Austin Kleon — Philip Glass: “It’s the not knowing that makes it...

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See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don’t wanna

Great mini-interview w/ Beck and Philip Glass about their recent collaboration.

I’m interested in what happens to music when other people use it. Whereas there are composers who don’t like anyone to touch their music, I think people should because they do things I can’t think of. I’m the opposite of being possessive about a piece.

He illustrates this idea in a story about Arthur Russell:

I wrote him a cello piece, and he liked the work and was playing it. And I came back about three months later, and I heard it and I said, “Arthur, that’s beautiful, but what happened to the piece?” And he said, “No, no, that is what you wrote,” and I said, “Arthur, it’s no longer what I wrote, it’s your piece now.” And he thought I was being upset, he apologized and I said, “No, no, no, I think we should put you down as the composer.” He had reached the point of transformation. The incremental changes had turned it into this other thing. I love the fact that he did that. And I love the fact that he didn’t know that he did it.

Filed under: not knowing

notknowing arthur russell philip glass collaboration beck music show your work

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