Laurie Anderson

Interview

• "Music and new technologies" (Mestre, 30-11-1996)

Biography

Laurie Anderson is one of the most important performance artists, entertaining and challenging the public with her multimedia presentations. During her career she has been a visual artist, composer, poet, photographer, film-maker, ventriloquist, technical wizard, singer and instrumentalist.

In 1995 she crossed the United States and Europe with her tour "The Nerve Bible", her first major multimedia performance in five years. At the same time Voyager published her first CD-Rom, "Puppet Motel", and Warner Bros. distributed "Bright Red", co-produced with Brian Eno, and a CD of a live performance of readings from 1994 entitled "The Ugly One With the Jewels and Other Stories". Harper Perennia published "Stories from the Nerve Bible", a 20-year retrospective, in the same year.

"O Superman" was the track that launched Laurie Anderson's recording career, reaching number 2 in the English charts and subsequently appearing on "Big Science", the first of seven albums recorded for Warner Bros., including "Mister Heartbreak", "United States Live", "Strange Angels" and "Home of the Brave", the soundtrack of the film of the same name. Laurie Anderson has toured all over the world, presenting everything from simple speeches to elaborate multimedia spectacles.

She is also author of numerous videos and films, has contributed to the soundtracks of films by Wim Wenders and Jonathan Demme, and ballets by Trisha Brown, Molissa Fenley and others. She has composed tracks for US National Public Radio, the BBC and the Seville Expo as well as various pieces for orchestra.