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From: ags@pucc-i (Seaman)
Newsgroups: net.music,net.music.classical
Subject: Re: As long as we're talking about Cage...
Message-ID: <271@pucc-i>
Date: Sat, 12-May-84 12:52:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: pucc-i.271
Posted: Sat May 12 12:52:02 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 14-May-84 01:15:33 EDT
References: <3765@tekecs.UUCP>
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Lines: 31

>     "There is a Cage work which calls for several radios to be tuned across
>  the band in a random path (of course) simultaneously. one evening during the
>  performance, there was a widely broadcasted state-of-the-union address
>  on most of the stations. The random nature of the performance was thus
>  hilariously lost." (no one could say it wasn't entertainment, though!)

I can't vouch for the story, but it seems likely enough.  What makes you think
Cage didn't anticipate the possibility of a program showing up on many 
different stations at once, or that he didn't consider the effect it would have
on the audience?  The audience (and its reaction to the work) is a part of the 
performance.  Who says Cage's work is purely random and devoid of creativity?
You admitted it was entertaining.

PBS once showed a documentary film about Christo's "Running Fence".  In the
film the artist stated that he considered the effect of his work on the
community to be an integral part of the work itself.  The most entertaining
part of the film (for me, anyway) was listening to the arguments of the
people who were virulently anti-fence (why were they so threatened by a 
little fence?) [OK, so it wasn't so little.]  I have noticed that Christo
has turned down commissioned works, and I suspect that might be part of the
reason (you don't get the same kind of reaction from a community that INVITED
you in to do a work which they suggested).

I'll confess I enjoyed the Running Fence more than Cage's music.
-- 

Dave Seaman
..!pur-ee!pucc-i:ags

"Against people who give vent to their loquacity 
by extraneous bombastic circumlocution."