George Free wrote:
> >
> >Well, I do agree with you about Cage. I made the point recently to someone
> that
> >Cage was never the anarchist he claimed to be in all his interviews and
> books.
> >Real anarchy would have threatened his position as an artist.
>
> How so? Cage was an anarchist in the American individualist tradition of
> Thoreau.
>
Yes. Or so he claimed. And made art out of Thoreau's writings etc. I'm just
saying there's a difference between the naive anarchism of some so-called
"cultural workers" and the actuality of political situations. The point I made
to my friend about Cage was "Sure, he was an anarchist, but only in the
cultural sphere." What I meant was talking about "anarchy" and doing it are two
different things. Hey, what the post-Fluxus press is feeding you may be lies
too, no?
I don't believe everything I read. And I don't read everything I believe
either. I have a tape called John Cage "Talking" (S-Tapes 1975) and on it I
heard a picture of a pretentious over-the-hill avant-gardist thinking it was OK
to preach to a converted German (of course) audience.
> >admirable qualities Cage had though. For instance, during most of his
> career he
> >really lived hand-to-mouth and had to teach etc..
>
> Why is this admirable? ...Not that I don't think Cage was admirable, but
> working can be admirable too, no?
>
Sure. Work is admirable.
>
> It wasn't til later in his
> >career that he became self-sufficient as an artist and then he adopted a
> very
> >strange attitude: he maintained a strict work-ethic.
>
> Art is a discipline.... Where's the contradiction between art and hard work?
I dunno. Ask Andre Breton. Another dead guy.
> After all that talk about
> >how unemployment was the state of Budhhist enlightenment (which I believe
> he got
> >from Berlin Dada) , he proceeded to become a professional composer/aritist.
> >Ironic, no?
> >
>
> I don't remember seeing any glorification of unemployment in Cage's work.
> .... apropos: enlightenment; it takes a lot of discipline to become
> enlightened! How long did the Buddha sit under the tree at Bodhgaya?
Well at this point I'm just gonna say, you probably know better and I am an
imbecile because I can't cite chapter and verse on Cage right now. I'll leave
that *quite gladly* to the academics.
>
> >The reason I don't do my writing and art anonymously is that it has been
> done to
> >death and why make that sacrifice to cover old ground. I mean Duchamp said
> "go
> >underground" but it reflects such a cynical stance.
> >
>
> Again, interestingly. Cage's works were filled with his signature.
> Literally. Which was so beautiful.
>
> What did Duchamp mean by "go underground"? relate art to life??? Where's the
> cynicism?
And I also tire of all this discursive masturbation. BP dared me and I told him
why I wouldn't that's all. One thing I do still admire about Cage was his
optimism. Give a choice between hoping for the best and clouds of pessimism I
choose the former. Even if it breaks my heart sometimes.
So, George, let me put this question to you. Do you think what Cage did really
changed the world for your garbageman?
RA
