[f_minor] Knock Knock

[maryellen jensen]

"I hope Phil enjoys his prize." 
 
"And I wouldn't want to shackle the Foundation with my 
artificial and subjective restraints on picking recipients."

Oh my oh my. Isn't that what you just did? Oh don't worry about any restraints, the GG Foundation isn't listening to anyone, certainly not to you. Certainly not GG.

My nephew wrote: "Phillip Glass wrote one song and never stopped playing it." Was he quoting someone?  

Mary
 

From: bobmerk at earthlink.net
To: f_minor at glenngould.org
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2015 15:53:46 -0400
Subject: Re: [f_minor] Knock Knock








Some years ago f_minor accidentally caromed into 
Silence, the Alternate Bizarro Universe e-list of John Cage 
freakazoids. (A Silence denizen had discovered that I'd taken The Master's name 
in vain and that a largely uncomplimentary Cage thread on f_minor had 
followed.)
 
Around 1920, the insurance executive Charles Ives lured a 
great Euro maestro to his Connecticut farm to hear some of Ives' piano 
compositions. After a few bars, the maestro screamed "This is not music! This is 
NOISE!" and fled back to New York City.
 
Since my teen years in the previous millennium I've had a 
soft or sucker spot for avant-garde music. 
 
Which is not the same as saying I like it. Nor can you 
judge my feelings for this stuff by calculating the amount of money I've shelled 
out for it. 
 
My talented pianist brother once got dragged to 
a Philip Glass concert, and when the noise started, it grabbed his ear instantly 
and filled him with disgust and anger. (He was too polite to stand up and 
stomp out, he didn't want to offend his date.) 
 
I hope Phil enjoys his prize. 
 
And I wouldn't want to shackle the Foundation with my 
artificial and subjective restraints on picking recipients. 
 
But unlike Gould's achievements, unlike Mozart and 
J.S. Bach, Chopin, Byrd, Gibbons and others, this Noise will not 
stand the Test Of Time. (Ives' noise has stood the test of time far better.) 

 
So there is crap avant-garde, and there is avant-garde 
that rocks and keeps grabbing the ears of the future.
 
In Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Rufus, a 
time-traveller from 2688 AD, comes back to our time to help two hopeless 
idiot teen boys pass their high school history assignment.
 
Eventually Rufus explains why. In 2688 AD, Bill & 
Ted's recorded rock music had become Earth's most beloved and famous music, 
and Bill & Ted were universally worshipped.
 
(I once got my hands on a box of Bill & 
Ted's Excellent Cereal. Ask me off-list how it tasted.)
 
GG Prize or no, this ain't going to happen to 
the œuvre of Philip Glass. Earth is never going to scream ENCORE! for 
Koyaanisqatsi.
 
Thanks Pat for the old knock-knock joke. You know what a 
sucker I am for old dumb jokes.
 
And NASA is never going to get a message from ET that 
says
 
SEND MORE PHILIP GLASS
 
Bob
 
==============
 

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: 
  David 
  To: Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn 
  Gould. 
  Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2015 11:45 
  AM
  Subject: Re: [f_minor] Knock Knock
  

  Like Gould, Glass captured the ear upon first listen. Not many 
  have.

Sent from my iPhone
  
On Apr 15, 2015, at 10:19 AM, Pat 
  <pzumst at bluewin.ch> 
  wrote:


  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    - Knock knock
    - Who’s there ?
    - Knock knock
    - Who’s there ?
    - Knock knock
    - Who’s there ?
    - Knock knock
    - Who’s there ?
    - Knock knock
    - Who’s there ?
    - Knock knock
    - Who’s there ?
    - Phil Glass
     
    ....so, this year’s winner of the GG Prize has been announced and it is 
    Philipp Glass. 
     
    As you all know, with a few exeptions Mr. Gould found that whole 
    minimal thing a bit dull and methinkst at one point he refered to it as 18th 
    Century Music or summet to that extent. (Personally I am not of that 
    opinion, just for the record. What counts here are the opinions of Mr. 
    Gould.)
     
    So I wonder if this was a wise choice. 
     
    Not that I have any grudges against Mr. Glass, far from it. 
     
    Yet I reckon it should have gone to someone with a more “gouldian” 
    approach to music and technology than a former revolutionary composer from 
    the 70s who is  past mainstream and maybe a bit antique by now. And who 
    was parodied by Mr. Gould in one of his rehearsal tapes. 
     
    Or could it be that the Old Boys And Girls Network was in charge, 
    decided to give the prize to “one of us” without any regard whatsoever for 
    any gouldian context or the signals this is sending to the rest of the art 
    world, be done with it, proceed to the lunch buffet, safe in the knowledge 
    that their names will also be mentioned in blogs and articles around the 
    interwebs together with the famous laureate ? Do I smell Politics ? A PR 
    stunt ? Why am I wondering if dear old Pet Clarke has ever seen  or 
    heard Koyaniswhatever ?
     
    At least for me this announcement has a strange aftertaste and I really 
    dunno if Mr. Gould would be happy with the idea of giving a prize in his 
    name to Mr. Glass. Or giving out a prize in his name in general.
     
    Pat
  
    

  

  

  



 		 	   		  
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