Walking the stacks of an academic library, beset by a-temporal images. “A-temporal” because of the slide show going on inside me of academic life across centuries. These are not Michael Clarage’s memories, because he was not around back then. Is “memory” even the right word? I do not get these vivid slide shows when visiting rock quarries or battleships. But I do have access to this sort of temporal interlacing in academic libraries, and it is very centering for me. Which is surprising since you might think temporal fragmentation would be disorienting. Maybe it is more like temporal re-integration for me.
Thanks for this Michael, I like to go to libraries to remind myself how little I know of anything and I like to go to fiction sections in a bookshop to remind myself that I could choose to spend my whole life living someone else's fantasy.
Compact cassettes did die, magazines mostly, but books as a means of dissemination of information and lore look strong. There is a lot of nonsense written in the past, but gems too, it is knowing which is which that will be critical to preserving many great written thoughts for the future to ponder.
Being in the presence of that immense effort and palpable connection to the past creates an indescribable feeling, like yearning without knowing for what—maybe to be able to read it all and share it all and preserve it all.
Thank you Michael, for your thoughts, and those two words - I can finally describe how I desiderated musical disempoguement and eventually achieved it after fifty years of practice.
My grandfather, a World War 2 veteran and the wisest man I knew, told me once upon a time that the single most dangerous place in all the known universe was a library.
Only the bravest souls can walk among the labyrinthine pathways facing truth and the unknown without fear.
I want to believe we don't have to do it all over again.
Thanks for this Michael, I like to go to libraries to remind myself how little I know of anything and I like to go to fiction sections in a bookshop to remind myself that I could choose to spend my whole life living someone else's fantasy.
Compact cassettes did die, magazines mostly, but books as a means of dissemination of information and lore look strong. There is a lot of nonsense written in the past, but gems too, it is knowing which is which that will be critical to preserving many great written thoughts for the future to ponder.
Thank you, as always for your insights. We are so very fortunate to be privy to them!
Tad Coffin
Being in the presence of that immense effort and palpable connection to the past creates an indescribable feeling, like yearning without knowing for what—maybe to be able to read it all and share it all and preserve it all.
Thank you Michael, for your thoughts, and those two words - I can finally describe how I desiderated musical disempoguement and eventually achieved it after fifty years of practice.
My grandfather, a World War 2 veteran and the wisest man I knew, told me once upon a time that the single most dangerous place in all the known universe was a library.
Only the bravest souls can walk among the labyrinthine pathways facing truth and the unknown without fear.