Re: Back in the Saddle Again

["T.W. Hartnett" <hartnett.t@apple.com>]

>Robert at the Bottom Line Saturday night; saw the early show.  I don't
>think even the people at TC Electronic or Eventide would have been
>pleased--this is all that can be done with 20 grand worth of gear?  I kept
>wanting to shout, "OK, Bob, now HIT IT!".  (Wouldn't have been out of
>place: LOTS of people were shouting.)  It was like he was waiting for the
>right moment to break loose, but never did and never intended to--or 
>didn't
>know how. 

Yeah, that's probably it.

>It seems that he believes he's doing
>something unprecedented.  What he's doing that IS different is presenting 
>a
>rather inept sort of ambient music to crowds which are largely unfamiliar
>with even Eno's "Discreet Music" (which this show was uncannily reminicent
>of), and pissing them off.  I think 90% of this crowd expected "Red", and
>if I were one of them I'd be screaming, too.  But I think this is part of
>what Robert wants to do: mess with people.  He will call it "inviting them
>to expand their horizons" or some such thing, but it seems to me that it's
>mostly just self-indulgence.

I know what you mean--I hate it when artists indulge themselves instead 
of indulging me.

>Also, I must say that you guys who can tolerate "Door X" must have a screw
>loose.  What the hell was David thinking?  Did you ever hear the albums on
>which even Herbie Hancock decided to sing?  Please!

The nerve.  And remember when Miles stopped playing bebop?  It was all 
downhill after that.


Travis Hartnett