Philip Glass

Glass turns out to be a much more radical character than I would have imagined from what I know of his music. The time when he started composing seems to have been one of struggle for him and many contemporaries that he mentions (including Steve Reich and John Cage) to make a break with the figurative past and create a new kind of classical music. The arts world of theatre, sculpture, poetry and writing that he was immersed in was indeed very radical, and it seems they all lived fully show more committed to their art and to a new way of thinking. I was astonished to hear how penniless he was for so much of his life, for example driving a cab and working as a plumber in Manhattan for decades. Interesting also how important the East Village was not only as a place where he lived but as a community of artistic people collaborating and working together. All in all gives me a renewed desire to engage with his music again, and to listen to so many of his pieces that I don't know. show less

What this book demonstrates is Philip Glass is not even remotely as good when forced to express himself with words and not music. At his best describing the creative process - particularly bits about transcendent experience through creation that come at the end of the book - Glass is less effective conveying relationships with members of his family, or engaging with his critics, or describing his spiritual practice. The lengthy recounting of his trips to India in the center of the book show more sucked all oxygen out of the overall narrative. While Glass has led a remarkable life and I know more about that life than I did before I read this book, I didn't find any insights into the music that putting on a record wouldn't offer on its own. show less

When reading Canopus in Argos: Archives, I discovered that two of the books (The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four, and Five and The Making of the Representative for Planet 8) had been turned into operas by Philip Glass. Unfortunately, none of the music has been released on a commercial recording, leaving this libretto of the second opera the closest I can get. Reading an opera is obviously no substitute for seeing one, but I liked this-- I thought it improved on some of the flaws of the show more novel, driving home some points the book is a little too elliptical about. (Also: it has actual characters.) I've got no idea how it actually would have been rendered on stage, though. show less

Where to start? An impressive book about an impressive life. Glass loves life and lives it positively. Astounding attitude. Never cares whether anyone likes his music. He thinks musically. This book helped me understand many of his works. It also let me know there are many many more works that I never knew about, and will begin to search out. I knew he had scored several movies. I had no idea it was more than 30 so far. This book shares a lot but leaves some obvious holes. He mentions having show more four kids but we only learn about the first two. show less