Research Catalog

Interview with John Cage

Title
Interview with John Cage, 1984
Publication
1984.

Available Online

NYPL Digital Collections

Details

Additional Authors
  • Cage, John
  • Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation donor.
Found In
Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection.
Description
1 streaming video file (95 min) : sound, color
Summary
An interview with John Cage from 1984, conducted in his New York apartment by a pair of University of Michigan student interviewers, whose identities are unknown as of this writing. They appear to be music and composition graduate students. Cage begins by talking about his childhood and early years in the Ann Arbor area, and speaks about his father. He then discusses the poetry reading he gave in Ann Arbor, and the influences that bear on his poetry, along with the ways his practice as a Zen Buddhist influences his art (2:52). This shifts into a consideration of the use of chance operations and Asian philosophy in Cage's creative process (6:00). The differences and commonalities between Cage's theatrical. musical and poetical works, focusing particularly on his use of language and sound to engender response, are then discussed, shading into musings on the contrast between the contrasting ways in which Western and Eastern audiences perceive identical works on a culturally shaped cognitive level (13:50). Following an abrupt edit and brief video dropout, Cage and his interlocutors discuss the nature of want and the genesis of creative inspiration on a spiritual and psychological level , with emphasis on the difference between controlled and freely anarchic hierarchies within an artistic ensemble. They especially debate the work of composer Glenn Branca (22:20). They then talk about the role of confusion versus clarity in terms of audience receptivity, then detouring into an exchange about the use of sound and tone once more (38:00). Cage then discusses the composition/performance he's currently working on (possibly the same year's A Collection of Rocks, though this is not certain) (43:00). Cage then talks about the method by which he considers a work to be 'finished', as well as considering the general impossibility of offering advice on the improvisatory creative process to others, which flows into a deeper investigation of the nature and uses of improvisation in art, especially as made possible by then emerging video art movements and software programs (48:00). Following what appears to be the end of the interview, additional footage appears in which Cage further discusses his relationship with audiences and their patterns of response and resistance to his and others' challenging work (71:15). Interview ends abruptly at 1:33:00.
Alternative Title
Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection. Moving image materials.
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Music.
  • Video.
  • Interviews.
  • Nonfiction films.
Note
  • Title provided by cataloger, based on original container label.
Access (note)
  • Patrons can access streaming video file online only on site at the Library for the Performing Arts.
System Details (note)
  • Streaming video.
Source (note)
  • Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation
Linking Entry (note)
  • Forms part of the Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection.
Call Number
*MGZIDF 6764
OCLC
980347886
Title
Interview with John Cage, 1984
Production
1984.
Country of Producing Entity
United States.
Type of Content
two-dimensional moving image
Type of Medium
video
computer
Type of Carrier
online resource
Performer
John Cage, interviewee.
Event
Recorded 1984. New York City.
System Details
Streaming video.
Original Version
Original format: 1 videocassette (VHS) ; 1/2 in.
Restricted Access
Patrons can access streaming video file online only on site at the Library for the Performing Arts.
Linking Entry
Forms part of the Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection.
Source
Gift; Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation, 2011-2012.
Connect to:
NYPL Digital Collections
Added Author
Cage, John, interviewee.
Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation donor.
Added Title
Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection. Moving image materials.
Found In:
Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection.
Research Call Number
*MGZIDF 6764
View in Legacy Catalog