Stochastic Bookmark

abstruse unfinished commentary

about correspondence

22.1.09

Throwaway Anchor

Scott McLemee wins the prize for deepest allusion in an article title for "Here Comes the Flood" (on the deluge of scholarly monographs and the reductio ad absurdum proposed by Hal Draper), and not because of Lindsay Waters (who I've cited before myself, in what is apparently [per Google] itself the most cited bit on this blog). The subreference to one track of Robert Fripp's Exposure expands to take on the relevance of the whole of the second side of that LP.

It opens with the title track, which, as noted by Elephant-Talk on Exposure, "contains the – by now famous – quote from [J.G.] Bennett »It is impossible to achieve the aim without suffering.« In an interview with Ron Gaskin Fripp explains: »[...] the point is, much suffering is unnecessary. Greed, for example. All the suffering involved with greed. It's wholly unnecessary. I'm greedy. If I could give up being greedy, I would have a lot more energy to suffer in a ... in a more appropriate way.« The quote on the album stems from lectures around the idea of »Conscious Labour and Intentional Suffering«".

This is followed by Häaden Two (JGB again opens and closes: »If you know you have an unpleasant nature, and dislike people, this is no obstacle to work.«) and dialogue only on the original '79 version (again per Elephant-Talk [my edits]):
"Eno: »It was an incredible little piece – very, very impressed by it.«
Bennett (& sbd. else): »Ahh, ... (garble [... that's extraordinary]) how wonderful.«
Eno: »It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon it.«
Bennett: »More good advice could hardly be packed into one sentence than [there] is there.«
Unknown woman's voice: »Both those things were[n't] true, that's definitely true.«
Deadly laughter and »Oh dear. Oh dear«"

This is followed in turn (after the instrumental Urban Landscape) by I may not have enough of me but I've had enough of you (»That is the way it is because it is that way«), and finally by Here Comes the Flood bracketed by Water Music I & II.

How well this all dovetails with Scott's essay I'll let sink in on its own.