laurie anderson at Lincoln Center Festival

[ellenkushner]

Just got back from seeing Laurie Anderson's new piece, "Homeland." I didn't find it as engaging as some of her other stuff (Strange Angels is still in my Top 10 list) - but as she said in the program interview, "[We're] living in a culture where it's a given that there is something wrong with you. People feel that they need to be fixed and that sort of thinking sometimes manufactures problems.... It's claustrophobic. It's a niche thing. Artists suffer from this niche thing as well. 'What's your niche? Stay in it!' This is another reason I experiment with other perspectives. For me it's hard to stay in that one little place. There's just not a lot of room in there."

No wonder melodican thinks she's the ultimate Interstitial artist.

My favorite line was: "You know why I love the stars so much? Because we can't do anything to them."

Her band was terrific, too: the hard-working glitterati of the New York new music scene (including one of the founders of Tin Hat Trio) . . .So we notice there's an empty chair to one side, with a guitar next to it. And sure enough, 3/4 of the way through the program she stops to introduce the band, and then brings out "special guest LOU REED." Oh yeah. We were in Row Q, so I didn't get to look up his nose or anything, but it was a thrill anyhow. Turns out they've done this before, and it's up online on her website, a song called "Lost Art of Conversation" - only he actually sang; they did it as a duet tonight . Audience went nuts, of course - she may be a hero to us, but he's a genuine celeb and Figure of an Age. (They've been married for about 10 years.) So during the riotous applause that followed, it was especially nice to see the way he looked at her like, "You are just amazing."

Comments

[intelligentrix.livejournal.com]

I love her work, probably at least in part because it is so difficult to categorize, and because she is not afraid to experiment. I have been known to reject people as potential partners for disliking her work. (Well, maybe not solely on that basis, but I find it's a good indicator of a certain narrowness of mind.)

[radioactiveart.livejournal.com]

This is an interesting post in terms of timing...a friend of mine was just blogging from the Nuyorican Poets' Cafe a little while ago, speculating on whether or not the mysterious guy playing guitar on stage before the poetry started might be Lou Reed. You just solved the mystery!

[intelligentrix.livejournal.com]

Just read your addendum and now I'm totally jealous. Sounds like an amazing concert!

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Aha - which answers my eternal question about whether anyone actually reads addendums once they've seen the original post! Thank you, thank you.

[girasole.livejournal.com]

I have never actually seen her perform, but my Lj tag line is a quote from her "Technology is the campfire around which we tell our stories."

She and Lou Reed have been together for at least ten years, but they married only recently, possibly this year.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Really? That's so cool.

[rojomojo.livejournal.com]

Oh!!!! I am so envious!

The Sacramento music so sucks.

rojo

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Is that where you are, Sacramento? Well, she's touring all over - check out her website.

Good Call

[rojomojo.livejournal.com]

Looked it up and she is playing in Davis (30 mile drive) in late October. Time to give my wife a subtle birthday present hint.

thanks for the heads up.

rojo

[suzanna-o.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I saw Laurie Anderson's Homeland show in Boulder in April. (The same weekend she and Lou Reed were married in Boulder, actually-- they have been together for many years, but married only this year.)
Apparently the Homeland album won't be out until next year.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

They were married in Boulder? how lovely!

[kergillian.livejournal.com]

I've seen Laurie Anderson perform many times! I'm a huge fan of hers!
I even got to meet her once. She is so tiny, and was so quiet...
But she was very friendly and she signed my copy of STORIES FROM THE NERVE BIBLE which made me a better person.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Excellent. (And what an icon!)

I insisted on doing a phone interview with her for WGBH once when she was in Boston - I've still got the tape somewhere. I remember being a complete idiot; it was one of the first interviews I'd ever done, and I was a complete rube. Live and learn.