John Cage - Speech (1955)

[1fromthecave]

"I'm now putting on my glasses"

[thesir27]

Cage's "art" is like that essay in high school you completely had to bullshit your way through.

[5botball]

"What about crescendo"????????? are you a musician????

[kheitny]

Oh, and the narrator says, "in 1982"

[kheitny]

The Piece was WRITTEN in 1955. This is obviously the early to mid 80's.

[Nanatchka]

I think the date on this is wrong----??

[mankaloo]

Merce Cunningham seems like such an old hen but seems to wind up finishing the show. Cage, like Duchamp was before his time.

[29Hazard]

People like Cage are daddies of electronic music, yeah, nice thing to say to any trance-head when he says he doesn't understand "this terrible mess".

At least the audience here is applausing and not throwing stuff at performers as it did in Russolo's time.

[homesicktree]

thanks for adding this as beyond the democratic parametres set out by youtube i would never have had the opportunity to see this.

[cricachina]

1955????????????

[ubbuu]

hahaha crazy!

[TiraGuscio]

i listen a jethro tull's song from a radio...it's Cross-eyed Mary i think...

Cage genius

[Kiddae27]

I love Cage. His ideas, him as a person, and I'm coming round to some of his music. I find he's a very good teacher as to how to listen to the weird 20th/21st century stuff..he helps me resist the temptation to say "oh fuck this, it's awful".

[jastanger]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Alexsy82]

this has become one of my favorite quotes of his: "The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason."

[hurryupandw8t]

1985?

[iwanttowatchsomethin]

What interests me about this piece is its use of the intersection between chronological time and musical (or composed) time. Not one single sound in this piece is composed by Cage, he just composes "where to put the windows" and "how long to leave them open". Transparent art.

[cavemanmanman]

Dude! You should read Harry Frankfurt "On Bullshit"

[Hothen1]

Yes because if we'd call as the art of sound, the art of eating, we'll be able to eat anything, including shit:)

[iwanttowatchsomethin]

I hear this kind of argument all the time, and its completely logical. But it is sort of akin to the argument that if you don't lock your doors, you'll get robbed. Many do not lock their doors and are unmolested for years, while others are armed to the teeth and are still victims. Cage's music suggests we pay attention to everything, and find out if we can overcome some of our distastes, and petty discomforts. Will it always work? No. Cage, at his best, suggests, rather than insists.

[merdufer]

evolves automatically with age, how convenient.

[jackdelawack]

i was at this performance in nyc@ symphony space for john's 70th birthday fantastic to see it all these years later

[iwanttowatchsomethin]

Wow! What does this video capture, or fail to capture about your experience?

[overloaded999]

STEVETHEBIKER, you hate Cage but seem to be watching all his videos. Just dont view them if you dont like his stuff. What youre doing is like eating shit when you know its shit

[STEVETHEBlKER]

Shit.

[MYNOSEISFULLOFSNOT]

crap