Laurie Anderson is a performance artist, a wonderful one. She utilizes visual techniques along with music to tell her stories about human beings, and, in particular, American human beings. She also uses many “technical tricks” on stage: harmonizers, repetitions of images, and a tape-bow violin. A very skilled performer.
The performance artist discusses literary, technical, and musical aspects of her work. The first part of this episode analyzes the literary aspects of Anderson’s work, such as her penchant for funny stories and wordplay. Anderson talks about fellow artist Chris Burden and the elimination of metaphor. She discusses how her artistic approach runs counter to “the California sense of the world”; The second part of this episode emphasizes the technical aspects of Anderson’s work, such as the instruments she has created. Anderson also talks about the nature of theater and performance. Includes excerpts from performance at Cabrillo College Music Festival and of recorded works.
Contains the following recordings: “Three Expediencies”; (studio); “It’s Not the Bullet That Kills You, It’s the Hole”; (studio),”Time to Go (for Diego)”; (studio);”Born, Never Asked”; (studio); untitled tape-bow violin performance at 1979 Cabrillo College Music Festival; “Closed Circuits”; (live at Cabrillo); “The Language of the Future”; (live at Cabrillo); “Born, Never Asked”; (live at Cabrillo); “New York Social Life”; (studio).