In Reply to: Yes - This is a very affecting, heartfelt Summary posted by Chris from Lafayette on September 25, 2009 at 14:35:30:
Chris from Lafayette,
Yes, I think I've been influenced by Gould in several ways, but most importantly in the way Gould never stood on conventional thinking- and had worked everything out to a point of absolute confidence and ironclad arguments in support. In my view, Gould was one of those once-generation geniuses who wore himself out reinventing the universe from a zero point everytime he was awake.
You're probably correct that Gould would approve of the "re-performance". Gould seems to have presaged a lot of Warhol and the Pop concept of the surface being the substance- and Gould's brand of modernism- that is, anti-romantic- idea of the artist as medium, removed from the conceptual mix of a factory, mass-produced object (recording). Gould talks of the anonymous monk in the scriptorium turning out masterpieces of illuminated manuscripts.
Thanks for reminding about Hafner's book, "A Romance on Three Legs", which I meant to read when it came out. What I know of it reminds me of Simon Winchester, "The Professor and the Madman" -who I find entertaining.
On Friday as it happens, I received both the (Vampire Wire) crimp-on spades (to allow me to finally use the Audioquest Rocket 88 speaker cables I've had almost two months), and a bright red Gaggia espresso machine. A few high octane cappuccinos, some wire stripping, and sloppy crimping later, I stayed up until 4AM listening to Gould- "English Suites" and "Well Tempered Clavier" BKII, plus Froberger, Beethoven Late Qu.s with Italiano, some "Lied v.d.E", some more from the excellent 15-CD Leonhardt Jubilee set ($21 at Amazon!), and ending with John Dowland- more from the 12-CD collected works set by Rooley, Kirkby, and Co. The Dowland lute songs were such a nice relief from my usual "Gangsta Friday".
Very pleasant all round, and though I have 10 new tubes in the SP10, new interconnects between the Oracle TT and SP10 and the Rocket 88's are an unknown as to burn-in, I can hear the potential. I think the Rocket 88 speaker cables will prove to be one of the best single upgrades I've ever done- I could really hear Gould humming! And, after all that nuclear coffee- I could hear the humming long after the system was turned off,..
Cheers,
Bambi B
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Follow Ups
- My evening with Gould, Gaggia, and 88 Rockets ! - Bambi B 09/27/0918:00:11 09/27/09 (8)
- RE: My evening with Gould, Gaggia, and 88 Rockets ! - jult52 11:27:51 09/29/09 (2)
- Beethoven Quartets and LP vs. CD - Bambi B 14:51:48 09/29/09 (1)
- RE: Beethoven Quartets and LP vs. CD - jult52 08:31:31 10/1/09 (0)
- "I could hear the humming long after the system was turned off" - Chris from Lafayette 20:23:07 09/27/09 (0)
- The anti-romantic? - Travis 18:13:30 09/27/09 (3)
- I'm considering Gould's mode of conceptualising as expressionism - Bambi B 23:54:42 09/27/09 (1)
- RE: I'm considering Gould's mode of conceptualising as expressionism - Travis 08:44:52 09/29/09 (0)
- RE: The anti-romantic? - Chris from Lafayette 20:33:28 09/27/09 (0)