dumbfoundry

Cornelius Cardew: Making Marx in the Music

Stockhausen Serves Imperialism was the somewhat arrogant, but earnest and inevitable outcome of Cardew's exposure to the Maoist idea of criticism: that all comrades need dispassionate but firm correction. Here he documented his own apostasy from the avant-garde, and severely castigated Cage and Stockhausen, as the two emergent leaders of the world avant-garde, for writing music that played into bourgeois interests by ignoring, and distracting people from, the truth of the oppression of the world's masses by corporations, dishonest governments, and the bourgeoisie. [...]

In light of Cardew's role in England's Marxist-Leninist party, it is believed that his death -- a hit-and-run on December 13, 1981 -- was probably a political assassination.

Or John Cage. You be the judge. You can download the book: cardew_stockhausen.pdf. My favorite chapter title: "John Cage: Ghost or Monster?"

This entry was posted by eeksypeeksy on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 at 11:54 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.