Quote. Terry Riley. Critics & Criticism

“Yes, I do listen to critics. Of course, it’s easier to criticize than to do it. And it depends on who the critic is; a lot of critics write without much awareness of the kind of work hat the person they’re criticizing is doing. I’ve had some things written that just astounded me, that they could make these statements about past works that were so false. I guess they get confused with other people. So it’s as fallible as the person doing it. But I think a musician can listen to the critic. Critics can be teachers. You shouldn’t feel that because you’ve done this work you know everything about it. You are just one viewpoint on it. And it’s just something that came through you, it’s not something you own. The less ego you have towards that work, the better it is, from my view point. All you are responsible for is protecting it until you get it into a form where it’s being performed. Then it’s out there like everything else is. If you have ego towards it, that’s only going to create pain for you. That doesn’t mean that I’m beyond that. But I do recognize that the less attached I am to it once it’s out, the freer I’ll be to do my next work.” [Talking Music, William Duckworth, 1999]

Posted in academia on August 28th, 2009 by fresh good minimal | 9 Comments