I always love the Tuesday before Thanksgiving because for the past 19 years I have spoken to students at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. It has been an annual tradition, and a great honor, for me since 1993. The second part of the tradition is our Thanksgiving Fish dinner at Legal Seafood in the Prudential Center, across the street from the Berklee classroom. (The Prudential Center is posted as today’s photograph. Finally, a post photo that relates precisely and without need for interpretation or metaphor-loading.)
In order to get to Boston, I’ll have to deport myself from Gloucester to Boston. (I just wanted to use that “deport myself” phrase.)
At some points today, I’ll select some topics for my two-hour presentation. I’ll choose from these questions and issues and more:
Can One Copy A Bass Line?
Can One Copy A Chord Progression?
Can One Copy A Guitar Solo?
How To Break The Law/How To Get Away With Crime (Crime? “Fair Use” or The Perfect Crime ?)
What Is Fair Use?
Fair Use Done Right/Wrong
What Is Satire?
What Is Parody?
What Is Right of Publicity?
Can One Sample?
What Is A Mashup And When Are Mashups Legal/Illegal?
Publishing Done Right
Publishing Done Wrong
Co-Writing
Co-Habitating
I will play music from North America, South America, the Caribbean, The European Union, Asia, Africa, Australia-Oceania, and The Middle East. Even if the Middle East is part of Asia, Africa and Europe, I consider it its own place/continent. And I’m really thrilled that the CIA agrees with me!
I also consider the Caribbean NOT part of North or South America – it’s too much its own world/continent and shouldn’t be subsumed within NA, SA or The Americas. The CIA disagrees.
I refuse to play music from Atlantis. I’ve been boycotting it for awhile. I have not ruled out music from Antarctica or Arctica (why isn’t it called A – R – C – T – I – C – A?). Both poles speak to me. Enough geography talk.
I’ll play music by
Louis Armstrong
Beastie Boys
George Clinton
Miles Davis
Evolution Control Committee
Foo Fighters
Ghostface Killah
Jimi Hendrix
George Jones
Albert King
Led Zeppelin
Bob Marley
Nirvana
Roy Orbison
Steve Perry
Queen
Rolling Stones
Stravinsky
They Might Be Giants
Keith Urban
Vivaldi
Hank Williams
Xscape
Neil Young
Frank Zappa
Inna & The Farlanders – I assume that few of you will have Inna & The Farlanders’ The Dream Of Endless Nights album, so I included a link to a performance of “Ivan” from that album. The studio version is better – get this album!
I could work the phrase, “A – Z,” into the title of this presentation, couldn’t I? (Now I will.) And discussing the music of “XSCAPE,” rather than “XENAKIS,” shows just how much of a stretch one (1) of these twenty-six (26) names was!
My questions for you –
Do you have suggestions for adding topics?
Do you have suggestions for eliminating topics?
Should I write about these topics here at emichaelmusic.com or simply include them in today’s long talk?
Does the “How To Break The Law/How To Get Away With Crime” topic annoy anyone?
I hope your Thanksgiving preparations/travels are going very well. I’ll have a special Thanksgiving post.