I consider John Cage (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) to be a teacher of mine. It was a great privilege to be able to work with him briefly and he was also the teacher of my teachers. So I am proud to count myself among the people who continue his legacy, even in a small way. Here is a wonderful page about his work. It contains just about everything that is important about him to me. While I consider his 4'33" to be absolutely serious and, in fact, among the most important works of art in the 20th (or any) century, this video is worth watching for those reasons but also because it could, just as easily, be a Monty Python sketch.

John Cage and Mark Bloch, 1987

Some John Cage Quotes I Like:

“Why make art ? To quiet the mind thus making it susceptible to divine influences.”

“Our business in living is to become fluent with the life we are living, and art can help this.”

“If we hear a melody once, that’s enough.”

“I’ve thought of music as a means of changing the mind.”

“There is an interpenetration of unlimited centers.”