---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: Victor Elkins <tempvictor@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 11:54:22 -0500
quoted 3 lines Sounds a bit brilliant to me, particularly the sitting at the piano and>Sounds a bit brilliant to me, particularly the sitting at the piano and
>playing nothing thing, which forces people to listen to the environment and
>what's inside.
normally i hate gimmicks, but i agree cage's seem to have some thought behind it. it's
conceptual art more than music. if you don't go for conceptual art you won't appreciate
cage.
the definition of "gimmick" is further food for thought:
1. A device employed to cheat, deceive, or trick, especially a mechanism for the secret and
dishonest control of gambling apparatus.
- i don't hink cage was trying to "put one over" on people. he could have come up with
something to swindle a lot more money.
2. An innovative or unusual mechanical contrivance; a gadget.
- did he ever invent any mujsical gadgets? i can't recall.
3. An innovative stratagem or scheme employed especially to promote a project: an
advertising gimmick.
- this seems to be what was implied here, but i don't believe any of the pieces he performed
were summarized in order to promote them ("i read in the paper that at john cage's concert
tonight he's gonna sit in front of a piano and not play anything! that is so wild, let's go!")
the innovations he came up with were to expand the horizons of music and art, not sell
anything.
4. A significant feature that is obscured, misrepresented, or not readily evident; a catch.
- if anything, this is possibly the only way you could apply this word, since you could say for
example that sitting in front of the piano implies he's going to play it, which is a
misprepresentation. and certainly his music is obscure; though one of the more famous
avant-garde musicians, his name is less known than a lot of artists and musicians.
d.
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