Re: microsound Digest 1 Feb 2002 18:38:37 -0000 Issue 478

[david turgeon <david.t@xxxxxxxx>]

At 18:38 2002-02-01 +0000, you wrote:
> Actually I must tell a story - all too true - along this line.  Once
> many years ago I was in a club in SF and found myself discussing
> theory with someone then quite active in the dance music "scene"
> here.  I mentioned that I was fond of Derrida and found his
> techniques quite useful, at which point the other told me that my
> deconstructionist was strictly for "UC Berkeley wankers" and that the
> only people worth reading were Deleuze and Guattari.

i don't know, to me (warning: subjective assessment ahead) the only 
philosophy one needs to read is first period wittgenstein, though that 
might sound shocking (or old school) to some.  anyway, the _tractatus_ is 
more like a philosophical construction kit than an actual philosophy.  i 
must admit to have failed to understand much about the formal logic parts 
though.

this thread is quite a fun read.  i don't mind deleuze & guattari, haven't 
had much of a chance to read them (other than a very short book by the 
former which was poetic & enlightening), but i've always wondered why they 
were the only available philosophers for modern artists to namecheck.  but 
i suppose i would understand if i read D&G.  i used to read philosophy to 
put me asleep.  which is not to say i didn't enjoy the books.  a novel 
usually keeps me awake much later at night.  anyway, i'm sure i'm not being 
very constructive with all this.

as for cage, i once read a biography of his (_john cage (ex)plain(ed)_ by 
richard kostelanetz) which explicited the indeterminancy concept, & i was 
stunned to discover that i had done similar things 2 years before.  i had 
even called one of the tracks "landscape music" unknowing of the 1948 piece 
_in a landscape_.  so i've got to wonder, is it just that these ideas are 
monstrously self-obvious, or do we say "coincidence"?  or "yes, obvious 
idea luke, but you obviously didn't go as far as the master"?  or "go to 
sleep, david it's 2:45AM for fuck's sake"?

anyway i mostly just read comic books & mailing lists nowadays.

have a nice day
~ david