We asked friend of Liquid Music, DJ, and host of 89.3 The Current's weekly show Transmission Jake Rudh to help us explore the ever-unfolding world of Laurie Anderson as part of our extra-curricular listening series in prep for Anderson's performance on Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 8:00pm. Dive in and see what you find.
Laurie Anderson is one of America's most celebrated (and daring) creative pioneers working in the worlds of art, theater and music. For over five decades she has pushed the boundaries of what those worlds are and can be and luckily for us, continues to do so today. Because of Laurie's expansive talent over multiple mediums, her work means different things to many different people. I was honored to have been asked by the SPCO's Liquid Music Series what it means to me and to share a few personal highlights of her work.
O Superman
"O Superman" ... the song that introduced much of the world to Laurie Anderson and can be found on her debut album "Big Science" from 1981. It was so popular in the UK, that it actually hit the #2 spot on the singles chart. An influential piece to many, you can find it covered, remixed and quoted in many different places. One place I was happy to see it was on permanent exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
As an extra treat, you can find footage of David Bowie covering this song during his 1997 "Earthling" tour online.
Peter Gabriel + Laurie Anderson: Excellent Birds
Outside of her own expansive catalog, Laurie has collaborated with some of the world's most respected artists crossing many different genres. From William S. Burroughs and John Cage to Jean Michel Jarre, Philip Glass and Peter Gabriel.
Laurie Anderson PSA
One thing I've always enjoyed about Ms. Anderson is her humor. For as serious of topics as she covers with her work, there is often a lighter tone that is always appreciated.
The Puppet Motel
Though she has over 30+ years of exceptional material to choose from, I wanted to include "The Puppet Motel" from 1994's "Bright Red" release as it's a personal favorite (both song and album). It's produced by Brian Eno and his genius is felt throughout. As is often with both artists, the magic is in the subtleties.
In Our Sleep (featuring Lou Reed)
Laurie began dating Lou Reed back in 1992 and was married to him from 2008 until his death in 2013. There's no doubt they supplied each other much creativity and inspiration, and it's our good fortune that they decided to record some of it.
Heart of a Dog
One of Laurie's latest works is a documentary called "Heart of a Dog" touching on subjects such as death, loss and most importantly unconditional love.
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