Sasha Frere-Jones: “Eno is widely known for coining the term ‘ambient music,’ and he produced a clutch of critically revered albums in the nineteen-seventies and eighties – by the Talking Heads, David Bowie, and U2, among others – but if I had to choose his greatest contribution to popular music it would be the idea that musicians do their best work when they have no idea what they’re doing.”
Archives for June 2014
When Meditation Goes Bad
A psychiatrist and researcher at Brown University is studying an aspect of (now-trendy) mindfulness practice that most in the field avoid: the people for whom meditation leads not to serenity or increased focus, but terror, severe depression, or, occasionally, a psychotic break.
Opera Isn’t In Trouble, It’s Just In An Awkward Phase
“Opera ain’t what it used to be. More to the point, opera companies aren’t what they used to be. The art form is not standing still. It’s growing, uncontrollably, by leaps and messy bounds,” writes Mark Swed – who argues that the problems at U.S. opera’s flagship, the Met, are more about the Met than the art form, and that the controversy over The Death of Klinghoffer demonstrates opera’s innate power.
Shouldn’t Artists Benefit When Their Paintings Sell For Millions, Or Even Thousands? (In Favor Of Droit De Suite)
“U.S. copyright law protects ‘published’ works, and a work of art is not ‘published,’ simply made and sold – so once a work of art is out of an artist’s hands, the future profits, too, are gone. … In the music world, a minor scandal arose when Chuck Berry was cheated out of part of his royalty rights for ‘Maybellene.’ In the art world, everybody is Chuck Berry.”
Egypt’s Superstar Archaeologist Is Back
Zahi Hawass, whose energy, media savvy and telegenic personality made him the modern face of Egyptian antiquities, had a difficult few years as Egypt’s political turmoil unfolded. But he’s at work once again, telling the world, “With all this, I have to tell you that Egypt is safe.”
ARTnews Sold To New Owner That’s Now Called ARTnews
“The venerated New York art magazine that has had a tough time in recent years adapting to digital media … will become part of Abbey House Group, a Polish art and media company. Abbey House will take on the name ARTnews starting July 1.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 06.30.14
The Trouble With Opera
AJBlog: CultureCrash | Published 2014-06-30
Droit de Suite revisited
AJBlog: For What it’s Worth | Published 2014-06-30
Stream come true
AJBlog: Life’s A Pitch | Published 2014-06-30
A new face in the canon
AJBlog: About Last Night | Published 2014-06-30
First View: A Pre-Opening At The Clark
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-06-30
NEA Jazz Masters: Joe Segal
AJBlog: RiffTides | Published 2014-06-30
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That Time The English National Ballet Took The Stage Directly After Metallica
“It’s extremely exciting. This is really big for us. Really big. And fantastic for the company to be recognised as a company that is able to stand up next to the artists that are performing.”
Brazil Is Winning Social Media And The Internet – And You Probably Know Nothing About It
“Brazilians are arguably the most hyper-social people on the internet. They spend twice as much time using social media as the global average, and more time online than watching TV.”
These Young Actors Perform 52 Plays In 5 And A Half Hours – For Free
“The actors playing [big-name characters] off Off Broadway, at the Flea Theater in TriBeCa, are not famous — but they’re young, hopeful and ravenous enough about performing to do it free.”
The Painting That Inspired ‘Psycho’ – And 14 Other Artworks That Inspired Films
“Directors have frequently used imagery from painting and other art forms to shape the look and meaning of their works.”
Author Whose Novels Have Sold More Than 10 Million Copies Says She’d Be Considered A Failure If She Were Starting Now
Val McDermid: “Like most writers, you start off feeling your way. I don’t think many of us launched ourselves into the world of writing books fully formed.”
Solving A Literary Mystery That Involved A Dark Night, Snow, And A Train
“For many writers, research is a big yawn. The past is a foreign country, and who cares how they do things differently there? Research is reading disintegrating papers in dusty libraries; sifting through shoe boxes in ancient attics; interviewing people who don’t know when to stop talking.”
What ‘Harry Potter’ Author J.K. Rowling Really Thinks Of The Publishing Industry
“Rowling’s point seems to be that this is a culture narrowly interbred. It’s also one of ego-maniacs. And the writers, or would-be writers, are the worst of the batch.”
Got A Problem On Broadway? Call The Arranger
“He has shape-shifted alongside Eric Idle on ‘Spamalot,’ John Kander on ‘The Scottsboro Boys,’ and Matt Stone, Trey Parker and Bobby Lopez on ‘Mormon,’ for which he did dance arrangements only (though that assignment included the chance to write a spiky, Metallica-inspired guitar solo for the Devil in ‘Spooky Mormon Hell Dream’).”
A Starchitect Comes In Third, And Wins The Competition To Build Iraq’s New Parliament
“There is now anger after it was revealed that Ms Hadid personally signed the contract to design the complex last month at the Iraqi embassy in London – with some in Iraq upset they have been unable to see the plans.”
Want To See The U.S. Change In Front Of Your Eyes? Watch Football
“America did experience a watershed moment of sorts. It wasn’t the election of Barack Obama. It wasn’t the U.S. birth rate hitting a record low in 2013. Instead, it was the Super Bowl. Specifically this year’s Super Bowl commercials.”
Green Bay Symphony Had ‘Fluke’ Profitable Years, Will Still Come To An End
“Westergan said this week he and other musicians have been meeting with organizers of a ‘Save the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra’ Facebook page, to determine whether any of the nearly 2,000 supporters of that site are willing to explore fundraising options.”
The Agony Of Basic Acting Class
“Frances has done what the rest of us have been trying to do all semester: cry during a performance, a kind of truth we’ve learned can only be achieved when an actor is connected to his or her body, an idea I pretend to understand but don’t.”
Want To Protest NSA Surveillance? Wear Your Private Messages As Art
“The project is a simple badge with an e-ink display. The badge is coupled with an app on your smartphone, which searches your phone’s messages and communications for NSA trigger words like ‘assassination’ or ‘bomb.’ It then displays those words on the badge in bold for everyone to see.”
Top AJBlogs From 06.29.14
Dvorak’s “Hiawatha” Symphony
AJBlog: Unanswered Question | Published 2014-06-30
Act Now, If You Care About The Fate Of The Corcoran
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-06-29
Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Big Data
AJBlog: We The Audience | Published 2014-06-29
Facebook To Freaked-Out Users: So We Manipulated Your Emotions. What’s The Big Deal?
“Facebook now knows it should subject you to emotional steroids to keep you coming back. It makes me wonder what other kind of psychological manipulation users are subjected to that they never learn about because it isn’t published in an academic journal.”
Yes, Yes, Sir Ian McKellen Is Gay, But More To The Point, He’s *Old*
And so is co-star Derek Jacobi: “There is not even that much talk in the series about them being gay. To me, it’s much more interesting that they are a couple who have been together for 50 years and they get to be at the center. You don’t get to see that frequently on TV.”
The Age Of The TV Antihero
“Fuck likability. I don’t give two shits if someone likes my characters. I do care whether they’re attracted to them.”
For The First Time, Britain Appoints A Woman To Be Master Of The Queen’s Music
“It has yet to be decided if she will use the title of master or mistress.”