A Cage concert

Re Carol Weissberg’s and Al Ramrus’ letters on John Cage (Letters, Feb. 1): In 1967 I had the privilege of helping John Cage prepare for a concert held at the former Pasadena Art Museum. For several days I was his gofer, chauffeuring him all over town, gathering objects, purchasing special equipment and items to be used, taking him to lunch and dinner, and so forth.

In rehearsal for the evening concert he prepared one of his “compositions,” which consisted of a garbage-can lid balanced on a sawhorse, a vegetable blender, garden produce, a large butcher knife, small contact microphones, an amplifier-mixer operated by David Tudor, plus four large speakers suspended in each corner of the room.

He thoughtfully chopped the veggies into pieces with a knife which had the little mikes attached and placed them in the blender which also had attached mikes. The sounds of the chopping, the blender, with the juice filling a glass, etc., all amplified, manipulated, distorted, were indeed an experience. He solemnly proceeded forthwith to drink the juice with mikes attached to his throat so we could also hear the gurgling as he swallowed!

As a coda, he tipped the garbage-can lid off the sawhorse, sending it crashing to the floor! When the rattling stopped, he slyly turned to me, grinned, and said, “Isn’t this silly!”

That evening, the gullible audience applauded vigorously.

Truman Rex Fisher

Azusa