Talking Music: Conversations with John Cage Philip Glass Laurie Anderson and Five Generations of American Experimental Composers
by: William Duckworth

Hardcover. NY, Schirmer Books, 1st, 1995, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. Talking Music is comprised of substantial original conversations with seventeen American experimental composers and musicians--including Milton Babbitt, Pauline Oliveros, Steve Reich, Meredith Monk, and John Zorn--many of whom rarely grant interviews.The author skillfully elicits candid dialogues that encompass technical explorations; questions of method, style, and influence; their personal lives and struggles to create; and their aesthetic goals and artistic declarations. Herein, John Cage recalls the turning point in his career; Ben Johnston criticizes the operas of his teacher Harry Partch; La Monte Young attributes his creative discipline to a Morman childhood; and much more. The results are revelatory conversations with some of America's most radical musical innovators. 489 pages, clean copy.