sarah masen
really David
by Denna on Mon May 07 14:49:47 +0000 2001 in The Arsenal
My theater-loving friend (she has both a B.A. and an M.F.A. in theater) took me to see Laurie Anderson perform at the University of Michigan a couple years ago as a birthday present. This particular performance was Anderson’s interpretation of Herman Melville’s "Moby Dick".
Here’s a (very) brief account of my Laurie Anderson experience.
Being a violinist myself, I have always been interested in artists who fuse sounds from stringed instruments into rock/alternative music…ie Laurie Anderson and John Cale (going beyond the mainstream Dave Matthews band). Seeing her play live, from an analytical violinist standpoint, allowed me a chance to view the subtilties of her musicality…the way she pulled the bow over the strings, the positions, and the physical stance she took while playing. …which was totally different from the classically trained sit in the chair symphony string player. It’s like comparing Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson to a flutist from the Boston Pops.
The other reason (and perhaps out weighs the first reason) was that she held a question and answer period after the show. Anyone who wanted to stay could participate in a town meeting fomatted chat session with Laurie Anderson herself. This was totally unique to any other concert I had previously attended. During this time period, I was able to learn about things such as the development cycle of this particular piece as well as the design and the production of the propriety instruments used in the show (a.k.a. the talking stick…see laurieanderson.com for more info on that one).
To sum it up: Being the type of person who, after finding something pleasing (a musician, piece of art, book, etc.), needs to know everything about it. Seeing Laurie Anderson as well as participating in the discussion session afterward exposed me to elements of her music/performance art that I couldn’t have gotten anywhere else.
OK….so that wasn’t very short. And now for you, David… what was it like seeing Victoria Williams live?
