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Bittersweet thanks



Dear people,

It's oddly ironic and touching for me that Geoff Smith would publish his 
paper to the list today.  And since the last email I sent to this list 
expressed no small amount of frustration on my part, I think it's 
appropriate that I give some positive perspective as well.

Rick Walker and I are sometimes notorious for being on different 
pages philosophically, but right now I'm afraid he and I (and Bill) can 
relate to one another all too well.

This past Saturday, May 24, my father Leopold LaFosse, aged 75, 
passed away from Cancer.  I came into Iowa City (where he's lived for 
31-odd years, and where I was born almost 29 years ago myself) on 
Friday, after having gotten a call from his hospital.

About an hour before he passed, I spoke to him privately.  He wasn't 
responsive, but he could still hear what was being said to him, so I 
wanted to talk to him honestly and openly while I still could.  My father 
had taught violin at the University of Iowa for over 30 years, and had 
always encouraged me to look into the academic world as a way of 
generating possibilities for musical connections and livelihood.

So one of the things I told him during our last talk was that, even as we 
were speaking, there was a discussion happening on a mailing list 
where people were commenting on my music and the number of 
listeners it had generated.  And I told him that a fellow in the UK had 
asked me a series of questions for his academic thesis, and that he 
was making comparison references to people like Steve Reich and 
Terry Riley.

My father didn't always relate to or understand my music (indeed, he 
was not very amused initially when I told him I was quitting cello after 
five years so I could focus exclusively on electric guitar, though he 
later 
came around and was incredibly supportive and encouraging towards 
me).  

So it was extremely gratifying to me to be able to tell him that I was 
generating some attention in the academic world, to reference some 
names he was somewhat familiar with, and that I was apparently 
having some sort of impact on people, even if it wasn't necessarily 
reflected in my livelihood to the extent that he and I would have liked.  
I 
guess it was my way of telling him that my work really was connecting 
with people.

So thanks to the people who have listened to what I do, and thanks to 
Geoff for his interest and consideration.  As you can probably tell, it 
means more than I can really express right now.  And I'm sure Leopold 
appreciated it as well.  If I have to spend some time working 
telephones as a result, I'm all too happy to have been able to do so.

Very best wishes,

--Andre LaFosse

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