On Superbowl Sunday, instead of watching said bowl I became the first person in history to perform John Cage’s Song Books in their entirety during a single performance. I performed for four hours straight with no breaks.
The performance was part of the Vir2ual Cage CalArts project in honor of Cage’s centenary. Eventually it will enable users to put together an entire performance of the Song Books, which it will then arrange via chance procedures and allow you to watch and listen to your customized performance online. Neat, huh?
Performing them all was draining, but it was a good feeling finishing the final piece with about two minutes to spare. Everyone was supportive of what I was trying to accomoplish and many congratulations were doled out by the night’s end. My contemporary Max Wanderman performed one piece for the entire four hours, moving incredibly slowly, and we’re still not sure which of us was more tired!
The most important thing I took away from the experience was a memory of the meditative state that gradually enveloped my consciousness. In the haze of the modern artist’s hectic lifestyle, it’s a rare treat to be able to perform with the combination of focus and mindlessness that these classic works can inspire.
I’ll eventually get some recordings down of the various songs for the purpose of the online archive. Also, keep a lookout for an interview for a documentary web series by Lee Ray, coming soon! Below is a montage video of the performance, winkingly titled “The Long Books”, put together by CalArts. I’m the one at the end, performing Song 35, sometimes referred to as “The best form of government is no government at all.” Good times.
A new dance film edited to my music called “Subtopia”! Shot and edited by Victoria Sendra, choreography by Lindsey Lollie. It’s like Aphex Twin’s “Rubber Johnny”, but with a pretty girl and a pool instead of a misshapen telepathic shapeshifter in a wheelchair.
The story behind this short film is that the filmmaker and dancer were looking for a pool in a cookie cutter residential area to illuminate through art the shallow nature encapsulated by such. While shooting, a very Barbiesque housewife came by, acted rude while smiling, and then called the cops on them. Since this is exactly the type of inanity the film wishes to portray, all dialogue edited in the music comes directly from quotes of the real housewife. And art… is born.
After several years of finding oneself, one manages to get bored with that whole “self” thing and looking into other avenues. I’ve used the project I’ve been slaving away at for over a year now, as well as a lot of older music/videos, to get into the Performer/Composer MFA program at CalArts. Wow, that was a lot of forward/slashes.
It’s a very exciting opportunity and one that will only mean more possibilities, more connections, and more music. This blog will also finally get the TLC it needs. Speaking of, stay tuned for an entry about phrasing. There will be DJ cuts and Bach cannons invoked, I’m sure of it. That’s right, cannons, with two Ns, as in we’re gonna need some gunpowder and a lot of harpsichords.
And in honor of out-dated empowerment days whose anniversaries are still Guy-Fawkesian relevant:
