A short video of John Cage

As I think I have stated before, I love John Cage. Though I don’t always agree with the totality and finality with which he presents his ideas, I always find him remarkable, challenging and ever posessive of a beautiful perspective on the world in which we live. This video is a great example of that. It takes a bit of time to get going, and it is really his final remark that is most striking, but it is certainly worth watching. This clip is part of a larger movie I can’t seem to find out much about, But I’d love to see it. Check out the other clips from it on youtube for more wonderful thought from Cage.

What I love about the last remark, is this idea of things always being new. It is our minds that tell us that an object is always the object, forever and nothing more. But, if we slow down our minds that are so quick to analize and catalog and take the time to appreciate what we see and hear in it’s ever unique enviroment, our lives will be all the richer for it. Essentially, he is saying – don’t take things for granted!

Going to art school and spending a lot of time painting helped me to to look at things this way, and I am always greatful for it. You spend so much time looking at things in detail and being mindful of light and colors, that you never again just see the object as an object. It took me longer I think, to do this with sound, but now since that has changed I am always struck with the beauty of the interactions of the simple sounds around me. Of course, here is where I differ from Cage, he realized that was all he ever wanted to hear, but I’m still a sucker for a good melody.

About these ads

Tags: john cage, music commentary, philosophy