Laurie Anderson

The first time I was actually exposed to Laurie Anderson was actually in a theater class. We were reviewing her performance of "Zero and One."

It was interesting because, the very first time I saw this video, I thought she was a man. It's obviously tricky to tell thanks to the manipulation of her voice, but it did make me wonder if she was trying to say something by doing that.

Well, regardless, while I really like her passion towards her projects and attempts at innovation, I can't say I'm a fan. She is very much a disciple of art, for better or for worse. To me, it sounds like the type of art that intentionally surrounds itself with vague lyrics and unorthodox instrumentation in order to truly set itself apart. And it certainly does that, but I can't say the music leaves me wanting more.

But I am extremely intrigued by her presentational style and instrumental pioneering. Her blending of spoken word with interludes of musical scores really makes her concert feel like a show, which can be really refreshing for some. The fact that she's not afraid to put herself out there for the sake of her art is really admirable, even if I don't necessarily agree with the end result.

As far as her instruments go, her creation of the tape bow violin is super interesting. I don't think Id ever use it, but it uses magnetic tape in the bow and the bridge to create an all new sound; different than an electric violin. She later used one that fired off midi samples when the strings contacted with the bow, which is bonkers.