Warp & Woof, v. 2.0 Welcome to Warp & Woof, a blog from William Sundwick. I’ve been working on this project intermittently since I retired from the Library of Congress in 2015, after 42 years of service. Back in the day, maybe 10-15 years ago, when blogging was something people did – before social mediaContinue reading “Welcome to Warp and Woof, v.2.0”
Category Archives: Beats
Who Says Avant-Garde Is Dead?
Published November 19, 2019 in Warp & Woof Who Says Avant-Garde Is Dead? Postmodernism Hasn’t Killed It Yet William Sundwick When art critic Clement Greenberg wrote in 1939 that the opposite of avant-gardewas kitsch, he was referring to the struggle then between artists who had a burning desire to be creative and the exigencies ofContinue reading “Who Says Avant-Garde Is Dead?”
Warp & Woof, v.1.3
Published September 28, 2019 in Warp & Woof Warp & Woof v.1.3 Welcome to Warp & Woof, a blog from William Sundwick. Its purpose is to share with its readers some ways to navigate the philosophical, moral and aesthetic dimensions of life. It is not a scholarly blog, but the author hopes that his ownContinue reading “Warp & Woof, v.1.3”
What Does My Music Library Say About Me?
Published July 15, 2019 in Warp & Woof What Does My Music Library Say About Me? A Rebuttal to the Personality Link William Sundwick Ever since I can remember, I’ve liked listening to music. My childhood was spent with a father who was a failed violinist in his youth. (He became an engineer.) But, whileContinue reading “What Does My Music Library Say About Me?”
Pere Ubu
Published May 31, 2019 in Warp & Woof Pere Ubu “Avant-garage” Rock with a Rust Belt Sheen William Sundwick Cleveland has produced more than the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame. Emerging in the 1970s, beneath the radar of its pop music mainstream, was an avant-garde, experimental music scene, epitomized by David Thomas and Pere Ubu. StartingContinue reading “Pere Ubu”
Van Slyke Assembly, 1967
Published March 14, 2019 in Warp & Woof Van Slyke Assembly, 1967 Music for the Shop Rat William Sundwick It was a lark. Something to do during college term break. I had just returned from a “career-service” internship experience in Washington, D.C. And, frankly, I was curious about what an auto assembly line was like.Continue reading “Van Slyke Assembly, 1967”
Who Killed the Anger?
Published November 22, 2018 in Warp & Woof Who Killed the Anger? Creative Tension in Rock Music William Sundwick First there was “blues.” It was raw. Sung and played by illiterate, marginalized sharecroppers in the Deep South. Somebody in New York decided that, if it could be made more pleasant, less painful to hear, especiallyContinue reading “Who Killed the Anger?”
Who Killed the Anger?
Published November 8, 2018 in Warp & Woof Who Killed the Anger? Noise/Experimental Rock in the Digital Era William Sundwick I didn’t realize, until doing some research, that today’s popular music streaming services are at least partially owned by the traditional major record labels – Sony, Universal, Warner. While Internet streaming can, theoretically, be aContinue reading “Who Killed the Anger?”
Who Killed the Anger?
Published October 25, 2018 in Warp & Woof Who Killed the Anger? Noise and Experimental Rock, 1980s – 2010s William Sundwick Punk Rock began in the 1970s as an attempt to strip away the artifice and commercial compromises of art in popular music. It was seen by bands on both sides of the Atlantic —Continue reading “Who Killed the Anger?”
Warp & Woof, v.1.2
Published August 3, 2018 in Warp & Woof Warp & Woof v.1.2 Welcome to Warp & Woof, a blog from William Sundwick. Its purpose is to share with its readers some ways to navigate the philosophical, moral and aesthetic dimensions of life. It is not a scholarly blog, but the author hopes that his ownContinue reading “Warp & Woof, v.1.2”
Warp and Woof 