I am dancing in my chair. You see me, shakin' that chair.

If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all.

Wasn't this the principle behind Andy Warhol's movies?

Ben. How long is that thing?

Ben is truly the insufferable music snob. Play some good music for a change, why don't you?

If you've gotten sick of Unfunkked already, here's a party dance mix.

2: Maybe, but John Cage is the one who said it.
3: About 13 minutes.

Amazingly, despite its being hosted on Ubuweb, the link in five is exactly what Ned claims it is.

The "365 days project" is just astonishing.

Some of the music is even good! I recommend the "Chet Bolin" album.

The "365 days project" is just astonishing.

Dude. Yeah. I think the first year was better than the second, but both are a delight. My favorite from the first year: Yaphet Kotto's "Have You Dug His Scene" and "Roundabout," by Yes, as performed by the Leland Stanford, Jr. University marching band.

Great quote, great track. Thanks, ben.

"Roundabout," by Yes, as performed by the Leland Stanford, Jr. University marching band.

I can almost hear this.

The Yes cover Populuxe mentions. In and around the lake, mountains come out of the sky and rock the fuck out, bitch.

No need to imagine it, parsimon.

Well, thanks.

Ubuweb, hmmmm. I think Kenneth Goldsmith would fit the post title well. ("Slobodan Milosevic and Kenny G" is worth a listen—and only 3 1/2 minutes long.)

I have been surprised at what some HS bands will take a go at. Here is "Blister in the Sun", neither well played nor recorded, but from a real halftime show.

This thread is improving my night.

||
A year ago a friend got a grant. Nobody I know gets a grant. This grant was to hire a bunch of us to work on a horrid, doomed, ill-conceived project. It was a "process" grant; no results were wanted by the granting people. I took the money.
Now, tonight, I have to write a report.
I'm stuck.
Thanks for this chance to vent.
>

neither well played nor recorded

What are you talking about? It was recorded.

As for fitting the post title well, there's scads that fits better than the track I posted—but I was listening to that one.

Kenny G's reading of the Investigations is great.

Damn. They really won't stop (won't stop) won't stop the beat.

17.1: Yes, you are right, it was.

17.2: there's scads that fits
Hmmm, not a case where the collective noun calls for a plural verb? (I clearly never learned to stop digging when already in a hole.)

Is Mr. w-lfs-n a Liverpool supporter? After a lifetime free of John Cage quotes, this is the second time today I've heard that same nonsense; a certain Øivind Idso emailed it to the Guardian's Liverpool-Sunderland report (48 min) in hopes of inspiring the audience. Didn't work.

Also, you all should count yourselves lucky I haven't uploaded four minutes and thirty seconds of silence followed by a clip of "Johnny Cage ... Wins".

If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all by the twenty-fifth repitition one has died of old age.

Thank you, Ben. You have made the 6 am return home much more tolerable. I'm not sure if it will help in a horrendously hungover 6 hours, but for now I'm happy. Curious that I can't figure out which precise part of this song was sampled by Cornershop, even though I'm positive some part was...

Someone put out an excerpted version of Cage's silence piece (one minute of silence) and was sued by the Cage estate. Some think that the whole thing was a publicity stunt and the lawsuit was a joke.

Satie's "Vexations" (ca. 1983) was a short piano piece which was to be repeated verbatim 840 times. Its first performance was in 1963, by a team of pianists which included Cage.

Satie also wrote "music furniture" intended as background musicand not to be listened to carefully. The first elevator music. At a first performance he rushed around the hall trying to get people to stop listening and go about their ordinary business. He also was probably the first to write music for a film, though his methods were pretty crude.

He also was a golfer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vexations

That Wiki article is about the best thing I've ever read about Satie, and I own seven books by or about him. The unevenness of wiki is famous, but one of the "long tails" is super wonderful articles.

I'm starting to wonder whether tha Satie article isn't by my old music teacher, now retired, M/ark De/Voto. It's the kind of thing he might do. It seems to break wiki's "no original research" rule, though maybe it's based on published things.

You may return to your previously-scheduled activities.

Am corrupting Vexations, spitting on the intent and concept of the piece, by playing a 3 minute excerpt in repeat.

See you in 28 hours

Say, I have this record. It's a classic!

Understanding Vexations much deeper and more technical, by Robert Orledge who has a Satie page

42 minutes, the room is getting strangely darker, no not darker, dimmer, and I think I smell sulfur

Orledge's technical bookcosts $100+. I have his more popular book.

Link seems dead.

I got it off the Wiki page you linked above

Doesn't seem to open for me either, from my link or the Wiki Vexations page. Music theory stuff, textual analysis, Valadon, numerology, Paracelcus

I went out dancing last night. The music was appalling--ambient and boring (and yes, ambient doesn't have to be boring). Not at all what one had been led to expect. It was doubly disappointing because the crowd wasn't really into the music, so there was all this standing around and half-hearted semi-dancing followed by stopping and getting more drinks. We tried, we really did, but after an hour or so we gave up.

Not only would this track have been about twenty times better than almost everything played, but pretty much everyone would actually have danced to it.

When my first thought is "I could have walked in here with my record collection and played a better set cold, that's pretty bad. (I mean, I've actually done a teeny-tiny bit of DJ-ing at an actual bar, but not for a long time and there certainly was no technical sophistication involved when I did it...pretty much playing music and trying very very hard to get things to fade in and out correctly).

So w-lfs-n, as it gets closer to the end this track starts to sound more and more like Pere Ubu. That's weird.

By dint of a little googling, I find that the EP with this track on it also has a version of something by Donald Ayler, who turns out to be Albert Ayler's younger brother. (And Albert Ayler is the most incredible of the sixties free jazz people...I cannot recommend Music is the healing force of the universe too highly if you like anything even remotely resembling free jazz or even squeaky punk stuff like the Pop Group or James Chance and the Contortions.)

That label, too, Smalltown Superjazz, looks really interesting. I think I might need to get some of those things, or rather some things by the Thing. Only the conviction that my local place with the jazz won't have anything from this label prevents me from rushing out right now. It'll have to be pecial orders don't upset us, I guess.

I never thought I'd say this since I'm a bit insufficiently music geek, but thanks, w-lfs-n. Teh awesome.

At average volume, loud enough so it isn't background, currently at 2h9m of Vexations

All of Kenny G's readings are great, especially The Weather. His show Anal Magic (but it later became Intelligent Design because of FCC bullshit) on WFMU was a collection of the most mellifluous tones you can hear on the radio.

Should we have a pledge drive, Bob? How about if you don't do the whole 840 reps we all send $5 to Obama?

Playing it at low volume would be legit in Satie's scheme, I think.

I had to stop at about 2:30. There was a tension increasing in my shoulders and I was starting yo really listen to it, beginning to be unable to do anything but listen, starting to sense meaning in the phrases. In other words, hallucinations.

Back to normal stuff, Terry Riley, Fripp & Eno, Jon Hassell.

Starting to sense meaning in the phrases.

After about 2-3 hours in a big room with several thousand chickens, you start to hear voices too.

Someone put out an excerpted version of Cage's silence piece (one minute of silence) and was sued by the Cage estate.

That's because it was credited to Cage on the album. The suit makes sense: if you give someone writing credits, you have to pay them royalties. But he didn't.

Ben, that was great. Shakin'

You're welcome, Frowner! Smalltown Superjazz and its parent Smalltown Supersound are indeed great. The band doing this tune is the Thing plus the Cato Salsa Experience and Joe McPhee (as you probably realized) and their other releases (Sounds like a Sandwich and Two Bands and a Legend) are also really good.

Curious that I can't figure out which precise part of this song was sampled by Cornershop, even though I'm positive some part was...

This was released in 2007, if that makes any difference, and is a cover of a Groove Armada tune, if that does.

They made it sound like a grotty funk original that Groove Armada ripped off. Impressive.

That UbuWeb mix is fantastic. The album art is hilarious, what with Groovy Dude leering at a woman as she suggestively deep-throats a banana.

41: I have the idea that Cage's heir is an IP lawyer or a Nozickian libertarian. If the lawsuit wasn't a Dada joke, it was stupid.

43: Thanks Ben, it was the Groove Armada tune that I was thinking of. 44 speaks my mind.

Now I'm just embarrassed, I mean, Cornershop? Really?

After about 2-3 hours in a big room with several thousand chickens, you start to hear voices too.After about 2-3 hours in a big room with several thousand chickens, you start to hear voices too.

Mouseover text.

Oops.

No, it is better twice. Heck, repeat it 10 times for awesome effect.

After about 2-3 hours in a big room with several thousand chickens, you start to hear voices too. After about 2-3 hours in a big room with several thousand chickens, you start to hear voices too. After about 2-3 hours in a big room with several thousand chickens, you start to hear voices too. After about 2-3 hours in a big room with several thousand chickens, you start to hear voices too. After about 2-3 hours in a big room with several thousand chickens, you start to hear voices too. After about 2-3 hours in a big room with several thousand chickens, you start to hear voices too. After about 2-3 hours in a big room with several thousand chickens, you start to hear voices too. After about 2-3 hours in a big room with several thousand chickens, you start to hear voices too.

Passersby were amazed by the unusually large amounts of blood. Passersby were amazed by the unusually large amounts of blood. Passersby were amazed by the unusually large amounts of blood. Passersby were amazed by the unusually large amounts of blood. Passersby were amazed by the unusually large amounts of blood. Passersby were amazed by the unusually large amounts of blood.

51: me.

Is your finger aching? I can feel you hesitating. Is your finger aching? I can feel you hesitating. Is your finger aching? I can feel you hesitating. Is your finger aching? I can feel you hesitating. Is your finger aching? I can feel you hesitating. Is your finger aching? I can feel you hesitating. Is your finger aching? Is your finger aching?

When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed.
Say something once, why say it again?
When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed.
Say something once, why say it again?
When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed.
Say something once, why say it again?
When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed.
Say something once, why say it again?

My sound card is capable of playing ass.mp3 (in winamp, on repeat) at the same time as web.vex. I can even adjust the gain on each track separately. Thank you, you weirdos, this is much more entertaining than the Super Bowl!