In the seminal essay The Prospects of Recording, Glenn Gould “explores the vast changes in musical ontology, phenomenology, production, and listening brought about by audio recording” (see Audio Culture, edited by Christoph Cox and Daniel Warner, pp 115-126). The Glenn Gould archives have Part A of that essay online, but …
Garrison Keillor plays the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC)
Because we are blessed with the best public radio station in the country (WUNC), we frequently receive the best that public radio has to offer, live and in person. Earlier this month, A Prairie Home Companion came to Durham, North Carolina to produce and broadcast a show at our new …
The Obamas transform the White House into a Salon
In the comic strip Doonesbury, the White House is an iconic representation of all that is wrong with America and American power, the ironic home of presidents who, one way or another, come to represent the very evil they have sworn and affirmed their duty to defeat. Candidate Obama ran …
Construction and Deconstruction
While I have been fairly diligent about maintaining my construction blog, I have neglected to blog about much else since January, which could mislead the reader into believing either that nothing else of interest is happening, or, worse, that nothing else has been interesting me, both of which are false. …
Ben Folds makes my day
Ben Folds may claim “You Don’t Know Me”, but actually the truth is he doesn’t…know me…yet. And yet, it’s like he does.
WUNC highlights the creative importance of the Public Domain
WUNC is a fantastic resource for all manner of news and analysis, and I’m not just talking about the excellent NPR programming they carry. The State of Things is one of North Carolina’s local treasures—valuable because it uncovers daily the local treasures of our state. Professor Jamie Boyle is one …
Why Dissonance is the new Harmony (a lesson in Authenticity)
I’ve always had a soft spot for Youth Radio on NPR, but What’s is the new What? has taken that affection to a whole new level. The story Dissonance is the new Harmony prompted me to set a bookmark that day and commit to blog it when I had the …
My first five minutes with James Taylor
James Taylor has been a blessing to me since hearing his records in high school more than 20 years ago. While I did also listen to music that was louder (Jimi Hendrix) or bigger (Led Zepplin) or more highly produced (The Beatles), his voice, his guitar playing, and the lyrics …
In Defense of Piracy (Larry Lessig)
Larry Lessig is always writing great blog postings, and I have him in my blogroll so that his ideas are easy to access. However, I’m blogging his essay In Defense Of Piracy specifically because it was picked up by the Wall Street Journal, meaning that perhaps some of the people …
The Art of Possibility
A few years ago my wife Amy was encouraged on short notice to attend a lecture by Benjamin Zander; due to non-existent publicity for the event they needed seat fillers at UNC’s Memorial Hall. Despite the limited audience (Zander writes that he is equally enthusiastic when speaking to five people …