Tony Conrad died yesterday. It’s hard to disentangle his importance as an inspiration, a personal example to other musicians and artists, from his music so I’ll start by quoting something I wrote about his musicianship, when at its best. “Not just an unerring sense of what sounds good, but a sense of structure, of a meaning that goes beyond its own craft.”
I saw him play live on four occasions and was once accidentally invited to dinner with him at the Supper Inn in Melbourne. You couldn’t help but be aware that you were in the presence of a living figure from history and it was hard not to consider him an accessible ambassador from a particular mythology. Conrad’s real importance and influence on those mourning him today comes from what came after. In the last 20 years so many musicians have taken on ideas they learned from him.
That there’s always another side to the story, waiting to be revealed. That the “minimal” in music can have its rough edges and expressiveness. That there’s more than one way to learn from the past. That persistence pays. That received wisdom can be challenged. That constant work and honing your craft is essential. That it’s not too late.
