still feeling the freshness of their own ideas. Maybe by virtue of youth they're able to be lighter, more carefree, of wilder eyes. They were something like Byrne / Eno, something like something else, but I forget already. And not much like B/E either, really, except for the found vocal thing. A bit like the Knee Plays, though.
12:40I love being at a concert where people are walking around with pillows and blankets under their arms. My right arm is hurting a bit. It's the left arm that's the heart attack one, right?
1:00Music for Airports is the second big applause getter beforehand, so far, at least beforehand. Michael Gordon's piece "Gotham" was well received, and deservedly so. He makes orchestras rock like nobody. It's been a while since I've listened to Music for Airports, either the Eno or the BOAC version. The last time, I think, was actually in an airport, and it worked quite well, though I can't remember when or where that was. Placing a memory of an airport is kind of like trying to imagine what goldfish think about. But is it possible the ensemble is rushing it? Probably not. I probably just remember it slower than it is. I wonder how they're keeping pulse - seems like the pianist and the percussionist are in charge. Makes sense.
I brought a pack of gum (Dentyne Ice Arctic Chill - the best gum) that only had one piece left in it. I feel as if I should have held out longer before chewing it. A fair number of people are clearing out after the first movement. What did they expect? "Baby's on Fire"? Not that that wouldn't have been cool - and for that matter it'd just be cool to have a roomful of people thinking about "Baby's on Fire." Still it's surprisingly full. My first crowd estimate - oh hell, I don't know. More than 300, I think.
This atrium feels a bit like an airport - the reverberating voices in the back compliment the piece beautifully.
2:15
I'm feeling fine after the Music for Airports lie-down, and kidding myself into thinking I'm set for another 20 hours.
3 am
Thing's are getting rough. Juara Molinera's [failed to get the right name here] introduction was a bit bedraggled, and then tech problems delayed her start. She has to be on, though. It'd be hard to be a working musician - no being susceptible to jet lag or insomnia, you gotta be pro. There's still a few hundred people here, and we're getting over the "don't talk to strangers" mentality. One fellow had to leave after the Varese to drive to DC and get his wisdom teeth pulled. It wasn't, I'm pretty sure, in reaction to the Varese. A woman I met earlier asked if she could borrow my blanket, but then quickly asked it it was "stinky." I assured her it wasn't, tho it probably has cat hair on it. She told me that in a previous life she'd been married to a Chicago gangster and had died in a car accident. I liked her - whereas on the subway I might have tried to ignore her.
5:30
Nothing compares to the feeling of waking up and brushing your teeth to Music for 18 Musicians.
6:20
Steve Reich was the mile marker for many people here. The roar of applause woke all the sleepers up and we've suddenly dropped from about 250 people to 50 or so. A long, quiet solo piano piece by Michael Harrison, Revelation: Music in Pure Intonation has begun and I haven't had caffeine for 6 hours. I wonder if I'm up for the day.
There's a little meeting of security guys or something, 3 of them standing in the aisle and talking too loudly, their radios squelching on and off.
It's amazing how much bodies effect room temperature. It's gotten pretty cold in here, but even when it was crowded it seemed like the temperature would go up when people were moving around between pieces. The security guards are now going around and making people sit up.I might have to go get some Claritin.
8:45
A tour group walks through, to see real and true bedraggled NY new music afficianados in their natural habitat. I get busted for lying down. My friend Matt B was told by a security guard he couldn't stand to listen. Apparently the only allowable posture is seated.
10 am
The players actually never play together at the same time ... "hocketing" ... so fast it's actually physically impossible for them to play it." (playing with separate click tracks) John Fitz Rogers
5:15 pm
At this point there only two kinds of music: the kind that sounds like how my head feels and the kind that doesn't. They're equally good.
7 pm
Meredith Monk's Three Heavens and Hells is far and away that best thing I've heard here. With the best qualities of Gertrude Stein and Lucian Berio, it made me feel wide alert insane. It was just an excerpt, and even if (maybe especially if) the full piece is just more of the same, it will be crazy beauty.
8:30
More composed percussion - Julia Wolfe's Dark Full Ride reinforcing my adherence to my recklessly generalized claim about percussion and composition. It reminds me of the dual-drummer Melvins, except without The Melvins in it.
John Fitz Rogers' Once Removed also great percussion composition. Of course Monk's choral piece was very composed and had no percussion. I don't feel like trying to reconcile that, tho.
[later, unstamped]THIS IS SO ASS!
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