Eno
Finally, Brian Eno is the originator of generative art as art. His personal involvement in this domain dates back to the era when he was an art rock musician with Roxy Music. Though he created a lot of skronky sounds on early synths with these fellas, his first instrument, as he says in this engaging documentary, was not a synth but a reel to reel tape recorder. There’s something that you don’t just do recordings for, David Eno speculates about the use of this device. He created a cross connection between the inputs and outputs of two neighboring tape recorders that allowed for some self echo when the natural sounds were fed back, these compositions proved useful when creating records with Robert Fripp on the album “No Pussyfooting” in 1973. Fripp Christened such techniques as ‘Frippertronics’ and has continued to use these and similar types in variations in digital forms. Their interactivity is in and begins with where Fripp is. Eno on his behalf did not require Fripp functions to record Discreet Music, music that was to many ‘Ambient’ or ‘New Age’.
Eno’s later activity in generative art included efforts in visuals, such as a software named “77 Million Paintings,” which would generate over time.
Now, the reason why I mention all this is that, within this documentary Gary Hustwit, the director, has incorporated, quite conveniently, the possibility of generative art and made this movie how some may say, unnecessary. In this movie’s DCP, there is also software which alters the picture in every new screening of the film. Yet, what you will get when you see it will probably be a little over 90 minutes of Eno explaining himself, his life, and his work (although U2 or David Byrne are seen in archival materials, Laurie Anderson appears in the new footage, playing a part but not contributing her personal ideas) but all the bits in the back will be gone and little bits will be added while the work stays in the same order.
On the one hand, it is an interesting thought. This is probably rather difficult for the critic as well and in various directions. One of them is where you attempt to formulate sound generalization of the scenes. As far as perspective goes, viewer’s in this case Ya, well, I don’t know. Ever since Eno was no more than an androgynous noise-maker in the early 70’s, I have been an ardent follower and hence a little defensive about it; I recall being at a soiree with a bunch of younglings a third of my age, who were raving about his fringe materials from way back and I just got to my ‘you cannot tell me’ up. Though not entirely an uplifting figure to the crossword solving circle he falls under (except possibly Mr. Eno) he also happens to be a multi platinum producer and such, and a guy frequently on a quest or search, while he doesn’t go around calling himself a workaholic, he nevertheless concedes that if and when he stops working, it just looks dreadful.
At this point, he is definitely balding and white bearded and he even has a bit of a belly now. (Comparing to the Roxy days, he seemed like a gentle wind would blow him away or he would be projected down under the padded shoulder of one of his elaborate costumed disguises as was the fashion.) While he very much does possess the intellectual image at the risk of contradiction by infantile punk band partisans Tony Parsons or Julie Burchil in their81 punk slambook The Boy Looked at Johnny, he is surprisingly warm, jovial and relaxed in this excerpt. Especially when he calls Little Richard, the dennatory group Silhouettes and the latter makes choruses and he keeps singing with them. To their great astonishment, though, some are brutally honest; he goes on record to explain exactly how miserable he was when making ‘Another Green World’ in 1975 quite surprisingly, he wept all along and hadn’t a clue as to what he was meant to be doing. He does talk too of being let down by the general indifference rather contemptuous reviews it’s “old rope” he says as a sneer to some of his ambient work that some of his work got.
If some part of the movie, and I as a viewer say about the same thing, makes you feel that you still want to know more, the simple reason is for some reason, it appears that there is more. Towards the end, one of the work colleagues moaned as we were walking out that he felt probably cheated as he did not get the scoop on Eno and this particular artist’s involvement, but I had to say to him that it was wishful thinking on his part as no such artist, contrary to his belief, were ever produced by Eno. Still, he was squirrelly and I guess I kind of don’t blame him.
Also, Watch On Putlocker.