Alvin Lucier is s-s-sitting in a r-r-r-r-room...

I'm still turning this over, in my brain. How is it possible that this man's voice hasn't put me to sleep, yet?

If I ran into Mr. Lucier, on the street, my first thought might be to avoid any and all conversation. I don't think I'd even ask him for the time. I would likely be running late and anything he'd say would only make me much later. Still, there is something undeniably satisfying about hearing him speak. He doesn't strike me as the sort of loony you'd find among the ranks of such giants as John Cage and Syd Barret, but he's definitely among the more interesting and potentially prolific artists of his time.

Case in point. "I Am Sitting In A Room" is a 15 minute snoozer, in which Lucier attempts to remove his stutter. Nevermind the fact that he also embarks on an exploration of the amazing properties of resonant sound and frequency that will inspire generations of musicians, young and old, bent on pushing the boundaries of their own music to new levels of experimentation. Nope. He just wants to "smooth out any irregularities [his] speech might have." Nutter.

Audio:

I Am Sitting In A Room (rar)

I Am Sitting In A Room (mp3)

BONUS!! UbuWeb has a page of downloads from Lucier. Be sure to check out the documentary, A Sound Waves Artist.

UbuWeb Sound - Alvin Lucier

DISCLAIMER: This post is likely not the sort of article that Justin prefers. It is, however, my immense desire that everything I have to say will be in stark contrast to the humor you might get, from this blog. Quite simply... I hope that it bores you to tears.

:)