I could keep going with the adjectives. Like, smart: this piece actually offers a new take on the world. Many things will strike you a little differently once you've heard it. And the decision to avoid lawyers may be the smartest part, since that't the one and only thing that, say, ATC would focus on if they did this story. This is a great piece about art in the present moment!
This is one of those perfect public radio programs that succeeds on different levels. First, of course, is the important concept of keeping creativity and art out of the hands of the lawyers. But while listening, I also started thinking about how the idea of the "remix" could be applied to just about anything, including one of my favorite topics (cooking) and one of my least favorite (politics). To me, this is one of the hallmarks of a great "concept" show - you can envision it extended it beyond the boundries it's placed on itself (58 minutes). It will air on WNPR's Essential Radio on 12/12/04 at 4:00 p.m.
This is a really nice, sound-rich approach to a subject that usually gets handled by the lawyers. Walker shows that "remixing" is not just a 21st century phenomenon with intriguing examples, great commentators/experts, and some witty production elements. We need more of this kind of thoughtful arts analysis on the radio.
Intellectual Property. A topic that gets far too little play in the thinking culture of radio. We think about this issue constantly in the course of producing stuff for radio or release to the wider world on CD/MP3: pick your format and medium... Graphic artists too. Yet the issue is not heard so much on the radio. FLASH: if you are successfully operating in the rarified world of Fine Art (i.e. not commercial) you actually don't worry about IP so much! At least according to a curator at the Mass MOCA. Why the difference? Hmmm, I bet you can guess that it is about the Benjamin's (and I don't mean the producer ; | ) but to hear this piece is to illuminate it with feeling...
I was not certain how wide an appeal this topic would have but after listening to the piece I am convinced that Mr. Walker has shown a way to make the topic less Academic and more Street for a wide variety of people, voices and histories...
The guests coming along with Walker are a great way of bringing me the listener along too...real voices and thoughts... Fred is priceless and to hear his position and interpretation of things compared to fascinating voices of the women riffing with 80k Grad School phrases such as "activated objects" and it has the "texture and color of falayed skin" make this all the more memorable...
A fabulous mix and deft editing with some real nice, somewhat unconventional, but totally appropriate flourishes herein. Oh, and the music actually hits the right emotional buttons and there is a delightful bit of credit info regarding the music rights that will get you thinking and maybe even feeling deeper at the conclusion of the hour...
In the spirit of full disclosure I feel the need to say that I kinda know Mr. Walker (I did a weekly radio show after his shift for about a year). But then again I suppose a significant percentage if not the majority of reviews written on PRX are written by associates of the producer's. I wonder if the PRX God's could facilitate a system or something that would take this into account and also encourage anonymous review writing, as it really feels like there a lot of people who use The PRX but don't post for perhaps fear of offending or stubbing their job potentials...
Listen to the remix yourself: you will learn something, be entertained and hear time bend.
Comments for The Creative Remix
Produced by Benjamen Walker
Other pieces by Benjamen Walker
Rating Summary
4 comments
Bill McKibben
Posted on February 24, 2005 at 09:06 AM | Permalink
Review of The Creative Remix
I could keep going with the adjectives. Like, smart: this piece actually offers a new take on the world. Many things will strike you a little differently once you've heard it. And the decision to avoid lawyers may be the smartest part, since that't the one and only thing that, say, ATC would focus on if they did this story. This is a great piece about art in the present moment!
John Dankosky
Posted on October 16, 2004 at 07:33 AM | Permalink
Review of The Creative Remix
This is one of those perfect public radio programs that succeeds on different levels. First, of course, is the important concept of keeping creativity and art out of the hands of the lawyers. But while listening, I also started thinking about how the idea of the "remix" could be applied to just about anything, including one of my favorite topics (cooking) and one of my least favorite (politics). To me, this is one of the hallmarks of a great "concept" show - you can envision it extended it beyond the boundries it's placed on itself (58 minutes). It will air on WNPR's Essential Radio on 12/12/04 at 4:00 p.m.
Tara Anderson
Posted on October 14, 2004 at 07:49 AM | Permalink
Review of The Creative Remix
This is a really nice, sound-rich approach to a subject that usually gets handled by the lawyers. Walker shows that "remixing" is not just a 21st century phenomenon with intriguing examples, great commentators/experts, and some witty production elements. We need more of this kind of thoughtful arts analysis on the radio.
paul cheevers
Posted on October 01, 2004 at 03:38 PM | Permalink
Review of The Creative Remix
Intellectual Property. A topic that gets far too little play in the thinking culture of radio. We think about this issue constantly in the course of producing stuff for radio or release to the wider world on CD/MP3: pick your format and medium... Graphic artists too. Yet the issue is not heard so much on the radio. FLASH: if you are successfully operating in the rarified world of Fine Art (i.e. not commercial) you actually don't worry about IP so much! At least according to a curator at the Mass MOCA. Why the difference? Hmmm, I bet you can guess that it is about the Benjamin's (and I don't mean the producer ; | ) but to hear this piece is to illuminate it with feeling...
I was not certain how wide an appeal this topic would have but after listening to the piece I am convinced that Mr. Walker has shown a way to make the topic less Academic and more Street for a wide variety of people, voices and histories...
The guests coming along with Walker are a great way of bringing me the listener along too...real voices and thoughts... Fred is priceless and to hear his position and interpretation of things compared to fascinating voices of the women riffing with 80k Grad School phrases such as "activated objects" and it has the "texture and color of falayed skin" make this all the more memorable...
A fabulous mix and deft editing with some real nice, somewhat unconventional, but totally appropriate flourishes herein. Oh, and the music actually hits the right emotional buttons and there is a delightful bit of credit info regarding the music rights that will get you thinking and maybe even feeling deeper at the conclusion of the hour...
In the spirit of full disclosure I feel the need to say that I kinda know Mr. Walker (I did a weekly radio show after his shift for about a year). But then again I suppose a significant percentage if not the majority of reviews written on PRX are written by associates of the producer's. I wonder if the PRX God's could facilitate a system or something that would take this into account and also encourage anonymous review writing, as it really feels like there a lot of people who use The PRX but don't post for perhaps fear of offending or stubbing their job potentials...
Listen to the remix yourself: you will learn something, be entertained and hear time bend.