Comments on: Open Letter to Mr. Glenn Branca http://www.visitation-rites.com/2009/11/open-letter-to-mr-glenn-branca/ Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:02:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: parallelliott http://www.visitation-rites.com/2009/11/open-letter-to-mr-glenn-branca/comment-page-1/#comment-126 parallelliott Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:10:49 +0000 http://www.visitation-rites.com/?p=1303#comment-126 I agree. NYT should have higher standards. The least Branca can do now is to take into consideration the hundreds of comments his article has received and provide a response or an expansion of his argument so that it actually has substance. Chances are, though, that he'll maintain his uncritical, passive nihilistic position and say nothing more. I agree. NYT should have higher standards. The least Branca can do now is to take into consideration the hundreds of comments his article has received and provide a response or an expansion of his argument so that it actually has substance. Chances are, though, that he’ll maintain his uncritical, passive nihilistic position and say nothing more.

]]> By: Emilie Friedlander http://www.visitation-rites.com/2009/11/open-letter-to-mr-glenn-branca/comment-page-1/#comment-125 Emilie Friedlander Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:03:58 +0000 http://www.visitation-rites.com/?p=1303#comment-125 That Branca is simply trying to be funny here has occurred to me as well, but if that is so I think he is definitely being pretty dead-pan. Maybe you're right about him just doing this as a ploy to get people all hot and bothered so that he can come back and "save the world" with his new piece. Either way, I think it is pretty sad that he got away with publishing such fluff in the New York Times. If a journal expects to be recognized as a journal of record, it should at least ask its op-ed writers to put a little bit of effort into substantiating their arguments. That Branca is simply trying to be funny here has occurred to me as well, but if that is so I think he is definitely being pretty dead-pan. Maybe you’re right about him just doing this as a ploy to get people all hot and bothered so that he can come back and “save the world” with his new piece. Either way, I think it is pretty sad that he got away with publishing such fluff in the New York Times. If a journal expects to be recognized as a journal of record, it should at least ask its op-ed writers to put a little bit of effort into substantiating their arguments.

]]> By: parallelliott http://www.visitation-rites.com/2009/11/open-letter-to-mr-glenn-branca/comment-page-1/#comment-124 parallelliott Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:39:39 +0000 http://www.visitation-rites.com/?p=1303#comment-124 I hate to put too much thought into Branca's polemic since he has put so little thought into writing it. It's especially frustrating to those of us who are putting a lot of thought into both criticizing and creating new experimental musics. My first reaction is, I think, exactly what he wants, namely for us to say "fuck this old grumpy fucker, we are young, let's prove to this ancient cranky bastard that we can produce new and challenging sounds." There's definitely a fascistic idea motivating Branca's words. As he writes: "There’s no question that in music, like politics, the bigger the audience gets the more the “message” has to be watered down." This might reveal his real problem, namely the democratization of experimental musics that seems to be going on now (due to the internets, blah blah); there's more of it now than ever (maybe) and it's reaching a wider audience (for example, squares like me). But, like I said, I don't think too much attention should be given to someone who declares the end of music in 5 thoughtless paragraphs. I think he's just trying to be funny. I hate to put too much thought into Branca’s polemic since he has put so little thought into writing it. It’s especially frustrating to those of us who are putting a lot of thought into both criticizing and creating new experimental musics. My first reaction is, I think, exactly what he wants, namely for us to say “fuck this old grumpy fucker, we are young, let’s prove to this ancient cranky bastard that we can produce new and challenging sounds.”

There’s definitely a fascistic idea motivating Branca’s words. As he writes: “There’s no question that in music, like politics, the bigger the audience gets the more the “message” has to be watered down.” This might reveal his real problem, namely the democratization of experimental musics that seems to be going on now (due to the internets, blah blah); there’s more of it now than ever (maybe) and it’s reaching a wider audience (for example, squares like me). But, like I said, I don’t think too much attention should be given to someone who declares the end of music in 5 thoughtless paragraphs. I think he’s just trying to be funny.

]]> By: keith kawaii http://www.visitation-rites.com/2009/11/open-letter-to-mr-glenn-branca/comment-page-1/#comment-121 keith kawaii Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:01:20 +0000 http://www.visitation-rites.com/?p=1303#comment-121 WOW... what a horrible, lazy piece of writing that original Branca article is. My view of his music might change because of this. It's REALLY funny that John Cage blasted Branca's music in the 80s, calling it "fascist" and everything. Old people will be old people... WOW… what a horrible, lazy piece of writing that original Branca article is. My view of his music might change because of this. It’s REALLY funny that John Cage blasted Branca’s music in the 80s, calling it “fascist” and everything. Old people will be old people…

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