Chance Conversations: An Interview with Merce Cunningham and John Cage

[@badazzpresidents23]

That woman is so lucky to have had the chance to talk with both of these men.

[@finosuilleabhain7781]

She's great. She's Interested in their answers, free of ego, and never jumps in if things are not rattling along.

[@hollywrenspaulding8749]

"It's not starting from an idea. Not starting even from the expression of the same feeling nor an exposition of the same idea but rather simply being together in the same place at the same time and leaving space around each art so that neither art has to glue itself to a particular . . ." John Cage

[@davidl6332]

ok

[@RocketKirchner]

Holly -- yes - Indeterminancy and calligraphy . chance and space. Form IS content .

[@PlantOutofPot]

2:33 for those wondering

[@MattSatriani]

I love both their laughters.

[@Tatiana00919]

Me too. The photos of their laughters are awesome :)

[@mitcho3701]

They are absolutely brilliant.

[@shawn_530]

I just want to hug them both

[@solmma]

Thank you, Walker Art Center!!!!!!

[@ltesoniero]

Iv been struggeling to write an essay on these 2 for a couple of days now. This interview has been a massive help. thanks.

[@classicalaid1]

I was attending the renowned Cooper Union School for the Advancemnt of Art and Architecture in New York City and one evening took in a performance at Lincoln Center in the late 60's. Before the show began, on a warm summer evening, I was waiting in the elegant plaza, enjoying the breeze as well as the sophisticated crowd. All at once there I was standing in front of Cunningham and Cage, and I knew exactly who they were. Well dressed and tall...they both gave me a delightful nod. Admittedly in those salad days I was a cute young man...and I think they figured so, as well. I returned the nod and shyly moved on. Were it today, I would have approached and engaged then in a lively conversation.

[@michaelboyce]

wonderful conversation

[@williamolsen20]

I love how wonderfully adventurous, and flexible they are in their approach to their art, and life. They seem like truly joyful, and fulfilled human beings.

[@spyriadon]

Beautiful calculated people thinking before they speak. So unlike many today.

[@devilbodyangelheart]

Totally agreed

[@marthamydear7499]

Agreed!

[@honeybozo]

Excellent class on the creative process: very inspirational.

[@badazzpresidents23]

They are both such brilliant and loving people :)

[@pau1more1]

great interview! Thank you, Walker Art Center!

[@Edgelordess]

Cage's voice is so relazing. I wish someone just took interview clips of him and made an asmr video.

[@andrewlord5615]

In life, find someone who looks at you the way these two look at each other.

[@Curetiamhices]

two Masters!!!! this is a good class!

[@jakeyccc5788]

I met them both Charming

[@DADA090161]

thank you verry much for this video !! great !!!!

[@AnthonyAvery]

what wonderful collaborators and lovers

[@KarolisBiveinis]

very nice video, thank you!

[@galileoshift8330]

Doors opened listening to this itw #thankyou

[@bayzhit]

For those of you who didn't know, these two were romantically involved at this time. Not that it particularly matters, but interesting piece of background knowledge

[@chickenflavor9880]

What

[@williamolsen20]

I thought they were a couple until the end of their lives, they certainly behave like people that love and respect each other.

[@juliodanza14]

que artistas tan geniales

[@taha._.kianmehr]

Very goooood♥️♥️❤️

[@fortsqueamish9630]

Brilliant

[@stofnun6091]

Bert and Ernie.

[@ScottBuckBands]

@beatlesmack9 Mr Cage wrote quite a bit of wonderful "straight" music for strings and piano. His compositions in the more classical style are very lovely and beautiful.

[@Anawika]

Hello, may anybody tell me which is the book that Cage pronounce at minute 26:20 please?. Thank you very much in advance. Ana.

[@AttitudeCastle]

Lankavatara Sutra for anyone wondering :)

[@marthamydear7499]

@@AttitudeCastle Thank you! 😊👏🏻

[@qtyqty4]

this is most deficient from all ways.thank you.

[@EricUngerMusic]

@speedskis777 they seem to me to be speaking quite plainly and clearly about their working processes, which i find refreshing, especially considering how difficult their work can seem. to know the specific roots and bases of their practices is illuminating to me. mine is just one perspective, but maybe watch the interview again and reconsider their what they are saying about their approaches, or perhaps take a look at the i ching, for example. idk, maybe it just isn't for everyone.

[@deinokyrnos1]

listen to Cage playing Morton Feldman.The backround noise from coughing to car honking is emiinent.

[@dominicklicciardi]

Surely the chance traffic and strange noises in the background are no mistake, or are they…hmm.

[@Experimentelle]

a creative thinker

[@rolo1052]

Does anyone know if there was ever a joint interview between Cage , Cunningham and Rauschenberg. Perhaps about Aeon or something in relation to their collaborations?

[@marthamydear7499]

I wondered the same thing. I find this discussion to be incredibly important. Would love to see more group interviews!

[@toborexperiment]

I would have gave an arm to meet them back then...

[@lindaknibbs7516]

Genteel gentlemen. Geniuses.

[@thatguy5557123]

where can i see these performances? does any one know?

[@nobodady1]

@beatlesmack9 Whether what he composes is music or something else is a separate question ----- he certainly composed, that is, put things together ---- instructions involved in the production of sounds. Cage even said himself that if one has trouble referring to what he is composing as music one can call it something else.

[@lilsaintrico93]

Hello everybody. Any idea where to get this on DVD??// to buy it? Please help.

[@badazzpresidents23]

@SnapshotsMusic No. He wasn't. Although Zappa did say something along the lines of finding John Cage's work more interesting to read and how it was written rather than how it actually sounded.

[@marthamydear7499]

That’s how I think about Zappa’s music. LOL

[@richardvanelli4337]

A valid opinion on an artform is not predicated on knowing the difference between right and write, or even the omission of punctuation, zaneisthemaster. I am not agreeing with this opinion, just not judging it on usage of language. Maybe you misinterpreted the meaning of the phrase "he didn't right music". Cage certainly did turn music or sound on it's ass for us to consider.

[@mike8015]

21:45

[@dongxinjiang1770]

- "The difference between ear and eye system is you can hear behind them" 0.0 After 5 secs - "it's true" Why words like that spoken from them are so different than from a kindergarten child?

[@robhaskins]

Who is the interviewer?

[@emmmiloveyou]

yo mamma

[@ChadGlassify]

I was going to ask the same thing.

[@orion_nectro.x]

i'm sure John would have loved that.

[@Experimentelle]

I hope it was intentional...it sounds fantastic... like the weather...

[@trianglebook3616]

Chance can be translated so differently if we want to keep their definition of chance straight

[@snapshotsfoundation]

Virgil Thomson, composer and writer, said John Cage had 'no ear'. Was he right?

[@IgorOrlic]

Yes.

[@MorganHayes_Composer.Pianist]

no. To take one example, try the String Quartet in Four Parts. It's delightful.

[@webspecific]

I'd like to know the woman's name. Maybe I missed it.

[@sleepytimejesse]

Who the fuck's idea was it to sit awkwardly in the center of a large gymnasium next to a busy road.

[@CheekyFest]

Have you heard John Cage talk about traffic?

[@LostandFoundTravel]

@Consciousish Favorite comment of 2011.

[@pianoatUtube]

@beatlesmack9 music IS sound, sound IS music... best regards... :)

[@Madeirasdetodobrasil]

@beatlesmack9 compose, from latin componere, com - together; ponere - to put. a composer is someone who puts together.

[@arvidsmith1038]

Great conversation ... Merce is Harpo Marx with a towering intellect..... Merce came here in 83 and the Arts Assembly / Cultural Council had to apologize to the backward arts community here that 'next time we'll use real music." At his lecture at Jacksonville Univ. I asked his influence on performance art ( then real hot ). Merce emphatically but gently answered me " I Do Dances" ... The dance students in attendance had no idea who he was and could only ask inane questions about 'making it ' in the dance world..... he was very patient and gracious to these imbeciles.

[@GabrielWilliamsOfficial]

this is a realy good interview if you are a fan of joh cage you have to hear gabriel williams - time travel in music

[@IainEmslie]

@sleepytimejesse I think it was intentional.

[@licenselessrider4486]

merce looks like an elf

[@adrich16]

Probably it was Cage's idea, you know, for staying close to the noise.

[@SkyFlyerZayne]

@beatlesmack9 i dont feel you should have a valid opinion because you dont know the difference between right and write

[@maxbradley1453]

Matt Bullock was here

[@CaptainSpork7]

@sleepytimejesse Yeah, really. Plus the reporter seems either inexperienced or simply awkward.

[@bonedog3000]

Probably Johnny Cage.

[@SeymorOblivion]

one dislike how stupid !

[@joerhodes8785]

We're so open minded, our brains have fallen to the ground.

[@licenselessrider4486]

the skull is not the mind

[@beatlesmack9]

I don't feel John Cage can rightly be called a composer because he didn't right music, but sound, and they are not the same

[@jameskong3894]

interestingly enough, john cage said the same thing at one point, preferring to be called an inventor rather than a composer.

[@marthamydear7499]

@@jameskong3894 Oh yes, you’re right! I forget about that comment he made. Interesting!

[@Sheshboomer]

In addition to the graphic scores and chance procedure pieces he composed many more traditional scores

[@MorganHayes_Composer.Pianist]

@@jameskong3894 i think Schoenberg allegedly made this comment about Cage.

[@AliIKarimi]

john cage is a charlatan whose success can be attributed to his charisma and wit, but not to his talent nor ability as a composer. love listening to his interviews, far more than his "music".

[@CYB3RC0RP]

I wouldn't call him a charlatan, but I also wouldn't call him an artist.

[@mo-xm7kg]

AliIKarimi you obviously did not listen to him- he clearly outlined a project that dealt with time and cited tradition from India as an impetus.

[@richardvanelli4337]

+AliIKarimi I'm glad you like his interviews, but I don't agree with your criticism of his talents and composing ability. Perhaps you should judge a discipline or artistic expression you understand. Maybe instead of labeling him a "charlatan" you could just state that you don't understand his art. I AM pleased that he elicited a reaction from you, which possibly was his intent.

[@dionysiaex5538]

You, on the other hand, are just someone who comments on You Tube videos.

[@n____________________6471]

charaltan? in which sense?

[@pianoatUtube]

@beatlesmack9 music IS sound, sound IS music... best regards... :)