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Wendy Carlos: The brilliant but lonely life of an electronic music pioneer

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Re: Wendy Carlos: The brilliant but lonely life of an electronic music pioneer

#171

Post by howinteresting »

graveli wrote: post #169
zuminator wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This relatively recent idea that someone can become more female or more male through drugs and surgery The Hijra community (Indian trans/non-binary) has been around for thousands of years, and surgical castration has been one traditional way for them to achieve their identity during that period. It's not relatively recent. https://rpl.hds.harvard.edu/religion-context/case-studies/ge... In any event, I think in a fr…

A castration cult that abducts young boys, chops their balls off, and sells them into the sex trade is not really a great example of this. It baffles me why people who support Western transgenderism liken it to the hijra, as it's hardly a flattering comparison.

Correct, the hijra community is an abusive set of cults with strict hierarchies. It is, however, what appears to be the least bad option for a lot of Indian trans people facing ostracism. This reflects incredibly poorly on Indian society at large.

Many trans people that join the hijra community leave it due to the abuse. The ex-hijra community is one of trans women that has been around for roughly as long as the hijra community has been.

Here's a project from former members of the hijra community that left because of the abuse they faced in it: https://aravaniartproject.com

In any case, trans people have been around for as long as people have been around.

Re: Wendy Carlos: The brilliant but lonely life of an electronic music pioneer

#173

Post by [deleted] »

renewedrebecca wrote: post #87
mt_ wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Create art about whatever you want but if you bind it with your identity and sexuality you're more an idealogue than a craftsman.

Ridiculous assertion. You're guilty of engaging in ideology just by suggesting it.

[deleted]

Re: Wendy Carlos: The brilliant but lonely life of an electronic music pioneer

#174

Post by Synaesthesia »

leoc wrote: post #162

Slightly related: there's someone (Robert Bancarli, project name "Baroquenoise" https://www.baroquenoise.com/ ) putting out Moogish classical covers in the style of Carlos. He just released a Bieber (no, the other Bieber https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Ignaz_Franz_Biber ) album https://open.spotify.com/album/01wxyAfeU3auxstFgmL3l2?si=jX_... , and the Passacaglia is pretty good: https://open.spotify.com/track/4…

One of my faves in the genre is Marco Rosano "Analog Bach" (he released twomalnums in that series). Great use of synths!

Re: Wendy Carlos: The brilliant but lonely life of an electronic music pioneer

#175

Post by graveli »

howinteresting wrote: post #171
graveli wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A castration cult that abducts young boys, chops their balls off, and sells them into the sex trade is not really a great example of this. It baffles me why people who support Western transgenderism liken it to the hijra, as it's hardly a flattering comparison.

Correct, the hijra community is an abusive set of cults with strict hierarchies. It is, however, what appears to be the least bad option for a lot of Indian trans people facing ostracism. This reflects incredibly poorly on Indian society at large. Many trans people that join the hijra community leave it due to the abuse. The ex-hijra community is one of trans women that has been around for roughly as long as the hijr…

Trans is a Western cultural import applied to the hijra, this isn't how they traditionally see themselves, nor wider Indian society, e.g. if we look at misogynist cultural practices such as sati, with widows immolated on their husband's funeral pyre, these never applied to hijra as they aren't considered to be women, or men. If the idea of hijra was imported back to the West and applied to transwomen here there would be an uproar.

Re: Wendy Carlos: The brilliant but lonely life of an electronic music pioneer

#176

Post by howinteresting »

graveli wrote: post #175
howinteresting wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correct, the hijra community is an abusive set of cults with strict hierarchies. It is, however, what appears to be the least bad option for a lot of Indian trans people facing ostracism. This reflects incredibly poorly on Indian society at large. Many trans people that join the hijra community leave it due to the abuse. The ex-hijra community is one of trans women that has been around for roughly as long as the hijr…

Trans is a Western cultural import applied to the hijra, this isn't how they traditionally see themselves, nor wider Indian society, e.g. if we look at misogynist cultural practices such as sati, with widows immolated on their husband's funeral pyre, these never applied to hijra as they aren't considered to be women, or men. If the idea of hijra was imported back to the West and applied to transwomen here there would…

Not everyone, but plenty of people in the community and outside of it see themselves as trans women.

The western idea of transness is better (more freedom, less suffering) so of course it is seeing adoption worldwide. I'm the exact opposite of a cultural relativist. I think it is morally good for the best cultural ideas to win.

In any case it still doesn't change the fact that something resembling trans people have been around in every single culture for a very long time. It is because transness is universal, a part of the human condition.

Re: Wendy Carlos: The brilliant but lonely life of an electronic music pioneer

#177

Post by fulltimeloser »

ideonexus wrote: post #75

Love the Tron soundtrack and am happy to learn about Wendy Carlos. Unfortunately, she has fought tirelessly to keep her music from being digitized and available online or streaming. I did however find this delightful collaboration she did with Weird Al Yankovic remaking Peter and the Wolf: https://archive.org/details/peter-and-the-wolf-wierd-al/

There must be a balance point between greed and control vs letting people enjoy your work. I understand the need for artists to earn a living, but being to restrictive will paint you in to a corner.

In a way she is doing the same to her music as she did to her self; hiding it away from public view

Re: Wendy Carlos: The brilliant but lonely life of an electronic music pioneer

#178

Post by bane »

puppable wrote: post #103
mt_ wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Create art about whatever you want but if you bind it with your identity and sexuality you're more an idealogue than a craftsman.

This is a bad take both on the nature of art and Wendy Carlos. Art encompasses all aspects of the human experience. How could this not include identity and sexuality, and yes, the treatment one lives through as an aspect of those things. Also wrong is the supposition that a ideological art is somehow a lesser form of creativity. Some of the greatest works in history were made by "ideologues", and made specifically as…

Bingo, you get it exactly. It's Wendy's reluctance to "flaunt" it that makes her all the more appealing as a person. I understand that she regrets her time in seclusion, but it makes her unassailable as somebody who was "throwing it in your face."

Re: Wendy Carlos: The brilliant but lonely life of an electronic music pioneer

#179

Post by bane »

jacquesm wrote: post #90
Karawebnetwork wrote: post #70

We can't discuss Wendy Carlos without mentioning the still online old school "Wendy Carlos Homepage" that is straight out of 1996. https://www.wendycarlos.com/

Thanks for that link, it prompted me to send her a thank you note, which was really long overdue.

Ha! Me too! I realized I'd known about her site for a long while but had never taken the time to reach out and thank her.

Re: Wendy Carlos: The brilliant but lonely life of an electronic music pioneer

#180

Post by steve1977 »

ideonexus wrote: post #75

Love the Tron soundtrack and am happy to learn about Wendy Carlos. Unfortunately, she has fought tirelessly to keep her music from being digitized and available online or streaming. I did however find this delightful collaboration she did with Weird Al Yankovic remaking Peter and the Wolf: https://archive.org/details/peter-and-the-wolf-wierd-al/

Most of her works are available on CD, so they are digitized.
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