Post show wrap-up by Kayla Morse, one of my two amazing interns! This is post Progress & Process Night curated by Alec Hanley Bemis.
So before I gush about Rachel Cohen, I would like to say a little bit about the programs, which the Intern Team designed. Creating a program for the theme “Progress and Process,” guest-hosted by Alec Bemis, reminds me a little bit of what John Stewart said way back in the early 2000s about the idea of fighting a war on “terror”: “what’s next, a war on ennui?” Progress & Process, Alec? Abstraction & Intangible Concepts? Idea Things & Untouchables? Basically, it was hard. That’s all I’m trying to say.
And now for the gushing. Rachel Cohen, we are your superfans. We are your street team. We may even be your groupies, even if you found no way to insert the word “butterfly” into your presentation as 1/5th of your risk. Seriously though, this reading on Joseph Cornell was that delightful and engaging–not to mention the fact that her voice was so soothing, I’ve already begun looking into Rachel Cohen sound machines to put my “Marpac Sleepmate 980” to rest.
Brandon Stosuy’s presentation (on American Black Metal) won’t be winning him any sleep machine contracts in the foreseeable future, but I get the feeling he prefers it that way. The reading did manage to work its way into my subconscious, though, because last night I dreamt I was robbed by some stringy-haired kid, and when he saw that I was wearing my prized old Gene Simmons KISS shirt he was like, “hand it over,” and I was like, “you have to give me yours because I’m not going shirtless here.” And then I realized his shirt was some sweet “vintage” band tee for an old Black Metal band (Mayhem, maybe?) and I didn’t feel so bad about the trade. Brandon Stosuy’s knowledge, helping me through the rough patches of my REM state.
Unfortunately I had to be behind the curtain for most of Lawrence Weschler’s reading, but from what I could gather, he was doing some free association until we were suddenly ten minutes over our time limit and Amanda had to free associate him from the stage. Pity, because rumor is we missed out on Buke and Gass covering Cindi’s “She Bop” and mind-blowing saxophonist Colin Stetson covering Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” Alright, maybe that last part’s not true, but I can dream.
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