June 26ths

6/26/1998

Some people are averse to art which is done by mechanical means, but to work mechanically is not to worry about what you’re going to do next, or to wonder if the news is going to be in a good mood. (Thoughts after reading a critique of Chuck Close’s photorealism, in defense of working by “mechanical” means). 

[6/2024: At recent art fairs I’ve noticed a lot of grid-based work—which I like. I consider myself a grid artist, primarily rising from music. Chuck Close often used the music score metaphor where notes are placed on a staff (grid). But the grid influence today may be coming from AI as that mechanical means].  

6/26/2019

Most prog bands from the 70s had members who were well-versed in theory, especially the keyboard players. I have heard many tribute bands where the music is learned completely by ear, and they sound even better than the bands themselves. You could simply woodshed by playing along with records. That’s how most of us did it.

[6/26/2025: AI music is the new radio/records (sorta). You wouldn’t learn anything new about music because there isn’t really much there in musical terms].

6/26/2022

The interesting thing about music history is that as the generations die off, there are fewer people to personally speak for it (or more importantly respond to it). People are cherry-picking things from the net and social media that seem to have verisimilitude, when in fact they might be untrue or partially true, which is why it is important for living artists to be able to respond.