Laurie Anderson Instagram – Laurie Anderson turns another trailblazer of the 20th century into her muse for new record Amelia – but the story of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart resonates now more than ever, she tells Sophie Leigh Walker for this week’s digital cover.
The life and career of the trailblazing experimental musician spans across six decades and has always been defined by exceptional circumstances. She helped design the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and served as the first – and, so far, only – official artist in residence for NASA. She pioneered “audio drag” with electronic pitch-shifting, invented experimental instruments, published ten books, contributed music to films by the likes of Wim Wenders and composed a 98-minute techno opera based on Moby Dick. She was the fascination of Warhol’s New York, a collaborator and close friend of William S. Burroughs, and the one to walk her husband, Lou Reed, to the end of the world.
The motif present on Amelia – released this Friday – which unifies Anderson’s sprawling ventures across her work is the breakdown of technology. “I often use the inability of technology to save us as a theme, because that is my belief,” Anderson insists. “A lot of people think, ‘Oh, don’t worry, we’re going to solve the climate crisis because technology will step in and fix things’, and I’m like, ‘You’re dreaming.’”
What does Anderson see laid out in front of her? How has terrain of the world has changed and how does it feel to find herself here, right now. “There are more rules about how you’re supposed to behave,” she says. “There was a time where we were insulting people non-stop, and now it’s kind of taboo. You shouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings and everyone has to win. Sometimes, it’s good to lose. You’re gonna learn a lot when you lose. That’s what Bob Dylan taught everybody, the romance of losing.”
Read the full profile over on thelineofbestfit.com.
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💿 @nonesuchrecords | Posted on 26/Aug/2024 13:45:54
