MEMORY

Laurie Anderson's The Beginning of Memory, from the album Homeland (2010). I recently saw her perform the piece in an intimate theater designed like the interior of a Japanese temple. She covered the stage with small candles and the low-light against wood really brought me back to the years I lived in northern Japan. Anderson's story held such a mythological quality that, combined with the atmosphere of the room, created a mesmerizing, almost ecstatic experience. It felt like I was listening to a creation tale told around a primal campfire. Homeland was produced by Anderson, Lou Reed, and Roma Baran, and featured contributions by Lou Reed, Omar Hakim, John Zorn, Eyvind Kang, and others. Enjoy!