A Year with Swollen Appendices: The Diary of Brian Eno

by Brian Eno

Book Overview

The diary and essays of Brian Eno republished twenty-five years on with a new introduction by the artist in a beautiful hardcover edition. At the end of 1994, musician, producer and artist Brian Eno... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0571179959
• ISBN13: 9780571179954
• Release Date: July 1996
• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Length: 424 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

think

my well-worn copy was purchased when the book came out. a fan of eno from his roxy music days, he lead the pack in being ahead of the pack when it came to ambient music, among other things. that's why they call it 'avant guarde' folks - the advance guard, going where it's dangerous, well ahead of the rest of the followers. for those that only gave the book a one or two star review, put it down early, etc., in short, they just don't get it, and most likely never will. that's ok. you can lead a horse to water... forget eno as musician, producer, artist, educator, etc. , first and foremost he is a thinker, a man of ideas. his article in "wired" a decade ago said, in short , "there is not enough africa in computers". what do culture and technology have in common? what do art and life - heck, forget about life - what do art and death have in common? read the book. find out. my copy is dog-earred, with a good number passeges underlined. why does one do that? because it reinfornces ideas one already posseses, often by putting them in a new light. and if you already have a penchant for thinking, eno may help sharpen some of those fuzzy thoughts. or even make them fuzzier, if warranted. 'oblique strategies' was a thought process eno developed with a collaborator to find new, creative ways of dealing with the issues that arise in any creative endeavor. 'oblique' and 'strategy' say much about eno's analytical mind, but if one listens to his contributions and colaborations with jon hassell or talking heads, you'llknw he brings more to the table than analysis. here are some of his thoughts: "culture is not different from this: it is an ivitation to you to engage with a different world, a world of your and someone else's imagination. without your active engagement in that invitation, nothing happens. you are never actually a passive consumer of culture, because the only sense in which the verb 'to consume' has any meaning inthis context is when it means 'to agree to engage with'". so, engage. consume. read this book. and fight the good fight. marc english austin, texas shaman@marcenglishdesign.com

Not for everybody - great book for producers

If you are a record producer or a musician interested in production you are certainly familiar with Eno's work. Have you ever wondered what his routine is like? Well, I did. The book gave me an idea of how he works on a project, how ideas are created in his studio and how he works with musicians. The book is his diary of 1995 and it is focused on his work, not so much his personal life. There are no juicy gossips and no confessions. It is mostly cold and impersonal. Steps were clearly taken to preserve his personal life. And you have to ignore some of the obvious embelishing (c'mon, Brian, if you are such a good cook, shouldn't you own a restaurant instead?).But if you are involved in music you will get a glimpse into the tools and processes that make this man one of the great creative minds in contemporary music. And also understand where some of his shortcomings come from.It is the closest thing to being a guest in his studio for a week.Apart from the diary there are some texts at the end packed with original ideas.

A must-read for all musicians, artists & producers

An fascinating insight into the mind of one of pop music's most creatively influential movers and shakers - follow the inner workings of Eno's mind as he wrestles with producing Bowie and James, criticising the Turner Art Prize, collaborating with U2, clowning with his infant daughters, lusting after pssing women, making bread at 3am, and pondering humanitarian catastrophies in the Balkans as he pours time, tears and creative energies into his War Child charity work... if you work in the music business and find this book dull , email me and I'll buy it off you for the same price you paid - it's that good. It should be compulsory reading for anyone involved in contemporary music and the arts - candid, sad, funny, revealing, opinionated, flawed... in short, human. Brian Eno's perceived public image is a million miles removed from the private and creative reality and this book goes some way towards redressing the balance for anyone interested in his work. The one-liners are priceless and acute ("An arrangement is when somebody stops playing"). The swollen appendages are a bit overblown and dull, but the diary is so densely written and full of insights that it repays frequent re-reading.

An engrossing, timeless book, packed with ideas

"I have a wonderful life", Brian Eno remarks at the beginning of this stocky little book. It is not an admission that you will get from many artists, and by the end, I could not help feeling more than a little envious of the sheer diversity of activities that fill Eno's life. This very readable diary is also an insight into how one so influential can get bogged down by the sheer volume of work and commissions that regularly come his way.This book is both a diary of Eno's life in 1995 - at once remarkably candid and playful (he has an obsession with the female bottom which he draws to our attention), and a series of essays and short stories. The former Roxy Music member is not afraid to name-drop (saunas with Bjork, albums with David Bowie and U2, works in progress with Paul McCartney...), but this is a pleasant contrast to the sometimes earnest but always interesting extended pieces which make up the "appendices" of the title, and are laid out at the end of the book.A very worthwhile and enjoyable read, particularly for those of us who were unaware of who Brian Eno was - it is a book which I regularly dip into and will continue to do so.