Thursday, March 8, 2012

"Aphasia"


Aphasia: A Stanford music professor's work, with hand gestures and odd sounds, about obsessive attention to ridiculous things

Mangled vocal samples, random icons and precise hand gestures come together in a mesmerizing performance by Stanford music scholar Mark Applebaum.

Mark Applebaum's 'Aphasia'

BY CAMILLE BROWN

The performer in the video steps onto the stage and sits down in a nondescript chair, his face blank of expression and hands placed squarely on his knees.

Suddenly, a metallic-sounding "THWUNK!" electrifies the space and with a sharp left-arm gesture the performer strikes his chest, beginning the performance of Aphasia, a composition by Mark Applebaum, associate professor of music at Stanford.

Comedy community comes together to help comedian who suffered stroke

Friends of Washington D.C. comedian Joe Deeley recently received word that he had suffered a stroke that left him with paralysis in his left side, and hospitalized for the foreseeable future. Like many working comedians, Joe does not have health insurance, and is sure to incur some very large hospital bills. A PayPal account has been set up to make donations in order to assist Joe in his recovery, and ease his financial burden. Donations towards Joe’s medical bills can be made to money4deeley@gmail.com (organized and monitored by comedian Rory Scovel), and we encourage anyone who can spare a few dollars to please do so.
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