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Glenn Branca

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Composer

The Resume

    (October 6, 1948-May 13, 2018)
    Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
    Avant-garde composer and guitarist
    Composed 16 symphonies
    Many of his symphonies were composed for masses of electric guitars (as many as 100) and percussion instruments
    Recorded the albums ‘The Ascension’ (1981) and ‘The Ascension: The Sequel’ (2010)

Why he might be annoying:

    Before taking up avant-garde music, he wrote plays for avant-garde theater. (‘You understand, my idea of a play doesn’t have plots, characters, or anything like that.’)
    His compositions were heavy on feedback and droning.
    Some of his works had all the repetitiveness of, say, Philip Glass while being too damn loud to ignore.
    Critics often said recordings of his works never captured the sheer power of a live performance.
    ’The Guardian’ noted, ‘Even among the many underground artists, musicians and misfits who populated downtown Manhattan in the 1970s and 80s, he stood out as one of the weirdest.’

Why he might not be annoying:

    His influences ranged from Gustav Mahler to Miles Davis to Patti Smith.
    ’Trouser Press’ wrote that he was ‘One of the first to realize that a classic-rock fusion need not involve technique-crazed keyboardists soloing away to the accompaniment of rehashed Brahms or Stravinsky.’
    Guitarists Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth played in his ensembles.
    David Bowie included ‘The Ascension’ on a list of his 25 all-time favorite albums (2013).
    ’Melody Maker’ magazine wrote, ‘When science fiction writers describe the 'Music of the Future' one can imagine Branca's music -- shimmering and heavenly, and stark, physical and austere.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 61 Votes: 57.38% Annoying