LAURIE ANDERSON: MACH 20

Laurie Anderson performs "Mach 20" from United States Live (1984) on a short-lived program called The New Show. Her ability to use science as societal lens and story-generator is endlessly fascinating. Her performance art has often used science as form, kind of proto-Ted Talks about nature, behavior, anxieties, and life-changing experiences. Like cartoonists Roz Chast and Gary Larson, who also have scientific and sociological interests, Anderson's observations can be insightful, hilarious, but also haunting. Enjoy!