Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson

Born: June 5, 1947
in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA
Laura Phillips Anderson is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects.

Movies for Laurie Anderson...

Thank You Very Much
Title: Thank You Very Much
Character: Self
Released: August 31, 2023
Type: Movie
In his short, enigmatic life, Andy Kaufman entertained and transfixed audiences while simultaneously driving them away. His work dissolved the boundaries separating reality from fiction, and his commitment to performance, both on stage and off, rendered any distinctions between his characters and his real life useless. Was he a comic, an affable sit-com star, a washed-up lounge singer, a bus boy, a professional wrestler, a hoaxer, a provocateur or a pest? Nearly 40 years after his supposed death, one question still puzzles fans and haters alike: “was that for real?” Thank You Very Much is the definitive documentary look at how a shy, oddball kid from Long Island, New York, became the most polarizing performance artist of the 20th century.
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Sisters with Transistors
Title: Sisters with Transistors
Character: Narrator (voice)
Released: September 1, 2021
Type: Movie
Think of early electronic music and you’ll likely see men pushing buttons, knobs, and boundaries. While electronic music is often perceived as a boys' club, the truth is that from the very beginning women have been integral in inventing the devices, techniques and tropes that would define the shape of sound for years to come.
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Symphony Of The Invisible
Title: Symphony Of The Invisible
Character: Herself (voice)
Released: November 17, 2020
Type: Movie
"Symphony of the Invisible" is a reflection on creation and how through art, poetry and images you can break the limits that have been imposed on language and life itself.
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The Business of Thought: A Recorded History of Artists Space
Title: The Business of Thought: A Recorded History of Artists Space
Character: Self
Released: June 10, 2020
Type: Movie
An oral history of Artists Space, the legendary New York artists organization. Told through the voices of the artists, critics and curators who formed it, the film is narrated by voiceover culled from 30 hours of archival cassette tape interviews over a 45 year period. Artists such as Laurie Anderson, Mike Kelley, Hito Steyerl and David Wojnarowicz walk us through the decades. A formally-experimental and raucously-told chronology composed of rare archival documentation, The Business of Thought... is a reminder of the radical potential of the arts and the importance of collective, cultural spaces.
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Call Us Ishmael
Title: Call Us Ishmael
Character: Herself
Released: April 14, 2018
Type: Movie
Each and every year hundreds of people flock to New Bedford, MA in bleak mid-winter to partake in a celebration like none other. They read this single book out loud over the course of two full days without stopping. All of these people have one thing in common: they are obsessed with Moby Dick, the book that most call the Great American Novel.
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Feminists: What Were They Thinking?
Title: Feminists: What Were They Thinking?
Character: Self
Released: February 19, 2018
Type: Movie
In 1977, a book of photographs captured an awakening - women shedding the cultural restrictions of their childhoods and embracing their full humanity. This documentary revisits those photos, those women and those times and takes aim at our culture today that alarmingly shows the need for continued change.
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Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait
Title: Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait
Character: Self
Released: May 5, 2017
Type: Movie
A chronicle of the personal life and public career of the celebrated artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel.
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Uncle Howard
Title: Uncle Howard
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: March 10, 2017
Type: Movie
When Howard Brookner lost his life to AIDS in 1989, the 35-year-old director had completed two feature documentaries and was in post-production on his narrative debut, Bloodhounds of Broadway. Twenty-five years later, his nephew, Aaron, sets out on a quest to find the lost negative of Burroughs: The Movie, his uncle's critically-acclaimed portrait of legendary author William S. Burroughs. When Aaron uncovers Howard's extensive archive in Burroughs’ bunker, it not only revives the film for a new generation, but also opens a vibrant window on New York City’s creative culture from the 1970s and ‘80s, and inspires a wide-ranging exploration of his beloved uncle's legacy.
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Yoko Ono Lennon's Courage Awards 2016: Laurie Anderson, Mohammad el Gharani, Eileen Boxer, RoseLee Goldberg, LoftOpera
Title: Yoko Ono Lennon's Courage Awards 2016: Laurie Anderson, Mohammad el Gharani, Eileen Boxer, RoseLee Goldberg, LoftOpera
Released: May 8, 2016
Type: Movie
Yoko Ono Lennon's Courage Awards 2016
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Heart of a Dog
Title: Heart of a Dog
Character: Narrator
Released: October 21, 2015
Type: Movie
Lyrical and powerfully personal essay film that reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother, her beloved dog, and such diverse subjects as family memories, surveillance, and Buddhist teachings.
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Title: Track Stories
Character: Self
Released: May 15, 2015
Type: TV
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Classic Albums: Peter Gabriel - So
Title: Classic Albums: Peter Gabriel - So
Character: Self
Released: October 22, 2012
Type: Movie
This addition to the acclaimed & award winning Classic Albums series tells the story behind the making of Peter Gabriel's 1986 album "So". It was Gabriel's fifth solo album and the first one to have a title (the others all having just been called "Peter Gabriel" ). The album spawned a number of hit singles on both sides of the Atlantic including "Sledgehammer", "Big Time", "Don't Give Up" (a duet with Kate Bush) and "In Your Eyes" which drove "So" to multi-platinum sales, the No.1 spot in the UK and No.2 in the US. So was very much an album of the MTV generation and the distinctive videos for tracks like "Sledgehammer", "Red Rain", "Big Time" and "Don't Give Up" were key factors in the album's success.
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BAM150
Title: BAM150
Character: Self
Released: April 27, 2012
Type: Movie
A captivating history of the nation's oldest performing arts center - which largely mirrors the evolution of experimental and progressive performing arts in 20th century America - BAM150 chronicles the vibrant past, present and future of the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Through footage of recent performances, intimate interviews, and an astonishing treasure trove of 150 years' worth of archival materials, BAM150 is a testament to the power and stamina of the institution that established Brooklyn as a cultural mecca-serving as a home to such greats as Enrico Caruso, Sarah Bernhardt, Edwin Booth, Merce Cunningham, Robert Wilson, Mark Morris, Laurie Anderson, and Pina Bausch.
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Brainwave
Title: Brainwave
Released: January 1, 2011
Type: Movie
Documentary, Science and Nature Documentaries, Miscellaneous Documentaries - Launched in 2008, Brainwave pairs celebrities from many walks of life; actors, musicians, comedians, choreographers, filmmakers, artists, and authors, with leading neuroscientists and other experts to explore how the human mind works.
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William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
Title: William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
Character: Self
Released: November 5, 2010
Type: Movie
A riveting and emotional journey into the world of writer William S. Burroughs, a man considered as cold as an iceberg on a winter night.
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Music
Title: Music
Character: Self
Released: October 15, 2010
Type: Movie
The story of music and the music industry told through interviews with musicians, composers and producers across genres.
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Homeland: The Story of the Lark
Title: Homeland: The Story of the Lark
Released: June 22, 2010
Type: Movie
A distilled, up-to-the-minute portrait of our agitated nation, its politics, its economics, its delusions and its dreams. Laurie Anderson's tone is less outraged than elegiac, mourning for lives lost, ideals misplaced. The music is dramatically stripped down to a handful of players, centered around Anderson's haunting violin and voice, frequent Bill Frisell band-mate Eyvind Kang's viola and Peter Scherer's keyboards.
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A Not So Silent Night
Title: A Not So Silent Night
Character: Self
Released: December 24, 2008
Type: Movie
Recorded in 2008, direct from the Knitting Factory stage in downtown Manhattan. This The McGarrigle Christmas Hour features Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Rufus & Martha Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson among others.
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Why Birds Sing
Title: Why Birds Sing
Character: Herself
Released: June 19, 2007
Type: Movie
Inspired by musician and eco-philosopher David Rothenberg's book of the same title, this documentary explores the intriguing, charming, complex and often conflicting theories on why birds sing like they do and why humans are so attracted to the sound. The film features contributions from musicians including Laurie Anderson, Jarvis Cocker and Beth Orton; enlightening and often startling analysis from some of the world's most eminent birdsong scientists; a literary guide to birdsong in poetry; a bizarre birdsong-themed art 'happening'; the creation of a new musical composition from the Afro-Celt Sound System, entirely made up of manipulated birdsongs; and a strange musical duet at New York's Bronx Aviary, featuring humans and birds.
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Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film
Title: Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film
Character: Narrator
Released: September 1, 2006
Type: Movie
Ric Burns unearths rarely seen footage and offers keen observations on the life and artistic influence of Andy Warhol. [Made for and aired on PBS's American Masters series.]
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John Peel's Record Box
Title: John Peel's Record Box
Character: Self
Released: November 14, 2005
Type: Movie
John Peel's Record Box is a documentary film made by Elaine Shepherd, released on 14 November 2005 on Channel 4. It was nominated for Primetime Emmy Award. It is about a small private collection of the British radio DJ John Peel who died in 2004 at the age of 65. Peel's main archive contained more than 100,000 vinyl records and CDs. This smaller private collection, however, contains 143 singles - some of them doublettes - stored in a private wooden box representing some of his personal favourites. According to the documentary, there are no singles by Peel's favorite group, The Fall, because he kept them in a separate box. The film features interviews with John's wife Sheila Ravenscroft, radio DJs and artists like Mary Anne Hobbs, Sir Elton John, Ronnie Wood, Roger Daltrey, Fergal Sharkey, Jack White, Michael Palin and Miki Berenyi.
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McLuhan's Wake
Title: McLuhan's Wake
Character: Narrator
Released: November 30, 2002
Type: Movie
A fascinating clash of philosophy, classical studies and Pop Culture, this film capsulizes a number of "Media Prophet" Marshall McLuhan's conclusions about media.
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The Making and Meaning of 'We Are Family'
Title: The Making and Meaning of 'We Are Family'
Character: Self
Released: January 9, 2002
Type: Movie
Featuring inverviews from: Afrika Bambaataa, Ashford & Simpson, Jackson Browne, Kim Burell, Taylor Dayne, Carmen Electra, Faith Evans, Roberta Flack, Joel Gray, Kc & the Sunshine Band, Eartha Kitt, Patti Labelle, Queen Latifah and more?
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The Rugrats Movie
Title: The Rugrats Movie
Character: Newborn Baby (singing voice)
Released: November 20, 1998
Type: Movie
Annoyed by the responsibility of being an older brother to Dil, Tommy sets out with Chuckie, Phil, and Lil to return his baby brother to the hospital. However, they inadvertently get lost in the woods during their trip.
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Title: Classic Albums
Character: Self
Released: April 14, 1997
Type: TV
A documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.
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Title: Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Released: April 15, 1994
Type: TV
A cartoon superhero interacts with live guests via his television set in this parody talk show based on 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost.
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The Sensual Nature of Sound: 4 Composers Laurie Anderson, Tania Leon, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros
Title: The Sensual Nature of Sound: 4 Composers Laurie Anderson, Tania Leon, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros
Character: Herself
Released: January 1, 1993
Type: Movie
The Sensual Nature of Sound portrays four New York based composers and performers in terms of their musical lives and artistic passion. Though Laurie Anderson, Tania Leon, Meredith Monk and Pauline Oliveros are all pioneers in American music, each composer pursues a distinct direction of her own. Their rehearsals and performances show a common pursuit of lyrical storytelling through which a new set of contemporary narratives has been forged. Through body, sound, movement and composition, these women have forged their own path through the wild world of modern music.
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Sphinxes Without Secrets
Title: Sphinxes Without Secrets
Released: August 29, 1991
Type: Movie
Since its inception, performance art provided a forum for those artists whose work challenges the dominant aesthetic and cultural status quo. In "Sphinxes Without Secrets", performers, curators and critics unravel the mysteries of performance art and ponder the world women confront today.
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Laurie Anderson: The Collected Videos
Title: Laurie Anderson: The Collected Videos
Released: July 2, 1991
Type: Movie
Featuring The Videos : Beautiful Red Dress / Language Is A Virus / Sharkey's Day / O Superman - Including Excerpts From : What You Mean We / Alive From Off Center / The Eleventh Hour - Plus Never Before Seen Live Footage - Interview Footage - And More...
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The Human Face
Title: The Human Face
Character: Presenter
Released: April 19, 1991
Type: Movie
A highly innovative arts documentary, which uses the latest special effects, to investigate the cultural and scientific background behind the way we judge people by their face. The documentary was presented by US artist and musician, Laurie Anderson whose face was transformed into iconic and historic stereotypes as she talked. Special effects were created by Christopher Tucker.
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One World, One Voice
Title: One World, One Voice
Character: Self
Released: December 9, 1990
Type: Movie
An extraordinary music special is the climax to One World week. The brainchild of ex-10cc drummer Kevin Godley, it features the first true global composition involving rock stars, classical musicians and artists from all over the world. Godley and a film crew toured the globe in just 44 days with a 'chain tape', asking musicians to add a new theme or idea. Artists include Sting, Dave Stewart, Peter Gabriel, Clannad, Lou Reed, Leningrad Symphony Orchestra, Afrika Bambaata and the Kodo Drummers.
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John Cage: I Have Nothing to Say and I Am Saying It
Title: John Cage: I Have Nothing to Say and I Am Saying It
Character: Self
Released: September 18, 1990
Type: Movie
This 56-minute documentary on America's most controversial and unique composer manages to cover a great many aspects of Cage's work and thought. His love for mushrooms, his Zen beliefs and use of the I Ching, and basic bio details are all explained intelligently and dynamically. Black Mountain, Buckminster Fuller, Rauschenberg, Duchamp are mentioned. Yoko Ono, John Rockwell, Laurie Anderson, Richard Kostelanetz make appearances. Fascinating performance sequences include Margaret Leng-Tan performing on prepared piano, Merce Cunningham and company, and performances of Credo In Us, Water Music, and Third Construction. Demystifies the man who made music from silence, from all sounds, from life.
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Heavy Petting
Title: Heavy Petting
Character: Self
Released: September 22, 1989
Type: Movie
Celebrities and creatives -- including musician David Byrne, performance artist Spalding Gray, comedian Sandra Bernhard, radical activist Abbie Hoffman, and poet Allen Ginsberg-- recall their earliest sexual experiences.
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Talk Normal
Title: Talk Normal
Character: Herself
Released: January 1, 1989
Type: Movie
At the '87 Tokyo International Video Biennale, held at Spiral Hall, performance artist Laurie Anderson gave the unforgettable lecture-demonstration, "Talk Normal". In "Talk Normal", Anderson discusses the many elements that distinguish her work, from the unique violins that serve as her alter egos, to her video clone, to her experiments with electronics and her personal homage to Oscar Schlemmer's Bauhaus dances. Through excerpts from the film Home of the Brave, the television program What You Mean We?, and the music videos for her songs O Superman and Sharkey's Day, Anderson draws you into an eclectic world where sight and sound are united. In "Talk Normal", New York's best known performance artist talks about herself.
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What You Mean We?
Title: What You Mean We?
Character: Herself
Released: September 26, 1986
Type: Movie
WHAT YOU MEAN WE is a surreal short film by experimental artist Laurie Anderson.
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The Kitchen Presents: Two Moon July
Title: The Kitchen Presents: Two Moon July
Released: September 3, 1986
Type: Movie
Two Moon July was a multidisciplinary event that featured experimental video, film, visual art, performance and music in a theatrical framework. More than thirty artists participated in the program, which was produced for the Kitchen by Carlota Schoolman and directed by Tom Bowes.
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Home of the Brave
Title: Home of the Brave
Character: Self - Keyboards, Vocals / Fenway Bergamot / The Voice of Reason
Released: April 27, 1986
Type: Movie
A concert film directed by and featuring the music of Laurie Anderson, filmed at the Park Theater in Union City, New Jersey, during the summer of 1985.
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All Star Video
Title: All Star Video
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 21, 1985
Type: Movie
A compilation of avant-garde artwork and talent of the mid to late 20th century hosted by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
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Good Morning, Mr. Orwell
Title: Good Morning, Mr. Orwell
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 1, 1984
Type: Movie
In his book "1984", George Orwell saw the television of the future as a control instrument in the hands of Big Brother. Right at the start of the much-anticipated Orwellian year, Paik and Co. were keen to demonstrate satellite TV's ability to serve positive ends-- Namely, the intercontinental exchange of culture, combining both highbrow and entertainment elements. A live broadcast shared between WNET TV in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, linked up with broadcasters in Germany and South Korea, reached a worldwide audience of over 10 or even 25 million (including the later repeat transmissions).
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System Without Shadow
Title: System Without Shadow
Character: Sängerin
Released: August 13, 1983
Type: Movie
Computer operator Faber works on securing computers for big companies and banks. His private life is rather dull until he meets a strange women, Juliet and falls in love. Her friend convinces Faber to exploit his knowledge to rob a bank.
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Title: Bei Bio
Character: Self
Released: March 10, 1983
Type: TV
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14 Americans: Directions of the 1970s
Title: 14 Americans: Directions of the 1970s
Character: Herself
Released: September 1, 1981
Type: Movie
The multiple means of making art after the end of illusionism led these artists to create performances, sculptures, earthworks, tableaux, furniture, shaped canvases, and more, using unusual materials. They explore the process of making forms and giving meanings to those forms. In this idea art, their focus is as often social and psychological as artistic. Some of their activities enlist engineering and construction techniques, others compose texts or scripts that are central to their art. Some cast the viewer in the role of a spectator, while the others demand active participation. The sources for their concepts and art works are equally diverse; the delicate proportions and balance of Early Renaissance painting, the exploration of the surface of the moon, the structure and inventions of vernacular architects, to name only a few.
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Title: Okay
Character: Self
Released: November 4, 1979
Type: TV
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Songs for Lines/Songs for Waves
Title: Songs for Lines/Songs for Waves
Released: January 1, 1977
Type: Movie
This performance consists of ten songs in which music, language and images are equally important. In most of these songs, Anderson plays the violin, accompanied by her own singing and an audiotape (with spoken text, more singing or more violin music). Her songs are often combined with a film projection: she is framed by the light from the projection, and is playing with the shadows cast by her body and her violin. Anderson makes experimental music, and she often find solutions in technological inventions, as with the song 'a man, a woman, a house and a tree'. The music for this piece is created with the help of a ‘slow-scan’ machine, which registers visual information and transforms this into sound. These experiments are not only about music, but also abou language: anagrams, play on words and poetic stories. The introductory anecdotes that Anderson tells are just as important as the song itself.
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Title: Saturday Night Live
Character: Self - Musical Guest
Released: October 11, 1975
Type: TV
A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.