Reading blog #2

John Cage is a complete unicorn artist whose influence and relevance feels like it only grows. I had some familiarity with him coming into the class - I understood his legend status in the reshaping of the definition of music and the bravery it took to do so, and had listened to a couple of his more formal compositions - but I don't think I recognized exactly how impactful he was to the broader art world, and his incredible resilience to controversy, instead optimistically committing to his vision regardless of economic struggles. I can understand how he is more greatly regarded in the realm of experimental/minimal/concept/post-modern what-have-you art as the devoted, careful theory he invented and explored in his work resonates with that of the visual artists of those camps. I appreciate his serious intentionality to his work, having a distaste for arbitrary muzak and a general unrelenting passion for his visions as if it was scientific, yet without posing on a pedestal because of that. Even though his work can easily be disregarded as a prankster "i could do that!! why is he famous??" artist, the ingredients of his drive, experimentalism, and lack of self seriousness are, I think, are essential for achieving goat status and making any lasting landmark in art. This article also made me think further about art I consume that is directly influenced my him, like minimal and ambient music, the latter of which I think is the most underrated genre, and one of my favorites. I also find that much of my favorite music involves noise, found sound and field recorded sound, to a point where it has formed entire genres, melted with more traditional music styles, and some of those techniques have even popped up in mainstream music both recently and in the past. I feel like in the scape of modern music, Cage can be one of the main artists attributed to founding the idea of non-instrumental sonic atmosphere in recording music.

The Disintegration Loops by William Basinski, a modern classic ambient album that's heavily influenced by John Cage