"Whereas I love sounds, just as they are..."

What does it say about me that I was recently re-watching (for the twentieth-something time this month) this video of John Cage and was suddenly reminded of a clip from Bridget Jones's Diary?? Don't tell me. I don't really want to know....

(....she says, as she quickly dispels images of herself as a sad, slightly over-weight, 40-something musicologist in poorly fitting relax-fit khakis sitting in a room that smells of cat litter amidst piles of academic debris watching Colin Firth marathons on Lifetime alone on Saturday night whilst sipping day-old coffee spiked with cheap whiskey...)

Anyway, here's Cage on silence:



In all seriousness (and moving away from discussions involving Colin Firth and/or romantic comedies), sometimes I feel I do want sounds - and laughter for that matter - to mean something. I may even need them to mean something. I am so fascinated by Cage because when I hear him talk I realize I'm listening to a man who went about life listening to the world in ways I never can/will. Sure, I can stop and consciously choose to focus on silence for a period of time (maybe even for four minutes and thirty-three seconds), but my ears and my busy mind are constantly filtering out sounds that are "just sounds." Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be in tune with sound as he must have been.

I have a very distinct memory from when I was about 9 or 10 of talking to a man who was telling me he was color blind. For days I couldn't quit asking myself, "how did he know he was color blind???" Clearly, I understand the concept now. Color blind people can't distinguish between colors the way "normal" people can. But I still think about it sometimes. How do we know that when I say "red" my mental image of "red" is the same as his or yours or anyone's? It's all perception, really...

And perception is a fascinating concept.

When I hear Cage talk, I feel like I get a bit of insight into his perception. For moments I can hear "silence" the way he hears it. Or, who knows, maybe I'm not even close and I am just indulging my own perception of Cage's perception...

Circles.

Anyway, I will say Beethoven and Mozart repeat a great deal. I concur. But what lovely repetition!

Also, I love the part of the clip with the cat.