Laurie Anderson and bassist Bill Laswell played last night at Castle Clinton in Battery Park, just as the sun went down on a gorgeous June evening. Part of the ongoing River to River festival, the hour-plus show was pure improvisation: Anderson sawing at her electric violin or indulging in retro-sounding synth chords, Laswell creating a meandering torrent of sound through his bass and a batterty of pedals.
Surprisingly, Anderson spoke very little throughout – until the very end, when she issued this wry, obtuse verse:
"When I'm thinking of you, I'm thinking of you.
When I'm not thinking of you, I'm not thinking of you.
When tears fall from my right eye, it means that I love you.
When tears fall from my left eye, it means I can't bear you."
About as strange and satisfying an evening as you would expect from the 64 year old Anderson. And, it seems as if the collaboration with Laswell has helped clarify her musical vision; one can only wonder if this might just be a precursor to a future project with her well-known husband, who's not such a bad axe-man himself.
More pics here.