Laurie Anderson, PDT

An upbeat, engaging and unique personality autographed my copy of the Big Science cd long before I ever listened to it. Even tho I had it up on the window ledge at home in LP format (having carried it away from a neighbour's cast off pile on a trash day), and considered her a role model somehow, I'd never properly heard her work at all. Odd, but true.

At one point, I had the chance to watch the Home of the Brave Performance on video, the influence of an esteemed friend who gave it to me, pointedly suggesting I watch a few times, before the video cassette itself died.

And then, I was blown away by her far too brief contribution to a benefit show at Carnegie Hall, an event I took in with a friend who had bought my ticket for me saying "seeing Laurie Anderson would be a good influence on you."

I had also enjoyed reading a glossy picture book with texts of one of her other performances, full of feminist facts I hadn't known and I was enthralled with her ability to make light of the very heavy, and teach societal lessons through her performance and recordings (captured in books). She makes the learning managable and musical and still leaves it interestingly elusive, don't you think?

At the Premier Dance Theatre in the Queen's Quay Building in Toronto, I got to be her cd seller girl, while also doing coat/hat check as a Harbourfront Centre employee. And, I also SAW the Harbourfront show a couple times, and I went to her lecture...

So, you can see, I'd adored her! And then, I finally loaded that cd into my ipod to hear her music. And, I just have to tell you that randomly appearing tracks from her recording, in your ipod ear buds on shuffle is the greatest way to become a fan. Or, better cement your fan-ness? Ipodness might be the perfect way to experience experience her material.

So there. I wonder if SHE knows that.
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April 21, 2005 Harbourfront Centre, York Quay Centre

Despite the fact that several rows of red velvet seats were left empty at the back of the Studio Theatre, I was unable to sneak in as either a Harbourfront staffer or writer for Soulshine Magazine. And I paid cold hard cash for a ticket to the first in the Power Plant Gallery’s 2005/2006 international artist lecture series at Harbourfront, and I can recommend you do the same at the next opportunity!

A slide show presentation of her recent commissions and proposals supported her talk about her relationship with contemporary art, her early performance work and recent gallery work, and was peppered with amusing personal stories about friends like Andy Kauffman and Brian Eno. Who else could tell of being stoned by monkeys with oranges? And then suggest it is great to stay in places that you can’t book on the net. She also ‘gave away’ a bunch of rejected ideas, and explained to the audience how she is not nationalistic in her images of Martian mud. What an artist. What a woman.

She seems sincerely interested in people, and allowed most of her presentation to be conducted in a Question & Answer format.

I’ve boiled her answers and teachings into these top five:
1. Make it up
2. Send it out (Don’t worry if 3/500 proposals you send out get accepted, keep sending)
3. Start experimenting
4. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations
5. The Greatest Frontier is to figure out what you are

And, as inspirational as she is, I suggest we leave figuring out Laurie Anderson, to Laurie Anderson. And I say, to each his own interpretation of her powerful art lessons and example.

Have you heard who is part of the Power Plant’s next lecture series?

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here's the soulshine review
http://www.soulshine.ca/reviews/liveReview.php?lrid=135