art and performance

[Jeff House <jjthandmeh@juno.com>]

Keets,

"So then you transfer the idea back to music--is there a form of music as
extreme as electrical drafting?  A drum machine by itself maybe?  Are groups
like Pink Floyd less creative because they tidily reproduce their studio
albums exactly night after night on stage?  Is that what defines a performer
rather than someone acting as an artist?"

I am glad that you are stepping out of the devil's advocate role a bit and
showing us yours :>)

Yes - I think Pink Floyd is less creative as a performing act because of the
reason you state. Their performances are still art, because they cannot
reproduce their records *exactly*.  Even if they played the recordings and
simply added a visual element they are twisting the recordings into
something different-thus art.

In The Who, when Pete sings "Its only teenage wasteland!" for the zillionth
time it is less creative than a "My Wife" solo.  Both are art.  I think that
the dynamic in The Who is that Roger is more of a performer and Pete is more
of an artist.  Roger lusts for the spotlight and the performance, Pete longs
to create.  John just wants to rock out.

Whats your take?

Jeff