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| RTomens, 2023 |
Made this morning whilst the wind kept whipping the page forward as it rushed down the alley into the back garden where the dazzling sun illuminated leaves moist from overnight rain. Its sound and power seemed to spur me on to type and compose even faster than usual.
*
Not yet.
Not ever?
Would I be capable of writing a review the length of this one by Michael Eisenberg at Avant Music News regarding Denis Dufour: Complete Acousmatic Works, Vol. 1 (Kairos, 2021).
I sit on the loo contemplating my incapabilities...
My failings, I think for a moment, do a disservice to monumental box sets of such musical depth...yet...I AM WHAT I AM!
At the risk of sounding like one of those posters at train stations, it's OK to be what you are (unless you're an evil wrongdoer). Yes, sir, I know there's 'room for improvement'. That was a frequent message from my teacher on school reports. Huh, the story of my life? The story of many people's lives, surely. perhaps everyone's. A brain surgeon may have achieved the pinnacle of his chosen career, but I bet he could improve on his housework - ha-ha.
I do try. As proof, I can tell you that I'm further into Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow than I've ever travelled before. That, after several attempts where I got no further than about 30 pages. I'm currently on page 73. No great achievement? Perhaps not for you. Is that what they mean when they talk about 'self-improvement'? No.
Perhaps in art we can attain 'greatness' where, for the duration of creation at least, there is no room for improvement. Yes, I think so. Some viewers may think otherwise. I have looked back through some typed creations of mine and, I confess, though 'Damn! I'm past my best! I peaked during that period!'. Ah, the old devil on our shoulders which shouts doubts in our ears. Bugger off!
On the subject of epic box sets, BERNARD PARMEGIANI's L'Œuvre Musicale (12 CD Box Set) has just been reissued. I've had a copy for years and still find something to marvel at. How many artists can you say that about? Let's be honest though and make the obvious point, artists who compose sounds as complex as either Dufour or Parmegiani are in a minority. That's as it should be. As it must be. Brain surgeons are in a minority too.
But as much as these artistic minorities are championed in magazines like The Wire, they really don't get the attention and support they deserve, do they? Yes or no? What do they deserve then? In my world, medals of honour and exposure in the mainstream media...perhaps. Why? Because depth, musical intelligence and profound imagination should be promoted where and whenever possible. Where is the movement that supports this minority, eh? Where are the organisations supporting and promoting these people, this music? Yes, yes, you can point to this or that website but...
Everyone's lives could be enhanced by listening to Parmegiani. How? Well, at least in the sense of reaching for something else beyond what is common. It's good to explore! It's good to engage the noodle in tandem with the lug 'oles and be challenged. Although how much the brain has to do with listening I don't know because I'm not a psychologist. Must be something to it, right?
I won't say 'Pop has its place' (damn, I said it) because that's obvious. Besides, you're not the kind of snob who sneers at a three-minute single, are you? Of course you're not. I don't know who you are. I barely know who I am when I look in the mirror. Do you ever get that feeling? You see yourself and wonder who the hell that is staring back at you.
Before I foolishly step into the realms of the philosophical I shall stop writing and leave you with a promise that if you should spend around £50 on the Parmegiani box YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. Great art may have a price tag but, you know, it's also priceless.
Ta-ta.
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