This morning’s Radio (4) listening . . . . .Ms LAURIE ANDERSON - DESERT ISLAND DISCS

 DESERT ISLAND DISCS

LAURIE ANDERSON

here . . . . .

Like most fellow Buddhists Laurie is clearly totally bonkers! Frank accounts of Lou's (Reed) death. Extraordinarily moving. . . . . .what a lovely person but she is of course mad as a hatstand!

 Piano playing dogs when disabled and concerts in Australia for thousands of dogs ( and their owners ) and then there’s her song choice! 

Music Played

• 

  Chubby Checker

  Pony Time

  • 100 NO.1 HITS OF THE 60S. 
  • AUDIOSONIC MUSIC. 
  • 91. 
• 

  Mercedes Sosa

  Gracias a la Vida

  • EN ARGENTINA. 
  • UNIVERSAL MUSIC LATINO. 
  • 5. 
• 

  Tusen Tankar

  Triakel

  • TRIAKEL. 
  • MNW MUSIC AB. 
  • 4. 
• 

  Philip Glass Ensemble

  Part 1

  • MUSIC IN TWELVE PARTS. 
  • NONESUCH. 
  • 1. 
• 

  Ken Nordine with the Fred Katz Group

  Flibberty Jib

  • THE BEAT GENERATION - MUSIC & POETRY. 
  • MASTER CLASSICS RECORDS. 
  • 111. 
• 

  Lou Reed

  Doin' the Things That We Want To

  • NEW SENSATIONS. 
  • RCA RECORDS LABEL. 
  • 6. 
• 

  The Magnetic Fields

  Washington, D.C

  • MERGE RECORDS. 
• 

  Soul Coughing

  Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago

  • RUBY VROOM. 
  • ROUNDHILL RECORDS. 
  • goog_10452809721.

Laurie Anderson, artist

Desert Island Discs

Laurie Anderson is an artist and performer who came to fame in the UK with her 1981 hit O Superman. Her work spans music, film and multimedia projects which interrogate our relationship with technology and tell stories about the world we live in.

She was born in Chicago in 1947, the second-oldest of eight children, and started learning the violin when she was five. She studied Art History at Barnard College in New York and took a Masters in Sculpture at Columbia University.

In the 1970s she was part of the downtown New York art scene and her friends and contemporaries included Philip Glass, Gordon Matta-Clark and the choreographer and dancer Trisha Brown. One of Laurie’s first performance art pieces featured a symphony played by car horns.

In 1992 she met Lou Reed, the singer and songwriter who fronted the Velvet Underground. They were together for 21 years until his death in 2013. Laurie is the head of Lou’s archive which is at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and open to anyone who wants to learn more about his musical adventures.

In 2024 Laurie was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award at the Grammys and a Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication. 

Presenter Lauren Laverne

Producer Paula McGinley

Soul Coughing? Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago? Really?!

Lou Reed - Doin' the Things That We Want To 

Song of the Day for LOU REED :: Stephanie Says [- on Watching Lou Reed - AUTOPSY: The Final Hours ]

“Stephanie Says” by The Velvet Underground

"Stephanie says that she wants to know why she’s given half her life to people she hates now."

I watched the episode of the UK TV series Autopsy: Last Hours of. . . . . on Lou Reed last night and it left me indescribably sad. Fascinating and a no holds barred punch about drug addiction (and alcohol!) but the doctor who does the programme is just excellent. A terrible toll to bear but a lifetime of drugs will do that. Put in context of the times when mental health was treated with barbarity (still is to a degree) and the drugs he started to be given way back in his formative years played a terrifying part in Lou's 'treatment' and psyche over the years. Thorazine he came across when treated in mental hospital but to favour that over Benzos to come down from his love of 'Speed' is a tad brutal but he was exceptionally strong to have lasted until he was 71! The programme was followed by the episode on Andy Warhol but I couldn't take anymore and had seen that one before . . . . . . .😢

Sad but I can think of worse ways to go than to have spent the night before cuddling my partner on the living room floor as she rubbed my back and upon waking in the Long Island garden sunshine to be held in the arms of Laurie gently doing Tai Chi as he slipped away. The pain is over now Lou

😢

AUTOPSY: The Last Hours of . . . Season 9 (February 11, 2018 – October 6, 2018) Channel 5 UKTV

Reed had suffered hepatitis and diabetes for several years. He was treated with interferon but developed liver cancer. In May 2013, he underwent a liver transplant at the Cleveland Clinic. Afterwards, on his website, he wrote of feeling "bigger and stronger" than ever, but on October 27, 2013, he died from liver disease at his home in East Hampton, New York, at the age of 71

Another from the bargain ex-jukebox bins and love this single and love Laurie . . . it always amazed me that she married Lou (Reed) and still don't entirely understand it but hey it made both of them considerable even more interesting somehow . . . . . . 

On this day in music history: April 19, 1982 - “Big Science”, the debut album by Laurie Anderson is released. Produced by Laurie Anderson and Roma Baran, it is recorded at The Lobby and The Hit Factory in New York City From Late 1981 - Early 1982. After being a staple on the New York avant-garde art and music scene since the 70’s, Laurie Anderson is signed to Warner Bros Records in 1981. The label sign her on the strength of the track “O Superman”, which is originally released on music archivist B. George’s One Ten Records. The first release from the avant-garde musician/performance artist is a selection of tracks from her eight hour long stage production “United States Live”, later released as a five LP box set and book. The half sung/half spoken word piece “O Superman” becomes a surprise hit in the UK, reaching #2 on the singles chart. A number of tracks from the album is sampled by hip hop artists such as Cut Chemist, Cannibal Ox, cLOUDDEAD, and Mr. Lif. Originally released on CD in 1984, Anderson’s album is remastered and reissued in 2007 on WMG subsidiary Nonesuch Records. The CD reissue comes with enhanced content, including an mp3 of “Walk The Dog” and the music video of “O Superman”. “Big Science” peaks at number one hundred twenty four on the Billboard Top 200, and number twenty nine on the UK album chart.

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Oh you knew it didn't you!? Poser par excellence, I bought this when it came out and was fascinated . . . . .for some reason it also always reminds me of William Seward Burroughs' reading 'Sharky's Night' too . . . . . . in terms of weird singles in the Swappers vaults (over in the East wing, past the ha-ha round the corner by the dungeon) . . . . .

(top is prolly a Moondog single! Go figure as they say - did they really think it would chart?)

On this day in music history: April 19, 1982 - “Big Science”, the debut album by Laurie Anderson is released. Produced by Laurie Anderson and Roma Baran, it is recorded at The Lobby and The Hit Factory in New York City From Late 1981 - Early 1982. After being a staple on the New York avant-garde art and music scene since the 70’s, Laurie Anderson is signed to Warner Bros Records in 1981. The label sign her on the strength of the track “O Superman” which is originally released on music archivist B. George’s One Ten Records. The first release from the avant-garde musician/performance artist is a selection of tracks from her eight hour long stage production “United States Live”, later released as a five LP box set and book. The half sung/half spoken word piece “O Superman” becomes a surprise hit in the UK, reaching #2 on the singles chart. A number of tracks from the album is sampled by hip hop artists such as Cut Chemist, Cannibal Ox, cLOUDDEAD, and Mr. Lif. Originally released on CD in 1984, Anderson’s album is remastered and reissued in 2007 on WMG subsidiary Nonesuch Records. The CD reissue comes with enhanced content, including an mp3 of “Walk The Dog” and the music video of “O Superman”. “Big Science” peaks at number one hundred twenty four on the Billboard Top 200, and number twenty nine on the UK album chart.

LOU & LAURIE

"I’m reminded also of the three rules we came up with, rules to live by. And I’m just going to tell you what they are because they come in really handy. Because things happen so fast, it’s always good to have a few, like, watchwords to fall back on.

And the first one is: One. Don’t be afraid of anyone. Now, can you imagine living your life afraid of no one? Two. Get a really good bullshit detector. And three. Three is be really, really tender. And with those three things, you don’t need anything else." Laurie Anderson

we may have misjudged Lou. Does anyone else find this amazing? I know I do . . . . . . . watchwords

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Alternating in my Top Three favourite Beatles albums according to my mood we bought this when it came out and it was as revolutionary nearly as Sgt Pepper but somehow has remained a favourite right up their with Rubber Soul too largely for it's genuine poetry and experimental work in the studio as it begins to explore real aspects of 20th C composition,  'And Your Bird Can Sing', 'I'm Only Sleeping', She said, she said' and 'Tomorrow Never Knows' being amongst their most creative work IMHO

On this day in music history: August 5, 1966 - “Revolver”, the seventh album by The Beatles is released (US release date is on August 8, 1966). Produced by George Martin, it is recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London from April 6 - June 21, 1966. The album marks the beginning a new phase in the bands’ career musically and artistically, and is praised as one of their greatest works. Standing in stark contrast to their previous release, the largely acoustic based “Rubber Soul”, “Revolver” sees The Beatles exploring new musical and sonic territory, with most of the songs being electric guitar based. Though others touch on the use of orchestral instruments (“Eleanor Rigby”), Indian music (“Love You To”), brass (“Got To Get You Into My Life”) and psychedelia (“She Said, She Said”, “I’m Only Sleeping”, “Tomorrow Never Knows”). It spins off the double A-sided single “Yellow Submarine” (#2 Pop) and “Eleanor Rigby” (#11 Pop). Paul McCartney receives a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary (R&R) Solo Vocal Performance for “Eleanor Rigby”, and artist Klaus Voorman receives a Grammy Award for Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts for the albums innovative cover artwork in 1967. Some original UK mono pressings contain an alternate mix of “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “Doctor Robert” printed “Dr. Robert” on the side two label, which is withdrawn and corrected on subsequent re-pressings. First issued on CD in 1987, the album is remastered and reissued in 2009, with the stereo version being available both individually, and as part of the stereo box set. The original mono mixes (out of print since the late 60’s, with the except of a limited UK vinyl LP reissue in 1982) is released on CD for the first time as part of “The Beatles In Mono” box set. The eleven track US edition is released in January of 2014 both individually, and as part of the “The Beatles - The US Albums” box set. And the UK mono LP is reissued as part of the mono LP box set in September of 2014. “Revolver” spends six weeks at number one on the Billboard Top 200, is certified 5x Platinum in the US by the RIAA, and is inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1999.

with endless thanks to Jeff Harris' wonderful blog 'Behind The Grooves  On this day in Music History