Meredith, I mean.
Although I have complained several times about the presentation I'm doing in half an hour – silly timing to do any presentation at all, thrown together out of scraps of previous work, doesn't even fit the Theme Word of the seminar (which they picked after I volunteered, thanks much) – the truth is that any work I do on Meredith Monk is good for me, and wonderful, and enjoyable – because the music itself is so rich.
The background is that for about ten years I've been talking to her, getting materials and interviewing and so on, for that book I'll write about her someday – although it has to wait on my current smaller projects and the book on AIDS. She's been rather irritated that I haven't done more – when my friend Trisha, the brilliant lesbian poetess, and I visited Meredith at her mother's in Palm Desert a few years ago, Trisha and Meredith said when they met, "Well he's an asshole of course." Meaning me. They then burst into laughter – it was actually one of the most affectionate things anybody's ever said....
But this music, and the videos I'm showing: such gorgeous, passionate work. Full of life and breath. Makes me glad I'm here....
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