Silence by John Cage is a collection of lectures and stories. Some are written in vertical columns. Some have, let’s call it interesting, spacing. And some, as Cage will tell you, have piano accompaniments, street noises, and the like. There was a lecture where he gave himself one minute to tell each story. So if the story had three lines, he had to stretch it. If a story was long, he’d have to talk fast to fit it into a minute. There’s a lecture called What Are We Doing? It’s actually three lectures sharing the same space on the page, written in vertical columns, one part in regular print, one part in bold print, and one part in italics. Mind blowing.
Even more mind blowing, thinking about what silence actually is. And does it even exist? Is sound a constant? Is it different for each individual based on surroundings, personal history, location of the individual to the sound, etc?
And mushrooms. John Cage had a thing for mushrooms.
There were short stories and anecdotes peppered throughout the book, and they were all delightful.
This is a book that any type of artist can appreciate. Also, do yourself a favor and go online and find a video of John Cage’s 4’33. Trust us.
Bowie, Ep. 29 - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark & What Makes One "The Crème de la Crème"
Bowie, Ep. 28 - On Having No Head by Douglas Harding & What If We Didn't Have An Eight Inch Ball
Bowie, Ep. 26 - Strange People by Frank Edwards & Is "Freak" Really The Right Word?
Bowie, Ep. 25 - The Divided Self by R.D. Laing & Why This Book Seemed Personal
Bowie, Ep. 24 - All The Emperor's Horses by David Kidd, aka Peking Story
Bowie, Ep. 23 - Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse & Why Two Ways of Thinking Aren't Better Than One
Bowie, Ep. 22 - The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, Part 2 & Why The Prince Is Really A Serval
Bowie, Ep. 21 - The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, Part 1 & Why the Prince is Swoon-worthy
Bowie, Ep. 20 - On The Road by Jack Kerouac, Part 2 & Why Your Feelings About Sal and Dean Might Change Over Time
Bowie, Ep. 19 - On The Road by Jack Kerouac, Part 1 & Why Bowie Might Be A Dean
Bowie, Ep. 18 - The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard, Part 2 & Why We're Living in the 1950s
Bowie, Ep. 17 - The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard, Part 1 and Why We Are Johnny
Bowie, Ep. 16 - A Grave For A Dolphin by Alberto Denti di Pirajno, Part 2 & Why Our Way Isn't The Only Way
Bowie, Ep. 15 - A Grave For A Dolphin by Alberto Denti di Pirajno, Part 1 & Why We Should Talk To The Animals
Bowie, Ep. 14 - Room At The Top by John Braine, Part 2 & Why We Still Love Joe
Bowie, Ep. 13 - Room At The Top by John Braine, Part 1 & Why The Thin White Duke Is Everywhere
Bowie, Ep. 12 - The Outsider by Colin Wilson, Part 2 & Why We Think Bowie Was Not An Outsider
Bowie, Ep. 11 - The Outsider by Colin Wilson, Part 1 & Why This Book Is The Most Bowie Thus Far
Bowie, Ep. 10, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Part 2 & Why We Are No Longer Charmed
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