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WHEN_THE_END_IS_NEAR

                                       October 17, 1999
                                     Rev: July  4, 2004


One of the few things I do do on
the-scene-without-a-name (outside          IMP_PERVERSE
of acting as a consumer), is to
organize an annual event at KZSU,
the Stanford radio station,              I usually describe it
called "The Day of Noise".               as "24 hours dedicated
                                         to live, improvised sounds".

In recent years, a young fellow who usually
goes by the name of Smurph has volunteered
as audio engineer and general partner in
crime.
                                                    An excerpt from
During one event, Matt Ingalls was                  this appears on the
performing solo, blowing hard and complex           KZSU live CD.
things on the clarinet.  When he finished
I was supposed to start a tape for him.

Smurph was in the control room, talking
to me about something while Matt was            Some insider jargon:
performing in the adjoining studio.             Main control room: "Studio A"
(A window looks out on this studio              Adjoining performance space:
from the control room.)                         "Outer A".

I held up a hand to interrupt Smurph,                        The KZSU
and turned to look through the window                        "record label"
at Matt Ingalls:                                             is now called
                                                             "Outer A Records".
   Me:     "This seems promising
   Smurph: "Huh? What?"
   Me:     "Well, he wants me to start
            this tape when he finishes."

Then Matt brought the piece to a close,
looking up and nodding at me at the
same time, and I started the tape.

Smurph was really impressed by
this.  He said something about
how I have a "really good ear",     I sometimes tell this
and that he had no idea that        story to "outsiders"
the piece was going to end.         who are skeptical
                                    that there's anything
   The point here is not            of value in the music.
   that my ears are all that
   amazing, but that even                   It's a small piece of
   someone like Smurph,                     objective evidence
   who's definitely                         that the insiders
   interested in unusual                    hear something there
   music actually couldn't                  that the outsiders don't.
   hear what was going on.
   His ear was sympathetic,                     Maybe you just haven't
   but not experienced.                         picked up on it yet,
                                                you know?
      (Smurph's musical
      interests seem to
      grow out of punk                  I don't really think of myself
      rock and perhaps                  as someone with a lot of
      electronic/industrial             musical knowledge: I've taken
      noise bands.                      no classes in music theory, I
      Improvised jazz                   read about music only
      and so on are                     occasionally, and I wouldn't
      relatively recent                 claim that I know how to play
      interests.)                       any instrument beyond the rank
                                        beginner stage... But evidentally
                                        I've picked up something in the
                                        years of listening...


So that's a barrier that needs
to be overcome.  Being able to
"get it" usually requires an
immersion in different kinds of
sound art for years.  This
amount of attention is most
often -- though not solely --     CATCH_5_7_TIME
found in musicians.

And this has a lot to do
with the small audience
sizes for the typical show of --
                                           A counter-example:
  improv/creative/new/avant/art
                                             ZORN_ADVANTAGE
  -- music           IMP_PERVERSE


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