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Childhood

Close-up of the back of a vinyl album showing the title, artist, record label name, and recording year

Statement of Belief: Hearing John Coltrane’s “India” at 16

When I interviewed John Cage in 1987, he told me something I’ll never forget—that attending Edgar Varèse’s concerts conducted by Nicolas Slonimsky in Philharmonic Hall in downtown Los Angeles in the late 1920’s were “statements of belief” for him. The experience set Cage on course for a lifetime as a composer of new and challenging music.

A 3/4 profile view of a yellow racing bicycle with red wrapped handlebars sitting on a stand in a showroom

The Racing Bike I Never Got

When I was 12 and 13, cycling was everything to me. I rode around 100-150 miles weekly, was on an informal team called “Le Voyageurs” (The Travelers), complete with jerseys, chamois-seated shorts, toe clips – the whole deal. A weekend ride would have us all ride from Santa Monica Canyon up PCH… The Racing Bike I Never Got