Next instalment of guest writer Jack Phoenix’s account of his time at Bestival 2006. His personal view.
. . the one piece i would like to have liked to have heard all weekend & didn’t is John Cage’s 4’33’ – a piece in three movements, for any number of instruments or performers, which is marked ‘tacet’ (‘it is silent’) throughout . . . it’s the first proper ambient piece, directing the listener & performer to the ambient sounds of the environment . . . even in a soundproofed, anechoic chamber, there is no silence . . . you can hear your own blood pulsing through your veins . . .
. . . 2007 will be the 55th anniversary of the piece’s composition, so wouldn’t it be amazing, if at next year’s Bestival we all went for the world record number of performers of 4’33” . . ? . . . 15,000 folk all trying to be as quiet as possible for less than five minutes . . . it would be incredibly eerie & magical . . . especially if we made as much noise as possible before hand . . . .
. . first up on my agenda is Son of Dave, who, nattily dressed in 50s gear, gives an energetic beatbox & harmonica version of blues . . something really strong & unexpected . . i love these sort of random discoveries . .
i catch up with Toby who gives a huge smile of relief . . he’s finished the last edition of this year’s Bestival Bugle, his whimsically witty take on the weekend which is now an essential and established fixture . . .
. . . there’s not much on the main stage i can be bothered with today, though i’m sorry to have missed The Hat, who were good, eccentric fun in the Bollywood tent last year . . . i decide to check out Devendra Banhart . . . the entire band are spectacularly hairy this evening . . . can’t help thinking Mr B himself looked a lot more alluring when somewhat less hirsute . . facial hair’s ok in moderation, but a little goes a long way, and i haven’t been over-partial since i was menaced by a werewolf at the age of nine . . . i take lots of photos anyway . . & enjoy the low-key bonhomie of gentle, summery folk drifting on the breeze . . .
More later …
