Scholarly discussion of the music of John Cage.

[Stefano Pocci <>]

Hi Dionysis,

interesting question, but like you I do not recall remarks, comments or recounts of Cage feeling insecure or being tormented after the start of his career, i.e. what you also referred to.

While at first what struck me of Cage was his unconventional approach towards the arts, later I began to think that his really outstanding quality was his optimistic spirit conveyed by his unmistakable laughter. In other words, I thought Cage was some sort of alien/angel in some sense because you could maybe interrupt him, but you could not 'break' him or put a dent in his openness to life.

My impression was built around the numerous accounts of people that worked with him or that simply witnessed such characteristic behavior.

One anecdote in particular comes to mind. I was told this story by the person who lived it. I hope he does not mind if I share it here.

You are surely familiar with the 1977 Empty Words concert in Milan. The one that featured an angry multitude of protesting youngsters caught off guard by Cage's performance, advertised as a concert for revolution, but of a different kind than they were expecting.

Few hours before the concert began, this acquaintance of mine went to the rehearsal as one of his friends knew the organizers of the event. He managed to briefly speak to Cage and he wanted to do so because he was working on his university thesis focusing on modern theater and dance and Cage was one of the authors he was focusing his essay on.

John welcomed him in usual friendly manner, but immediately added that he did not have enough time to answer the questions he had prepared for him and agreed to meet him after the concert.

The atmosphere after the show was electric to say the least and with all the angry young men still inside the hall of the Lirico, my friend had given up on the idea of meeting Cage, but he was waiting with the very same friend he got him to see Cage earlier, trying to see how the overall situation developed and maybe hoping to speak with Cage after all.

Suddenly, one of the organizers emerged out of the crowd searching for both of them. "Where is your friend?" he asked. "We wanted to drive Cage out of the theater as soon as the concert ended, but Cage refused to leave the hall unless he met the young guy who wanted to interview him for his thesis!".

My friend was obviously surprised to hear that Cage even remembered him, let alone of the promise he had made in the afternoon considering how the concert developed. He was rushed backstage where he eventually joined the group of people - Gianni Sassi, Demetrio Stratos and other Cramps Records figures - that went to a club where my friend could interview and record Cage's words on a tape.

I listened to that tape and I could not imagine a more uncagean place than a club where disco music was playing in the background to have such an interview, but it did happen.

Funnily enough, my friend revealed that obsessive questions about Cage's family origins made by another person in the car that was transporting him and Cage to the club, were making Cage more and more irritated.

I mention this last bit because later in my life I began to think that Cage could be human like us after all. That is, perhaps his public persona, so open, always friendly and smiling, was slightly different than the private one in spite of his lifetime attempts to make art and life equal. And I do not intend this distinction as a drawback or an issue. On the contrary, if anything, it made me respect him even more.

Un saluto,

Stefano

Il giorno sab 12 ago 2023 alle ore 23:09 Dionysis Boukouvalas <> ha scritto:

The way I perceive Cage, he was one of the most self-confident composers I know (and I'm talking about good composers here).

Yet we all know how much artists are tormented by insecurities of every kind: Is it good enough? Is it original enough? Will it be popular (or the contrary, or whatever) enough? Am I good enough? etc etc

Is there any testimony as to Cage having similar insecurities throughout his career?

Only case I know about is his disillusionment with what emotions his (earlier) works were supposed to convey and how the audience reacted (i.e. unexpectedly).

Dionysis Boukouvalas