Wednesday, September 08, 2010
The Richmond, VA, News asks trombonist Jeb Bishop to rate thinkers on their glissandos and trills.
You have multiple degrees in philosophy. Of the thinkers you studied or continue to study, who would have made the best trombone player?Surely it's not about keeping the slider in ready reserve. ¶ 3:45 PM
This wins the award for most original interview question so far! Unfortunately I do not have a snappy answer. Wittgenstein was apparently an excellent amateur clarinetist and a world-class whistler, but his musical tastes seem to have been pretty narrow. Heidegger would probably have had some kind of woolly issues about technology and music. In general it is hard to imagine most philosophers loosening up enough to be good trombonists, so maybe it would have to be some sort of postmodernist. Or, actually, I can imagine Socrates being good at it — he was a good improviser and a champion drinker.
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Bruce Fowler, metaphysical trombonist.
OK he's not technically a philosopher but played 'bone with Zappa and many others (and arranged/orchestrated). As did some of his siblings.
Nietzsche played piano and was an amateur composer (as some Enowning-ites probably know). Some of his compositions are interesting-- Schubertian . Not quite as full of ...sturm und drang as you might think (even a trifle sentimental).
I wager Wagner and Liszt especially laughed at him playing his Bach exercises or something and send him back to his mama
OK he's not technically a philosopher but played 'bone with Zappa and many others (and arranged/orchestrated). As did some of his siblings.
Nietzsche played piano and was an amateur composer (as some Enowning-ites probably know). Some of his compositions are interesting-- Schubertian . Not quite as full of ...sturm und drang as you might think (even a trifle sentimental).
I wager Wagner and Liszt especially laughed at him playing his Bach exercises or something and send him back to his mama
I remember Fowler. He was on my first Zappa album, Over-nite Sensation.
There are several CDs of Nietzsche's piano music available for the curious ubermensch.
There are several CDs of Nietzsche's piano music available for the curious ubermensch.
Yes Overnite Sensation has some great fusiony-funk grooves. FZ's skanky lyrics tend to shock the puritanical--yet putting aside FZ's Lenny Bruce schtick (which got old at times) the musick's still quite wild....Zomby Wolf!... Same for Capn Beefheart's last few albums with the Fowlers Bros....
I've listened to quite a bit of Nietzsche's musick--found it on the whole, unimpressive, tho' competent (at least in comparison to romantic greats, Chopin, Scriabin...Zappa :)). FN seems more ...authentic when he sets his Uebermensch-y hymns to a sort of quasi-operatic accompaniment--slightly Wagnerian.
Ezra Pound was another interesting amateur composer (rather more sophisticated than Nietzsch)
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I've listened to quite a bit of Nietzsche's musick--found it on the whole, unimpressive, tho' competent (at least in comparison to romantic greats, Chopin, Scriabin...Zappa :)). FN seems more ...authentic when he sets his Uebermensch-y hymns to a sort of quasi-operatic accompaniment--slightly Wagnerian.
Ezra Pound was another interesting amateur composer (rather more sophisticated than Nietzsch)
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