Talk:Laurie Anderson

Nerve Bible
Stories From The Nerve Bible, or perhaps just The Nerve Bible, was also a performance piece she toured in the 90s. I remember a lot of material related to the Gulf War. Lots of video projections, including bomb camera video. And an on-stage "tornado" special effect that wasn't hugely successful. 98.179.186.167 (talk) 14:40, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

Review of the Philadelphia production: http://articles.philly.com/1993-04-12/news/25981947_1_nerve-bible-world-premiere-engagement-challenge 98.179.186.167 (talk) 14:41, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

Massenet attribution
Does anyone else find the Massenet attribution mysterious in the re-issued version of "O Superman"? It is included because it is important; but in what way? Is it obvious to everyone, or? Idealist707 (talk) 20:45, 19 July 2011 (UTC)

Gender related topics
Maybe something should be mentioned in relation to Susan McClary's article about gender representations in Anderson's work? Seems a highly relevent component of her work, but the entire article does not contain one instance of the word gender. What do you think?--Dzoll (talk) 16:46, 13 November 2010 (UTC)

NASA article
I think NASA must have clobbered the original Anderson article, becuase that link isn't correct, though you can still read it in Google's cache. Shoehorn


 * I updated the external link to a new(er) article about Anderson. Which is probably temporary too;  it would be better to incorporate more of the bio info from the NASA article into the Wiki Anderson article... Harris7 10:56, 17 Aug 2003 (UTC)

Dutch Boy Paint?
Can anyone provide a source for the information recently added that Anderson is an heir to the Dutch Boy Paint fortune? I'm not necessarily doubting the information, but in 20 years as a fan I've never seen any reference to this. 23skidoo 15:05, 14 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Followup: I have been unable to find any confirmation of this information from any of my sources. I have removed the following from the article until it can be verified. If someone can cite a source (as in adding the phrase "According to *name of source* ...." to the start of the paragraph), they're welcome to put this back.


 * "Although she is one of the heirs of the Dutch Boy Paint fortune. and therefore independently wealthy, Anderson has funded many of her productions through the use of government grants."

23skidoo 15:15, 14 Dec 2004 (UTC)


 * According to Dutch Boy, this is bogus. So unless the original editor can provide proof to contradict the company, I recommend the paragraph stay out. 23skidoo 20:05, 14 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Living people category
I reverted the addition of the Living People category because it honestly looked to me like a ridiculous listcruft category that serves no real purpose. I was about to CFD it until I found out that, for some reason, Jimbo Wales wants the category. So if someone can really explain what value a category that could in theory have 6 billion names on it, I'd appreciate it. However I do not support the existence of the category so I will not revert my deletion of it on general principles. If someone else wishes to do the revert, I won't argue. 23skidoo 20:57, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

As professor of art history
In addition to studying art history, Anderson is said to have taught it at points 1971-1974 (http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/laurie-anderson/biography/wb.html). I was also told that she made up false art history for an entire semester, and was fired. Does anyone have sources on this? 67.110.214.131 08:58, 26 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Edit-- "You know I taught history for a while at night school at various colleges around New York City. And it was art history, Egyptian architecture and Assyrian sculpture and I wasn't really a professional art historian so I wasn't exactly keeping up with the Egyptological journals and the facts were just starting to fade so I would be talking to the class and a slide would come up on the screen of some pyramid or ziggurat and I would look up at the screen and I would draw a complete blank. I couldn't remember a single thing about it. So, I would just make things up. You know, a story about this or that Pharaoh and the students would write it down and I would test them on it. Now eventually this sorta caught up with me, you know the students would mention these stories a year later and so on. And also I did feel some guilt about just making up history. So, I finally quit. Not before I was fired but it was very, very close." (http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/~jimmyd/laurie-anderson/work/books/stories.html)  This is interesting.  I wonder if it should go in the article.  67.110.214.131 09:01, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

Walk The Dog
Is the studio version of this piece (as released on the B-Side of O Superman) available on CD at all? Thanks Martyn Smith 21:05, 23 June 2006 (UTC)
 * Not that I'm aware of. I keep hoping someone puts out an extended version of Big Science with it but so far, nothing. I was rather disappointed it wasn't included in the Talk Normal compilation. 23skidoo 21:51, 23 June 2006 (UTC)
 * Likewise. There is a live version on that (excellent) compilation, but it just doesn't have the same wacky appeal as the studio recording. I did notice that some of the leitmotifs from the studio recording appear during the live section on disc 1 on other tracks. Martyn Smith 21:21, 24 June 2006 (UTC)
 * Apparently Anderson herself chose the tracks for Talk Normal, so it's possible she wasn't fond of the original recording. There is at least a small box set's worth of recordings Anderson made between 1977-1980 that have either never been released in any commercial form, or if they have they were included on now-extremely-obscure vinyl releases. For example there's all the songs she did for a jukebox installation, a number of early versions of Big Science songs like Let X=X, and her very first recording, "It's Not the Bullet That Kills You", which I have heard and which would have fit perfectly into Strange Angels or Bright Red. Sadly, we are just as likely to see a DVD release of Home of the Brave (as in, not very likely) than we are to see a compilation like this. 23skidoo 03:54, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

2005 exhibition
Have edited to include her fall 2005 exhibition, relying heavily on her own website and notes. Would love to have an entry from someone who actually experienced the exhibition live. 31 Jul 2006 User:Sharonbs

Peter Gordon
Please note for future reference that the Peter Gordon who has appeared on some of Anderson's albums is not Peter Gordon (hornist); it's Peter Gordon (composer), who isn't the same person. Bearcat 00:17, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Album articles created
I've now created articles for the remaining albums except for Talk Normal which I don't have. They're ready for expansion. 23skidoo 01:06, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Is it really you?
I saw a TV programme where Laurie Anderson was chatting (on IRC IIRC) in some channel where her work was being discussed, and (almost?) no-one believed it was her. A very resonant moment, given the content of some of her work.

So, Laurie, are you listening? (cue 200 genuine Laurie Anderson clones...) --Slashme 08:33, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Cue nobody giving a shit. 94.2.227.57 (talk) 19:22, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

Additions to article
I've added a bunch of new information to the article, some taken from Storie from the Nerve Bible which is now listed as a reference. A few citations would be helpful if anyone can provide them, such as the fact Anderson took singing lessons for Strange Angels (true, but I cannot find an online source for this; I know about the singing lessons because of a TV interview she gave at the time of the album's release 17 years ago). Also, although her relationship with Reed is common knowledge -- she even talks about it in End of the Moon -- if anyone can toss in a citation to any article that makes reference to it, that would be helpful as well. 23skidoo 22:17, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

Rose and the Stone?
Doubt I'll ever see it in print but a mid-80s UCLA exhibit of her work mentioned a self-published book called "The Rose and the Stone," supposedly about a hitchhiking trip she made to the North Pole. Would love to know more about it. (egomet_bonmot)

Married to Lou? Since when?
Someone added an unsourced statement to the article that Laurie is now married to Lou Reed. I can find no online source to verify this. Their relationship is no secret, but there has been no mention of her actually marrying the guy. Can anyone provide a source? (PS. For some reason I've been logged out; although an IP is coming up, I'm 23skidoo.) 68.145.238.33 15:03, 29 September 2006 (UTC)
 * As it happens, European media is now reporting they wed in April 2008. I'll post a link once I find an English-language source. 23skidoo (talk) 13:15, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Green Room
Her website The Green Room is gone, but it was much talked about for a while. I think it should be mentioned in the article. // habj (talk) 08:23, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Horrible photo
Yet another example of why Wikipedia Commons images are often stereotyped as awful, the current image used in the infobox makes her look like she's in her 70s. Surely there's got to be a better "free" image of her out there. (This comment applies to the image present on this page as of my timestamp and may not apply to images posted after this timestamp) 23skidoo (talk) 13:17, 6 May 2008 (UTC) I think the photo makes her look like an angry feminist (I don't mean that as an insult) but you can change it if you like.

Album removals
I have gone ahead and removed Homeland from the albums list. Although noted as a 2008 release, I can't find anything online except a single fan forum reference to suggest that any such album is coming out this year. It should have at least an Amazon listing if it's coming out in the next few months, but there's nothing. This wouldn't be the first time we had a false alarm on an album release (just ask fans of Enya and Renee Olstead). Right now it's a WP:CRYSTAL issue to have it listed. We can put it back later when and if an actual release is announced. As for For Instants, I do not believe this was an album. I remember researching some of Anderson's early recordings and my understanding was this was an EP or a single. She DID record an album's worth of songs for her Jukebox art installation but to my knowledge there was never any full release of that. To the best of my research her first album-length contribution didn't occur until You're the Guy. If someone has a copy of For Instants or has a source that indicates that I'm wrong on this, please feel free to revert. Same with Homeland, though remember WIki policy forbids the use of fan sites or discussion forums as sources: you pretty much need a magazine or newspaper article. 23skidoo (talk) 18:03, 14 September 2008 (UTC)

Entertainer ?
Is everyone happy with the article title "Laurie Anderson (entertainer)" ? It sounds like she is a music-hall comic or something. Surely "Laurie Anderson (artist)" - or (artist/musician) would be more appropriate. Is there some way to make a global change of this, so all the links still work ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.33.2.85 (talk) 14:11, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I am unhappy with the new title. I see no discussion of the move here. It seems to have been done unilaterally. These things should be discussed before they are enacted. --John (talk) 14:23, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
 * "Entertainer" doesn't really work, no. "Performance artist" might be best. It's a common enough name that a disambig page is a worthwhile thing. --jpgordon&#8711;&#8710;&#8711;&#8710; 17:59, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Ick, I shouldn't have done that...couple hundred dabs to do...oh well... --jpgordon&#8711;&#8710;&#8711;&#8710;
 * OK, it's back home. --jpgordon&#8711;&#8710;&#8711;&#8710; 08:46, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

I've been involved with a few articles where a discussion has occurred over whether to disambiguate the title. For example I assume this has something to do with the existence of Laurie Halse Anderson, an unrelated artist. The general consensus is that the preeminent user of the name justifies no disambiguation. For example, Paul Simon the singer is the preeminent user of that name, and others, such as the politician, get disambiguated. And if someone is best known for using a different form of the name, then if there's someone with a similar name, disambiguation of the title is unnecessary. Such is the case with Jerry Lewis vs. Jerry Lee Lewis. Given these facts, unless someone can make a substantial case that the Laurie Anderson featured in this article is not the preeminent user of the name, and assuming Wikipedia article naming policy is not changed of course, then there's no need to rename the article. 23skidoo (talk) 22:26, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

First Performance in 1969?
Any sources for this: Her first performance-art piece—a symphony played on automobile horns—was performed in 1969. I interviewed Anderson recently and she denied this. If I remember correctly she said this ice-performance in the mid / late 70s was her first performance (I'll have to check this). --92.117.147.103 (talk) 21:04, 26 August 2009 (UTC)


 * The year was wrong - it was 1972 - but her Stories from the Nerve Bible book and other retrospectives talk about it. 70.73.90.119 (talk) 15:26, 17 September 2022 (UTC)

Citation
Added citation link to liner note essay, and for full disclosure I work for the non-profit educational resource linked to. Ribbonabaca (talk) 16:36, 13 September 2010 (UTC)

Inventions
two comments about the 'inventions' section for anyone that feels like editing. First, vocal filtering doesn't seem like it qualifies as an invention--more like style thing--it's not like she invented the device. The tape-bow is more legitimately a invention. Second, in 'Home of the Brave' she wore a MIDI trigger suit allowing her to play her body like a percussion device. I'm not sure if there is any precedence for something like that, but considering the era, it may qualify as an invention. --anon — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.230.216.99 (talk) 00:18, 2 October 2011 (UTC)  A "talking stick" is also a tribal instrument used to represent authority and the right to speak out in public, as seen on the "talking stick" page in wikipedia. Did Laurie know about it? Do you think that someone should add a disambiguation page to the "talking stick" article?

Lori Anderson redirect
What is the reason for this redirect? There is no mention she would be called by the name "Lori" in the article. 85.217.46.40 (talk) 01:21, 9 November 2013 (UTC) I think that someone should add "not to be confused with Louie Anderson" at the top.

Figure a sea
As far as I can see there is no actual information about her new ballett music "Figure a sea" (2015, Sweden) in the article, please add. thx Maria25 (talk) 18:25, 9 August 2016 (UTC)

Incomplete paragraph
In the 2000s section, the end of the paragraph is truncated. I would fix it, but I don't know what the original contributor intended to say (and I'm not very familiar with the subject). Search for "Recent releases include a re-release of her first album, Big Science on". Xblkx (talk) 05:22, 3 February 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
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BBC Arena: The Human Face
I updated the link to the The Human Face (1991) - there's two BBC documentaries of that name and the article pointed at the wrong one. I linked to the BBC Arena page as there's not a separate page for that documentary: it is not clear to me that that meets Wikipedia's notability guidelines for a separate page, but if others disagree, some useful links are at, , , Scottkeir (talk) 15:19, 24 April 2019 (UTC)

Talking stick quotation
flagged the quotation about the talking stick as requiring a more in depth citation. I was able to locate the original source, but I'm not sure how to properly format it. A PDF of the relevant program notes can be found on page 39 of this PDF; this parent link might also be useful. As per WP:PRIMARYNOTBAD, Sometimes, a primary source is even the best possible source, such as when you are supporting a direct quotation. In such cases, the original document is the best source because the original document will be free of any errors or misquotations introduced by subsequent sources. so I think this should be cited (perhaps also with a secondary source to demonstrate that the talking stick warrants inclusion in the article), but as it's not a traditional periodical I'm not sure what the best format would be. Not sure what the best thing to do is, but I thought I'd just let this page's editors know what the source should be. Umimmak (talk) 07:20, 16 July 2020 (UTC)
 * It's great that you found that! I added the citation into the article. —BarrelProof (talk) 11:04, 16 July 2020 (UTC)

Missing link/article
For some reason there is no article on the Landfall album, despite it being a Grammy winner. Right now it redirects to this article. 70.73.90.119 (talk) 15:26, 17 September 2022 (UTC)

Puppet Motel
I've added some info regarding the CD-ROM and also expanded the article on the CD-ROM. However it's incorrectly titled Laurie Anderson's Puppet Motel (her name is not in the title). I've left a note on its talk page asking for a retitle, but in case anyone here is so inclined, please do! 23skidoo (talk) 18:58, 20 September 2022 (UTC)