John Cage Rocks
August 21, 2007 1:28 AM   Subscribe

John Cage - popular entertainer does The Water Walk. Here's delight, and the strange thought that it all came together ('elite' culture, popular entertainment) in 1960 on the TV show I've Got A Secret.
posted by jennydiski (21 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: Congrats on your first double post, jennydiski. You are now officially One Of Us. -- cortex



 
Sorry, but this is a double.
posted by mek at 1:42 AM on August 21, 2007


Our only hope is Chauncey Gardiner
posted by Poolio at 1:43 AM on August 21, 2007


this is a great thing -
But I believe it's a double...
posted by From Bklyn at 1:44 AM on August 21, 2007


Oh, damn...sorry
posted by jennydiski at 1:46 AM on August 21, 2007


I think it's really funny that Cage was so respected in academic circles, but modern "electronica" is so completely rejected.
posted by mek at 1:48 AM on August 21, 2007


glad this hasn't been deleted yet, because I get to say - blimey! Jenny Diski is on Metafilter! (I'm sure I can't be the only LRB reader on here...)
posted by altolinguistic at 1:59 AM on August 21, 2007


I hope we didn't scare her off. (that's what quonsar is for.)
posted by mek at 2:16 AM on August 21, 2007


I don't scare that easily, but I am ashamed.
posted by jennydiski at 2:21 AM on August 21, 2007


I, for one, welcome our new ashamed jennydiski.
posted by Poolio at 2:30 AM on August 21, 2007


I'm glad for the double post. Quality I missed first time round.
posted by Abiezer at 2:36 AM on August 21, 2007


THIS COMMENT IS ALSO A DOUBLE:

This makes me wish there had been a lot more experimental and avant garde music on television thoughout recent history: the presentation of such music on TV as something potentially entertaining, fun and interesting might've gone a long way toward demystifying it. Toward making it something to be approached with an open mind, appreciable by everyone, non-elitist. True, this performance of Cage's was met with peals of laughter, and was most likely regarded by the audience as nothing more than wackiness and clownery, but perhaps over time, once the easy laughs had died down a bit, there might've been an advancement of the general public's awareness of the expanding boundaries of music. There might've been a bit more opening up of the ears and the mind.

But of course, as we all know, television's amazing potential for education and enlightenment remained largely unrealized. One of the great tragedies of the modern era.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:54 AM on August 21, 2007


And jennydiski, remember, "Search" is your friend!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:55 AM on August 21, 2007


She's everywhere. Everywhere.

Which is good.
posted by pracowity at 2:59 AM on August 21, 2007


"...the presentation of such music on TV as something potentially entertaining, fun and interesting ..."

word.
Notably, the host was in no way condescending. I'm not sure that would be the case today. Which is too bad.

And I too am glad this post has not yet been deleted...
posted by From Bklyn at 3:06 AM on August 21, 2007


I will add to the chorus of "this is a double, but an excellent double" sentiment, which I hear ringing throughout this thread.
posted by cgc373 at 3:10 AM on August 21, 2007


Ooh blimey, I must echo altolinguistic! THE Jenny Diski? We are not worthy.
posted by Abiezer at 3:32 AM on August 21, 2007


While I was an undergraduate student at New England Conservatory in the late 1980s, John Cage was invited to the school to give a master class. The president of the conservatory at the time was Laurence Lesser, who was very snooty and apparently didn't think Cage was a very important figure in the music world, so this master class wasn't scheduled in a big hall as they usually are, but in a largish piano practice room that sometimes doubled as a classroom for small classes. It could comfortably hold about fifteen people, but there were certainly more than 30 inside for Cage's master class. I was lucky to get there early.

John Cage's music is mostly known for its chance elements. He didn't see music as a fixed thing, but something that was always changing, which is perhaps why he sometimes incorporated radios in his composition because you never knew what was going to come out of them.

The piece selected for the master class was for standard instruments, like clarinet and oboe, but had some chance elements, in that each player could choose the order of what they played at different points. The players started, and we all started listening, shoulder to shoulder in the stuffy room.

After some time, a new strange sound came out of the music somehow. It obviously wasn't one of the featured instruments, but no one could tell where it was coming from. It was like someone was singing, but there wasn't anyone singing. The look on John Cage's face was priceless. His eyes lit up and he started to smile.

It turned out that a student listening to the master class had passed out from the heat and started involuntarily vocalizing. Some people carried her out got her some medical attention. The rest of us just looked at each other in silent awe. It was as if his music had somehow consummated itself. There was nothing left to say.
posted by strangeguitars at 3:40 AM on August 21, 2007 [9 favorites]


True, this performance of Cage's was met with peals of laughter

Have you watched it with eyes closed? The laughter adds a lot IMO.
posted by stammer at 4:13 AM on August 21, 2007


The laughter adds a lot IMO.

Cage probably thought so too! And I'm certainly not saying the laughter was a bad thing, either.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:26 AM on August 21, 2007


Welcome Ms. Diski, since this thread is going to close, do you really think it's been 45 years since the last outbreak of feminism?
posted by BrotherCaine at 5:40 AM on August 21, 2007


This may be a double but it's wonderful. Cage deals with the situation with such grace and good humour, it's a lesson to young composers everywhere (not that we're going to get onto prime-time network TV game-shows, but still...)
posted by ob at 5:41 AM on August 21, 2007


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