Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson is one of the most acclaimed and innovative performance artists and musicians working today. The entire scope of her exciting career is celebrated in this volume, from her early art works and performances in the 1970s; to her rise to prominence in the 1980s with her single "O Superman," her unforgettable portrait of this country, United States, and her breakthrough album Strange Angels; to her interactive Web site called "The Green Room," a CD-ROM titled Puppet Motel, and her most recent production, Songs and Stories from Moby Dick, an electronic opera that is based on Herman Melville's epic novel and includes new inventions, such as the Talking Stick.
With text and more than three hundred illustrations, author RoseLee Goldberg explores every aspect of Anderson's work of the past three decades, illuminating Anderson's creative process; her enduring interests in storytelling and in technology; her collaborations with such avant-garde figures as author William Burroughs, monologist Spalding Gray, and rock star Lou Reed; the social and political contexts that have shaped her art; and the critical and popular response it has received. In addition to surveying Anderson's work chronologically, Goldberg devotes special sections of the book to Anderson's inventions and body instruments, such as her Headlight Glasses and Screen Dress; her stage sets; her many violins, including the Tape Bow Violin and the Viophonograph; her scores; and her videos. The lyrics to many of Anderson's songs are included, as are lengthy excerpts from many of her performances, stories, and other writings.