The Guardian enjoys rare freedom and independence. Support our journalism
Ewen MacAskill
Ewen MacAskill Become a supporter from just £5 per month to ensure quality journalism is available to all.
Find out more
freebecome a member sign in
subscribe search jobs dating more UK edition
The Guardian
home › culture › music
games
books
art & design
stage
classical
film
tv & radio
home
UK
world
politics
sport
football
opinion
culture selected
business
lifestyle
fashion
environment
tech
travel
browse all sections
Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson plays concert for dogs in New York's Times Square
On a freezing night, a crowd of canines and their human companions turned up to see the performance artist play at a frequency suitable for hounds
Play VideoPlayMute
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration Time 1:21
Loaded: 0%
Progress: 0%
Fullscreen
Laurie Anderson’s concert for dogs was a low-frequency treat.
Adam Gabbatt in New York
@adamgabbatt
Tuesday 5 January 2016 14.47 GMT Last modified on Tuesday 5 January 2016 16.33 GMT
Comments
41
Save for later
There is little a dog could want for in the 21st century. You can buy dog shoes. You can buy dog clothes. You can even buy food for some of them.
Perhaps it was inevitable, then, that at some point there would be a concert specifically for dogs.
That is what happened in New York City on Monday night, when musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson played a set composed for – and played at a frequency suitable for – dogs.
Some 50 of them, and perhaps 100 humans, made the trip to Times Square for the show, despite the coldest weather the city has seen so far this winter. It was hard to be entirely sure, but it seemed most were happy to be there.
Laurie Anderson entertains New York’s canine population.
Laurie Anderson entertains New York’s canine population. Photograph: Noam Galai/Getty Images
Laurie Anderson: 'Capitalism is a disaster for human relations'
Read more
“Well, she hasn’t bolted yet, so I guess she’s excited,” said Gabrielle Esperdy of her dog, Kebo. The pair live in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Both had been excited for the performance.
“Laurie Anderson, dogs, Times Square, it was kind of a killer combination,” Esperdy said.
Kebo, a Welsh springer spaniel, usually listens to “cool jazz”, Esperdy said. “I would say she’s a cool jazz aficionado.”
It would be hard to categorize the music Anderson had prepared for the dogs, but Kebo’s fondness for the relaxed stylings of cool jazz would probably mean she was able to enjoy the show.
Anderson appeared at 11.45pm to howls from the humans in the audience, and to little reaction from the dogs. Wearing jogging bottoms, sneakers and a parka, she took up a position at the base of Times Square’s stairway-type platform, where her fans had assembled. Anderson picked up her tape-bow violin, an instrument she invented in the 1970s, and began to play.
Through the speakers the music was barely audible, like someone playing a CD in a sleeping bag, but the crowd were assured it had been adjusted for the enjoyment of the dogs – it was being broadcast at a low frequency. Headphones were provided for non-dogs, through which one could hear Anderson’s violin and keyboards.
The show prompted an immediate reaction from Phoebe, a border collie-Australian shepherd mix who works as a therapy dog by day. Phoebe began barking loudly as the low frequency music flowed into her ears. It was unclear whether this was a positive reaction.
Sophie, a long-haired chihuahua, sat contemplatively as Anderson played. She was ensconced in a fur-lined bag, a wise choice given the temperature was 16F (-9C), or 0F (-18C) with wind-chill.
The stories you need to read, in one handy email
Read more
Her companion, Howard Sloane, said the five-year-old had a fine ear for music.
“Well, if I play my guitar, she goes like this,” he said, rolling his eyes to the left. “She gives me the eyeball.”
Sophie’s favourite band is Quicksilver Messenger Service, the long-running psychedelic rock outfit perhaps best known for their 1970 hit Fresh Air, Dean said.
Toward the end of the set, Anderson attempted some audience participation. “If you have a little dog, get him barking,” she said as she plucked a high note on the violin. She did not suggest how owners coax their dogs into barking, although one man managed to produce a certain howling noise from his dog after some intense jiggling.
“Mediums now,” Anderson said, plucking a lower note. “Come on, let’s hear you!”
More dogs began to bark. Finally the big dogs were summoned to join the canine choir. By this stage there were a lot of dogs barking, like in a dog park or an animal shelter.
Anderson has been performing music and creating art since the 1970s. Her first feature-length film, The Heart of a Dog, was released in 2015 and is shortlisted for the best documentary Oscar. The film focuses in part on the life and times of her deceased rat terrier, Lolabelle. A three-minute adaptation will play on billboards in Times Square for three minutes every night, from 11.57pm, during January.
The dogs largely appeared happy to attend the event.
The dogs largely appeared happy to attend the event. Photograph: Noam Galai/Getty Images
Anderson, who had performed without gloves and seemed impervious to the cold, said she was impressed with the turnout.
“Oh, it was lovely,” she said. “There was so many types of dogs, I really hadn’t imagined that many would show up. I was really impressed.”
Once the gig was over, both canines and hominids made a swift exit from the windswept Times Square. As with any concert, however, there was some debris left behind. A small puddle had been created by one of the attendees, presumably a dog. Wet paw prints surrounded it.
Discarded dog biscuits also littered the makeshift seating area. Some of the audience had clearly been too rapt to eat.
More news Topics
Laurie Anderson Performance art Dogs New York Animals Pets
Save for later
Reuse this content
Most popular
Tearful Obama tightens gun control and tells inactive Congress: 'We can't wait'
Sian Blake: three bodies found in search for ex-EastEnders actor and children
By the end of my first year as a doctor, I was ready to kill myself
US politics: Nikki Haley to give GOP response to state of the union – live updates
The Hateful Eight: not showing near you at three key UK cinema chains
comments (41)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion.
Order by Newest Threads Collapsed
HelenHighly 1h ago
1
2
New York is SO LUCKY to have Laurie Anderson. She brings so much wit and beauty and wisdom and FUN, with this event and especially with her film "Heart of a Dog," which Helen Highly recommends everyone see. It's a thoughtful meditation on the nature of Loss and how we go on living despite despair. *AND* it's a wacky, experimental, sound-and-picture poem, a humorous tale of how we tell stories and remember and forget them, a touching reflection about the 9/11 attacks (that is completely non-maudlin and actually adds fresh insight), and ultimately Laurie Anderson's own, tender Love Story -- about her dog, her mother, her husband, and her city. You will laugh and cry and THINK. Thank you Laurie Anderson! Click to read more of HelenHighly's "Heart of a Dog" review, or check out my other film and culture commentary at: www.HelenHighly.com
Reply Report
namjodh 2h ago
4
5
ok, here's the deal. I read this story earlier and I thought "that's nice", but you know what bugs the fork out of me is the double standard with regard to cats. I mean I don't want to generalize and say Laurie Anderson is a Canine Supremacist, but, obviously, American culture carries a heavy historical burden of Dogocentrism.
This isn't really fair to cats who are just as adorable soft and cuddly. I'm by no means a Dog Hater nor do I mean to cast aspersions upon dog owners nor hypothesize as to whether they are personally Species Racists, however, I do call for Dog/Cat parity. I believe the general idea, if not the specifics of it, are enshrined in our Bill of Rights.
Too many people operate under a belief in feline stereotypes. Of course we cat lovers have heard it all before: cats are selfish, cats are lazy, cats don't care about anyone except themselves ... my blood begins to boil as I think of these hateful and inaccurate stereotypes which are perpetrated perhaps not by people who are in their hearts hardcore Cat Racists, but simply unthinking and a tad insensitive to the feelings of cat lovers.
Let me tell you there is nothing like having your cat snuggle with you on a cold morning and then with their eyes still filled with sleep and barely able to open giving you a sweet face bath with their delightfully but really only slightly rough tongues. Ah, the scent of cat chow on their, I have to say, much better than a dog's smelling breath.
I could go on, but I feel I have registered my protest appropriately to an internet comment thread and I now await the United States Congress and the Supreme Court to do their part to bring my dream of dog/cat parity to life.
Thank You
Reply Report
HelenHighly namjodh 1h ago
0
1
Ha. Cute. Listen, I am a cat person. I adore my kitty and am annoyed by slobbery, overbearing dogs. However, Laurie Anderson is the last person to blame. First, she is the coolest chick ever and a supremely talented artist. Plus, her movie "Heart of a Dog" really is not about her dog as much as it is about Life and Love and Loss and Beauty. It is a magnificent film. I have long been an Anderson fan, but this film clinches it. I would watch Laurie Anderson read the phone book (or play with her dog), because she elevates whatever she does to a true art form. She even makes dogs seem like lovable creatures. And btw, if you are feeling that cats don't get the appropriate attention, perhaps you should spend some time on YouTube. I think I've seen enough cat-videos to fulfill me for the rest of my life. And as wonderful as they are, they are not Laurie Anderson's cat, so they are not high art and deep feeling and warm wit. Go see the movie. (I swear, it's not about the dog; it's about you and your love for your pet and your family and your home.)To read more about it, go to my blog at http://wp.me/p6TF51-a
Reply Report Close report comment form
Reason (optional)
Email (optional)
Report
View more comments
popular
The Guardian back to top
home
UK
world
politics
sport
football
opinion
culture selected
business
lifestyle
fashion
environment
tech
travel
all sections
culture
› music
› laurie anderson
facebook
twitter
membership
jobs
dating
masterclasses
guardian labs
subscribe
all topics
all contributors
about us
contact us
report technical issue
complaints & corrections
terms & conditions
privacy policy
cookie policy
securedrop
© 2016 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
― oppen gangland style (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 5 January 2016 21:39 (nine years ago)