Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson (born June 5, 1947) is an American experimental performance artist and musician.

Related Topics:
June 5 - 1947 - American - Performance art

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Anderson was born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She attended Mills College in California, and eventually graduated from Barnard College magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, studying art history. In 1972, she obtained an MFA in sculpture from Columbia University.

Related Topics:
Glen Ellyn, Illinois - Mills College - California - Barnard College - Magna cum laude - Phi Beta Kappa - Art history - Columbia University

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She performed in New York through the 1970s, becoming more popularly known in 1981 with the single "O Superman", which reached number two on the national pop charts in Britain. "O Superman" was part of a larger stage work entitled United States and included on the following album Big Science. Her more recent stage work includes a multimedia presentation inspired by Moby-Dick. She starred in and directed the 1986 concert film, Home of the Brave, and also composed the soundtracks for the Spalding Gray films Swimming to Cambodia and Monster in a Box. Her varied career even included voice-acting in the animated film The Rugrats Movie. In 1994 she created a CD-ROM entitled Puppet Motel.

Related Topics:
New York - 1970s - 1981 - O Superman - United States - Big Science - Moby-Dick - Home of the Brave - Spalding Gray - Swimming to Cambodia - Monster in a Box - The Rugrats Movie - 1994 - CD-ROM - Puppet Motel

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She wrote the New York City article for the Encyclopædia Britannica and in the late 1980s hosted the PBS series, Alive from Off Center, for which she produced the short film, What You Mean We?.

Related Topics:
New York City - Encyclopædia Britannica - PBS - Alive from Off Center - What You Mean We?

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Anderson has collaborated with William Burroughs, Mitchell Froom, Peter Gabriel, Perry Hoberman, David Sylvian and boyfriend Lou Reed. She also worked with comedian Andy Kaufman in the late 1970s (with a romantic involvement hinted at in some of her spoken word performances about him).

Related Topics:
William Burroughs - Mitchell Froom - Peter Gabriel - Perry Hoberman - David Sylvian - Lou Reed - Andy Kaufman

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Anderson, who rarely revisits older work (though themes and lyrics occasionally reappear) went on tour performing a selection of her best-known musical pieces in 2001. One of these performances was recorded in New York City only a week after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and included a stirring performance of "O Superman" which contained lyrics that almost seemed to predict the events of 9/11. This concert was released in early 2002 as the CD, Live in New York, which remains her most recent album release.

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In 2003, Anderson became NASA's first (and, she says, last) artist-in-residence, which inspired her most recent performance piece, The End of the Moon.

Related Topics:
2003 - NASA

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Rumors emerged of a possible new album release in the fall of 2004, but this turned out to be false as Anderson seems too busy mounting a succession of themed shows, as well as composing a piece for Expo 2005 in Japan.

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