Long Conversation 1 of 19 | Stewart Brand and Jem Finer

TL;DR

Long Player is a thousand-year piece of music that explores the concept of time and engages with the long now foundation.

Transcript

welcome everybody i'm alexander rose i'm the executive director at the long now foundation and welcome to the marathon relay long conversation i'd like to thank the contemporary jewish museum for hosting this and across the way we have Yerba Buena Center for the Arts hosting gem Finers long-player live which you'll be hearing from gem shortly and o... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤔 Long Player was influenced by the approaching millennium and the lack of forward-thinking beyond the year 2000.
• 📽️ The composition intersects with the ideas of the Long Now Foundation and its ambitious 10,000 Year Clock project.
• 🖐️ Long Player requires a clock to be played and relies on mechanical reproduction and acoustic instruments.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the concept of Long Player come about?

Long Player was inspired by the approaching millennium and the lack of forward-thinking beyond the year 2000. The idea of time as a long, slow process led to the creation of this thousand-year piece of music.

Q: How does Long Player intersect with the Long Now Foundation?

The Long Now Foundation, known for its ambitious 10,000 Year Clock project, shares similar motivations with Long Player. They both aim to engage with time in unique ways and explore the concept of long-term thinking.

Q: How does Long Player differ from traditional music compositions?

Long Player is composed to be played over a thousand years, with the music repeating at the end of each cycle. It requires a clock to be played and relies on mechanical reproduction and acoustic instruments rather than computer technology.

Q: What role did Brian Eno play in the development of Long Player?

Brian Eno, a board member and founding person of the Long Now Foundation, provided guidance and support to the composer of Long Player. He helped in pointing the composer in different directions and contributed valuable insights for the development of the piece.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Long Player, a musical composition, started on the cusp of the year 2000 and was influenced by the approaching millennium.

• The idea of time as a long, slow process and the lack of forward-thinking beyond the year 2000 led to the creation of Long Player.

• The composition is inspired by the Long Now Foundation and intersects with the ideas of Brian Eno, who provided guidance and support.