An interesting account of John Cage’s Empty Words performance at the Teatro Lirico in Milan in December 1977, sponsored by Cramps Records. The performance was billed as if Cage were a band or a rock star. Members of the audience who didn’t know him protested with loud spoken interruptions and slow hand claps. The documentary on this page (and on YouTube) follows the lead-up (tech rehearsal, vox pop interviews, press conference) to the show, which, if your Italian is very good, is absolutely fascinating. The English-language article, and translations of reviews, on this web page, are very useful. The last four minutes of the film, showing rare footage of Cage’s performance, is stunning.
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Great document. I did see it only once in my life…. Glimpse of an old world. There are historical shots: Roberto Masotti photographing Cage, at the table; Walter Marchetti and Juan Hidalgo during the interview; also a young Franco Battiato that was in the public. This was a historical and most controversial exhibition. We were not prepared yet… Thanks for the digging!!!