Laurie Anderson interview in Smithsonian
The new issue of Smithsonian includes a concise interview with avant-garde multimediatrix Laurie Anderson. In it, Anderson talks about pop music, her tenure as NASA's artist-in-residence, Andy Warhol, and some odd jobs she took just for the experience. From Smithsonian:
Previously on BB:
• Laurie Anderson, NASA artist-in-residence
Laurie Anderson interview (Smithsonian)You've also worked at McDonald's.
Yeah. I began to think, "How can I escape this trap of just experiencing what I expect?" I decided maybe I would just try to put myself in places where I don't know what to do, what to say, or how to act. So, I did things like working at McDonald's and on an Amish farm, which had no technology whatsoever.
What do you need to "escape" from?
At heart, I'm an anthropologist. I try to jump out of my skin. I normally see the world as an artist first, second as a New Yorker and third as a woman. That's a perspective that I sometimes would like to escape. It's why in my performances I use audio filters to change my voice. That's a way to escape as well.
Previously on BB:
• Laurie Anderson, NASA artist-in-residence
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Shouldn't there be a period after every. single. word. she says in her answer?
...Ah. Mrs. David Byrne, IIRC.
No... just... every other one. Or maybe it's like... Louis Ferdinand Celine... with... ellipses everywhere.
Mindy
Hooray! I'm so excited about seeing her in September!!!!!!
Lou Reed, not David Byrne
In the interview I'm looking forward to an explanation of just what special benefits Being a New Yorker confers upon an Anthropologist.
Jeepers. I hope she's not really as arrogant as that sounds. I love her novel ideas and especially her music. Pinteresque pauses and all.
RossInDetroit #6, I think you're mis-reading the excerpt. It looked to me as if she was saying that being a New Yorker (and an artist, and a woman) limited her perspective, and she's trying to escape that limitation.
And I don't think there's anything about New York in particular that limits one's perspective. Wherever you live, if you don't make an effort to get around and broaden your perspective, it puts a limitation on your understanding of people who live elsewhere.
@ROSSINDETRIOT, I don't see arrogance there at all. Especially if that excerpt is taken in context with the rest of the interview.
Re: New Yorker. Thankfully I was wrong. The interview is a good one. She does mean that she's trying to get out of her typical mind set and experience life from a different perspective.
Too frequently I see NY residents invoking the city as the center of the universe and only valid point of reference for reality. Accident of residence as point of personal pride.
I guess my incorrect reaction tells more about my expectations than it does about her.
The origin story of "Oh, Superman" is kewl. "Ah ah ah ah . . ."
O Superman, B/W Walk the Dog. Man, 1981 seems like an eternity ago. My copy still has the plastic wrap and the $3.69 price tag. I used to sneak this on the turntable at parties to see how long it would take someone to turn around with that *WTF* look on their face.
I had the cassette version of her United States Live, and I thought it very thought-provoking, though I didn't follow her work later. Glad to see she's still doing interesting things.
Hey, remember back when popular music actually elicited strong emotional responses from people? This was possibly the most unexpected (near) topper of the UK singles chart - reaching #2 - and was also one of the most reviled singles of the year. Happy days...
@RossInDetroit 9 - If New York isn't the center of the universe, why is the subway so crowded in the morning? Why is almost everyone at my workplace from a different state? Why do people keep moving here?
Keep people from flocking here constantly, keep me from tripping over tourists and out-of-state immigrants and I'll stop feeling like it's the center of the universe. ;)
If New York isn't the center of the universe, why is the subway so crowded in the morning?
My digestive system gets a little backed up now and then as well. Wait it out and It'll pass.
I had no idea she was also a Catholic Priest!
Sound Opinions, an excellent weekly Chicago Public Radio show (and podcast) has a pretty good interview with Laurie Anderson from May of this year.
Link to the interview with Laurie Anderson (show #127) here:
http://audio.soundopinions.org/podcasts/sooppodshow127.mp3
It starts at the 10 minute mark. Sound Opinions is a great weekly podcast, I highly recommend it. From their website:
"Every week, Sound Opinions fires up smart and spirited discussions about a wide range of popular music, from cutting-edge underground rock and hip-hop, to classic rock, R&B, electronica, worldbeat, or just about any other genre you can name."
Go have a listen.
I am really curious where to find an Amish farm with "no technology whatsoever".
"It's a sky blue sky..."
I saw Laurie's art at the Houston Museum Of Modern Art in 1984. She had a lot of great gadget art, including the famous violin with the tape-head bridge. The bow was a section of audio tape with William S. Burroughs voice on it.
She was into really interactive stuff. She had a phone booth featuring a (neo-steampunk) antique receiver. When you put it up to your ear, her voice beckoned you to speak, and she left pauses for you to reply. When you did, your voice was recorded and looped back into the receiver. You would create a long loop duet with her voice and yours that way, but only you could hear it. After a while it would reset.
She had a table where you were instructed to place your elbows at certain places where wood contacts ran through the table. You were told to put your hands to your ears. Beneath the table there was her recorded voice somehow using wooden interlocking parts as speakers that would conduct sound up through wooden rods to the contacts beneath the table that you had your elbows on. You would only hear the sounds as they conducted through these solid objects (including you.) Two could sit at the table, facing each other, listening with their hands over their ears (looking like "Hear No Evil".) It was genius.
Saw her twice in concert in the 80s: the 2nd time with Adrian Belew and David Van Tiegham in the band. Great shows!
"Oh Superman"my favorite of her audioworks.
I like the story of someone passing her by in "the
center of the universe "Madhattan and saying about
her "That woman is wearing
a Lauie Anderson haircut" it was of course Laurie
wearing her own unique hairstyle.
I think living on a small island like NYC with 9
million strangers out your window the mentally
diagnosed and un diagnosed is a universe of it's
own.We expect a million more neighbors here in
the next 8 years who wish to stay.
What is sad is that their wont be and old NY
left by then,just a generic remade hirise city.
"Avram" good goin dude. for lack of a better word I think Laurie is awsome . And although it means nothing to me and probably less to her for sure, I'm not at all sure why the folks want to talk about a sex life. Now? Realy. Anyways. Laurie is a great talent.
That's a comment I guess. Like assholes.
everyone has them
"We're all going down..."
She's correct, we do live in Andy's World.