John Cage - Water Walk

[@KaRidder234]

"I consider laughter preferable to tears." -- What a great human.

[@Jaydoggy531]

John Cage expected (and encouraged) the laughter. He knew what he was doing was visually strange and the sounds were also pretty comical (and still are). He then transforms the audience themselves into an instrument since it is random and unpredictable; something that Cage found essential in audio art. Cage had a big sense of humor. He hated music snobbery.

[@shantrelltullis3454]

What an awesome comment you covey yours words perfectly to describe the type of man is presume to be❤

[@Karlfalcon]

Don't forget, Cage regarded all sounds as part of the performance, even the laughter of the audience. They were part of the moment.

[@jefersontorres]

The music itself beguns around 5:40, but if you consider everything music, it just happens right now and forever.

[@keithwallace1693]

Jeferson Torres. A perfect statement, considering that music exists naturally in the mind, heart and soul of everything.

[@jamiebadley1172]

Jeferson Torres: Perhaps one of my favourite comments on KZbin

[@TheBoinaman1]

This is why avant-garde music is absurd (among other reasons). If everything is art, NOTHING is art. When you consider everything music, you are not expanding music, you are KILLING it, because you are making it not different from what is not music. Noise can be part of music (a recording of ambient sounds accompanying a piece, for example). But noise cannot be music itself. We humans have a term, "music" (different from "noise"), for a reason. Not because we are closed minds.

[@tooxicfox5245]

@@TheBoinaman1 In my opinion, which is so much or less important than yours: The thing is..... Art is in the eyes of the beholder. In this case in the ears of the listener. Music does not have to be something that can be described on a paper, shines immediately at you or awakes warm memories, it can be a lot more than that and as usual, have different meanings for different people. The problem here is not the music itself but our interpretation. We adapt to one specific role that music can have and we are not open minded to accept a completely different way of seeing, feeling, hearing and understanding music. We can decide what our ears can hear and at certain point we are the ones who decide if it is art for us or just a guy eating a sandwich. As a conclusion, I´m not saying that I love avant-garde music, or even John Cage´s music,since from my prespective, this music was not created/developed to use "everything" as a state of art but better to search for new ways to question it and question YOU about it. So now.... how is it going to be? Is it it art? or poop?

[@genm4827]

@@TheBoinaman1 Nah. John Cage already teaches in 4'33" that so much of what we consider music in the first place (and always has been) relies on social cues and our willingness to shift our modes of hearing. Even a neighbor playing what people would call "conventional music" loudly at 3 in the morning would most likely be registered as noise-because you're not willing to listen to it as music, and the social contexts are all wrong. Also, the idea of "avant-garde music" being all about the same thing is not only needlessly dismissive but also ridiculous. That single term covers many different approaches, philosophies, and sounds of music.

[@harrysmallenburg]

This is great. Cage has a wry wit--he's completely serious about his music, but he knows there will be laughter, and he lets that be part of the performance. I notice also--he didn't look at the music once. He had the whole thing memorized.

[@madamerotten]

Cage was an absolute delight to work with, and I was highly privileged to be among those who have.

[@janelleanderson6744]

wowy!

[@mangstadt1]

I once attended a concert of music by John Cage at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. The composer was present (ca. 1988-1991). Right before the end of the last piece, the powerful blast of a motorcycle could be heard out in the streets, together with a bell tolling to mark the hour (I think it was 9 p.m.) atop a nearby building (not sure if it was the Banco Central or Banco de España). I spoke to Mr. Cage about those random sounds that were not on the score and he agreed that they truly enhanced the listening experience. More recently (December 2012), also in Madrid, I listened to his Sonates and Interluddes for prepared piano by a young French pianist, Bertrand Chamayou. It was great.

[@EppcoFan51]

Was he nice? How was it meeting him?

[@mangstadt1]

EppcoFan51 Yes, he was nice, easygoing, not very tall (I'm 5' 9" and he was smaller). I rarely ask for autographs but he did sign my concert program. My older daughter (21) freaks out whenever I put on a CD by Cage. She can't get over the strange noises in his music. In my prior comment, it's Sonatas and Interludes. My computer underlines every word because it expects me to be writing in Spanish, so typoes get by.

[@josephevans2451]

Michel Angstadt I guess. It must've been a nice experience for you to see the dude and his work. I'm 16 years old, and I love his music too. Why once, I listened to Williams Mix, and I experienced a whole new world of art, sound, silence, and avantgarde creativity, and if John Cage were still alive, or at least recreated from the ashes of the dead, I would've congratulated him for inventing a lot of creative works that still survive today.

[@mangstadt1]

Joseph Evans John Cage changed my conception of what is aceptable in the concert hall. I have always been very fussy about unharmonic noise in the concert hall, in other words the noise made by the audience (candy wrappers, women massaging their handbag, people fluttering through the concert program, chattering, heavy breathing, even the beat of a quartz watch behind or beside me). My wife stopped going with me to concerts because she couldn't stand my sign language asking people to keep quiet. Although Cage is best when performed live, I do have a few recordings by him (piano and voice, piano and violin, prepared piano, piano alone, 11 CDs altogether). I envy your age and curiosity (I had never heard of John Cage when I was 16). There's an awful lot to be appreciated out there in the world of culture. This said, besides classical music, contemporary music, jazz, blues and rock and roll, I can also enjoy populat music of the type so often found here on KZbin, for instance Carly Rae Jepsen, that kind of stuff :)

[@mangstadt1]

Joseph Evans "Acceptable" in the concert hall. My spell check underscores everything I write in English, making it hard for me to notice typoes.

[@dskinner6263]

He gets a vigorous round of applause, no hecklers and no booing. 👍

[@Fardawg]

Look at the way he subtly steps on one foot, then swings his other leg in front of the previous one and puts weight on that foot, only to repeat it again using the first leg, thus creating a sort of... walking effect. BRILLLLLIANT!!!

[@sheepishMusic]

My first experience of Cage was in a bar, with people walking in and out while the performers made random yelps and screams and dragged a truck across the floor. It was undoubtedly the funniest and one of the best performances I've ever seen. To me, music's purpose is to elicit an emotional response, and JC's work done right does exactly that

[@sanfranciscoprofessor2577]

Just noticed: at 7.00 he flipped the blender switch, and it was supposed to noisily blend the ice cubes in it. But they were too large, and it froze, just hummed. He left it on and after 51 seconds of being jammed, smoke began to come out of the side at 7:51. He noticed and turned it off at 8:00 but not before the cameraman gave the smoke a close up.

[@funnyusername8635]

And it works brilliantly!

[@Fardawg]

@@funnyusername8635 My farts are brilliant music too. Wanna buy the record?

[@pabloslam]

I expected a very bad response from the audience, but actually the laughter plus aplause, I think, it was much more that he could expect, I'm delighted with this reactions, and as some other commented here, he made them part of the show. I'm not a fan of his music, but I deeply respect him for his experimentations

[@marcoschoir]

Cage was born 100 years ago today. This certainly made me smile!

[@PriestDragon]

So Cage, basically, displayed every state of matter water can exist in, as well as the most common applications of water in modern life, all in musical form. That is rather brilliant.

[@thehypermonkey2485]

Dude... you are out of your mind

[@segmentsAndCurves]

DHMO moment

[@Fardawg]

"Musical form."

[@ertritono]

Great work. I believe that more important than what it sounds it is when it sounds. We don't have to forget that for Cage every sound has equal value. The organization of them transforms this perfomance into a beautiful musical work. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[@yshieorijuela1268]

I'm here because of my modules. Who's with me?

[@kianhubs2222]

me too😂😌

[@shainemariearasa6245]

Ehem baka naman

[@aaronmagno4656]

Samee

[@kianhubs2222]

@@shainemariearasa6245 haha0

[@kianhubs2222]

@@aaronmagno4656 ang hirap Lalo nat bukas na namin to i pass😢

[@ronyanai4627]

I love the fact that he encourages hearing everyday sounds as music. It's inspirational for both musicians and listeners alike.

[@emilgilels]

Amazing that something like this was broadcast on 'regular' tv - and that we can now watch it on KZbin! Many thanks for sharing, holotone!

[@Vibber314]

Both with and without the video, this performance is art at its "freshest" and most alive. It's wonderful to be reminded how music embarked on the journey which led to the present landscape's artistic choice and diversity. Thank you for posting Mr Cage at his most normal, uncaged.

[@renebchristiansen]

I think you couldn't be more right! It takes a genius to recognize a genius. Mr. Cage was all alone that night! Thank you for this wonderful contribution!

[@phenomenonnon]

Audiences haven't changed much -- instead of laughter, they chatter. Thank you for posting this.

[@sanfranciscoprofessor2577]

I love the gigantic 1960 tape recorder. Possibly an Ampex, from the historic Redwood City, CA, now in Silicon Valley. The Ampex sign has been left standing by the freeway.

[@TravisGlover-TheArtfulDodger]

OK, This is just unbelievably funny. Especially when he mentions what instruments he uses in this piece. But I give him credit for experimenting with different sounds and I find it quite clever!

[@hotlinkcinema]

Amazing - thankyou so much for uploading this. Wow. What a moment .

[@ryanr1423]

Thank you so much for posting this. 5 starts to the brilliant Mr. Cage - No starts for unions.

[@handlebar82]

This is going to be stuck in my head all day.

[@naefspiel]

"you needn't call it music if the term shocks you" - john cage

[@artistwintersong7343]

Absolutely wonderful

[@charold3]

Add tv static and audience laughter to the music along with a 5-sec whiskey ad with Questlove! Rubber duck not well micked. I wonder how many viewers then were aware that Cage was perhaps the most important avant-garde composer of his era. This is a treat!

[@krring]

From what came through the fuzz, it sounded beautiful. I also couldn't stop silent laughter: a comician, my God! Feeling overwhelmed at my lack of qualification for using the cutting edge studio that is my kitchen, I abandon it and the internet now.

[@GrlLeastLikelyTo]

I recommend listening to this at 4:50am while you're half asleep- as I just did. It makes you feel like you're submerged in a bathtub, someone is watching a TV sitcom in the next room, there's a little bird outside the window that chirps sporadically, and at one point somebody comes in the bathroom to take a piss. Reminds me of when I used to live at home with my family.

[@ZooxYorkxRulez]

I love Cage so much.

[@derocov]

Great! Thank you very much for this video. A piece of history that we might slowly start to grasp the honesty of Mr.Cage over 50 years later? He´s so clever.

[@La3li]

How could anyone not love John Cage, his performances are so witty, humorous and yet very artistic in the meaning. I totally agree with Jaydoggy531

[@BEANPOLE111]

I love the lack unnecessary surface-level flashiness. Seemed more real and raw. If a regular late night show is a movie, this was more like watching a play, just televised. Really cool

[@aerodynamics4u]

laughter is found sonic art that is timed and after watching this it will never sound the same to me ever again.

[@Frankincensedjb123]

The originality is off the charts. arf

[@ChristopherColetti]

what an attentive audience! i like this recording of the piece, the laughter and the hiss of the old-school recording equipment make the piece all the more interesting.

[@lectricviolin1]

I studied with John cage. Brilliant, philosophical, a giant of modern music, a sincerely nice and good person: read his books!!!

[@sciencmath]

I appreciate the fact he has the humility not to be phased by the audience laughing at what he considers a serious piece of music.

[@willsi]

The laughter actually gives it a more horrifying feel. It's absolutely absurd and wonderful.

[@grantnebel9974]

"In the 50s, for one brief moment--six weeks, maybe--nobody understood art. That's why it all happened." (Morton Feldman)

[@maestroanth]

His sounds are remarkable. He has a true ear for coordinating sound into a functional piece. I fell in love with Cage after viewing some of the youtubes.

[@adamcolbertmusic]

I'm impressed this has gotten over 375k views! Few people are patient and open minded enough to sit through 9 minutes of what this has to offer.

[@EastBayAnt]

Excellent! Thank you so much for posting this!

[@zoxofzox]

no doubt, the coolest thing i've seen on youtube yet.

[@radiofriendly]

a real blessing to see this! so joyful--i agree w/ the post before mine - Cage treated the audience w/ great respect and gave them and us (thank you youtube) a wonderful gift.

[@fmdolan]

Thanks for making this available. Absolutely stunning and moving in so many ways.

[@ma.triasalveisagan9720]

Whoa! IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME PERFORMANCE! HOW I WISH THE PEOPLE/AUDIENCE BACK THEN, WATCHING THIS SHOW LIVE...DID NOT LAUGH! IT WAS SO SURREAL, RHYTHMIC, AVANT-GARDE DURING HIS TIME! Love you John Cage!

[@YowLife]

Sadly there is no actual music. It's a bunch of sounds he finds pleasant to hear, and so he argues that any sound is music.

[@wren054]

Great video thank you!!!! An amazing piece of history documented here.

[@tonireed1]

I am currently reading the book SILENCE and I especially like the ch. Zen and foward from there. I like it because I am on the quest as well and am trying to mitigate dualities. One can always tell how one is progressing by, as Cage says, how bothered we are now about things and people that really use to pester us before. Happy Zen-ing!!

[@davisatdavis1]

I'll be whistling this for a while. Been thinking about playing it sometime.

[@segmentsAndCurves]

lmao stolen

[@ph133710101]

The auidence laughter is another sound that becomes part of the piece. Amazing insight to Cage

[@AlejandroMdz]

I like this type of music, and if you listen the people laughing, you can add it to the performance, but... this type of music deserves a serious appreciation

[@amywamiefuryerearsandeyeholes]

someone told me my work was like john cage today and wow, what a compliment, he is amazing

[@amoryth30]

Interesting stuff. Sounds like a horror movie soundtrack... it even sounds like early industrial (if you take out the laughing).

[@gnikcohs]

Bravo John, bis! bis! He had quite a flair for performance.

[@cd8490]

This is art. Close your eyes and listen to it after watching it and you'll see why.

[@BigMarv1987]

That is precisely what i did. I found it rather appealing that way. Rather than watching him preform, I found that just listening with my eyes closed, I could construct my own idea of what could be happening with this music being played. As if there were music played like theme songs during moments in our lives. I found it to be eerie and dark, even the audiences laughter seemed to fit. I enjoyed it.

[@lostmyshoes80]

That was fantastic. For me it was more about the action than sound. Wonderful version of storytelling meaningless actions. Thanks you for the upload x

[@derrida33]

Big thank you for sharing! I loved it! Claude

[@DrunkDalek]

the fact that this made it onto post-war American national television is astounding

[@delventhalzac]

My appreciation of his work has nothing to do with the innovation, but with the deft skill with which it is executed. Every sound is intentional, in time, and appears effortless. It would be like a single man performing all the parts in a bell choir. The results may not be aesthetically pleasing to everyone, but it is no less impressive for it. If you think perform the equal, I encourage you to do so and post the video. I'd be happy to watch.

[@muddybrookrambler]

This is grand on so many levels, not the least of which is that the union gets in the way of proper performance of the piece! Ha! Very funny, and just brilliant. He always struck me as an incredibly generous and kind man.

[@BrewskLitovsk]

Happy 100th Anniversary, Master JC !

[@hexachordal]

I agree with halfdemon88, and I think a better place to start would be with John Cage's Sonatas for Prepared Piano, have a listen to them, see what you think.

[@jongun]

Wow, I've recently discovered John Cage, and I recall an almost identical video with Frank Zappa and a bicycle years later. Have you seen that? Zappa was young and in a suit and behaving almost exactly the same. Ignoring the laughter. Doing his thang. Thanks for posting this. I'll try and find the Zappa video again.

[@MadeleineBettina]

i've never seen this before, but it's great. every day events and sounds are music! and the bit with the radios is priceless. too bad this piece isn't performed more often.

[@eyerock36]

I saw John Cage "in concert" at Beaver College (now Arcadia) in the Philadelphia area. He was a very unusual musician, and it was a quite memorable experience. The audience was sometimes respectful, but sometimes they'd heckle him (probably in some ways deservedly so.) Very cool to see this video on KZbin.

[@Elintasokas]

I love how he just plays one random dominant seventh chord at 7:00 and then hits the piano with the fallboard.

[@sebastianzaczek]

It literally says "Play Dominant 7th chord" and then "Slam Lid" or something in the score... Three even is a score video of it on KZbin

[@segmentsAndCurves]

What kind of cadence is that?

[@Elintasokas]

@@segmentsAndCurves Cage-dence.

[@segmentsAndCurves]

@@Elintasokas It's 1AM. I desperately need this. Thanks for reminding me to go to sleep.

[@daposevvg]

This video is great. Thanks! I think the laughter adds a nice haunting quality to the music. His improve on his own work by hitting the radios Q's the audience instead of the radio noises. He is a smart man. peace.

[@brahmancurry]

thx for posting this

[@starguy26]

i wish i could hear this without the laughter

[@RufusLoacker]

I think Cage "included" the laughter in the piece

[@starguy26]

***** I agree! But the only reason why I want to hear it without laughter is because the piece is hard to hear :/

[@cinnamonrolls2656]

i think if he consciously included the laughter then he's a genius but it really blends in perfectly..

[@sanfranciscoprofessor2577]

Oh, no, whatever happens works.

[@tomfurgas2844]

The laughter (and other sounds) are as much a part of the music as the sounds Cage makes during the performance. This is a greatest thing about his indeterminate works; it allows in all the sounds that occur, thus avoiding the artificial separation that listening to music often entails.

[@ashanaha33]

he changed the way we discover sounds and produce music. A genuis.

[@PTV]

Thanks for sharing this awesome video! It was amusing & inspiring at the same time :)

[@andreavagnoni]

when such an artist has got this sense of autohirony, we're quite in heaven!!!

[@learnmyname123]

Life is music to those who listen.

[@DjD4D]

Holy carp! that is a good philosophy

[@UrantiaMansion]

I will say this in closing about the man love him or hate him--he really gets some of the most liveliest artistic debates started that do not end in a day--if you are into electronica,loops,sampling, avante garde/chance approaches to constructing and de-constructing forms and musical boundaries--and even how one sees Life and Art...then he is indeed one of the pioneers along with Varese! Schoenberg is extremely melodic in this context...

[@earrelevantmusic]

most elegantly done, Mr. Cage!

[@JaneWillowMusic]

so cool!

[@krahd]

many thanks for sharing this.

[@SlintEastwood]

Music is an art form comprised of sound and/or silence. All music is sound, but not all sound is music. Any sound can be music, though. That's just what I think. Also, before you say what I think you're going to say, this piece does in fact have melody, harmony, and rhythm, in the loosest senses possible.

[@user-xy5yg6se1k]

2:15 but wouldn't that exclude "4'33" as music??

[@dulvab9968]

4'33" isn't silent, the music is in the performer(s) and audience. Movement, side chatter, coughing, etc is supposed to be the music in that piece

[@user-xy5yg6se1k]

@@dulvab9968thank you for the clarification

[@madamerotten]

Note that he turns on the blender at 6:59, but the rotor jams on what seems to be ice cubes in the pitcher. Subsequently, it seems that blender's motor winding overheats severely, evidenced by the smoke present at 7:37 and then even more apparent at 7:40 and 7:49. He turns it off at 8:00.

[@bowlingballout]

I enjoyed this, it's obvious that this art form has really taken strides over the last 47 years.

[@BoboGolem]

That was BEAUTIFUL!!! I feel so fortunate to have heard him lecture @ Harvard in the late 1980s.

[@Asherov]

Charming man, brilliant thinker, a delight.

[@elfinia]

I love this. The whole concept and the look of John Cage himself doing the water walk.

[@laser8389]

I'm just sad that I can't really hear the duck...

[@VarjuanV]

Wow, a great man, doing a serious job and he knows he is doing a serious job, still bearing the laughter ...

[@kalexandria]

i did not realize that. Holy, that's complex. So no matter what you compose, there is the unpredictable response from the audience, or whatever else is about and chiming in. I like that. Much like theatre actors must be prepared to adjust everything on the fly in response to what their audience does. Cool!!! Thank you for the ed, Jaydoggy531.

[@SaBiNuKi]

I'm so addicted to this!

[@jlosinski]

For some reason I have an overwhelming urge to go buy a pack of Winston's. Huh.

[@leticiasoma]

Wonderful!

[@luiscocina3451]

Very beautiful, with admiration from Chile

[@FredMaus]

this is really great, I loved seeing it

[@flamesout]

He is so Abstract! This is Art

[@EmilyWrightCello]

I am totally delighted by this. There are worse things than laughing. Besides, I know many composers who don't know how to use a pressure cooker nearly as well. Fabulous.

[@jannokas85]

I think music is supposed to stimulate the listeners mind...and this is exactly what Cage has achieved with this.

[@feligonzalez5222]

Amazing!