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Too old to rock and roll???


Pat Azzarello

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Originally posted by Krakit:

Didn't effect my opinion of Walter/Wendy Carlos.

Yeah, I agree. It's funny, though, how many people think that she actually was a man and had a sex change. I know I did, and I always wondered why she would have changed her gender and then became a lesbian. Then I read her FAQ back in the late 80's.

"For instance" is not proof.

 

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Originally posted by zeronyne:

Originally posted by Krakit:

Didn't effect my opinion of Walter/Wendy Carlos.

Yeah, I agree. It's funny, though, how many people think that she actually was a man and had a sex change. I know I did, and I always wondered why she would have changed her gender and then became a lesbian. Then I read her FAQ back in the late 80's.
OK, now you've got my attention! :) Was Wendy a woman all along, pretending to be a man early in her career?? :eek:

 

Kirk

Reality is like the sun - you can block it out for a time but it ain't goin' away...
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There was a story last year from the Toto website about David Paitch getting a sex change and returning to Toto as "Davida". They were trying to make light of Paitch's leave of absense from the band (IIRC, his sister was very ill). The joke went too far when news outlets started reporting it as true.
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Originally posted by kad:

Was Wendy a woman all along, pretending to be a man early in her career?? :eek:

 

Kirk

Well, now I'm thoroughly confused. I had first though she had indeed had a sex change based on articles like this in hipsurgerymusic.com:

1972's Sonic Seasonings was the first original work from Carlos, composed in four sections to correspond with the seasons. The double LP mixed his synthesizer work with nature sound effects, and it is often cited as one of the precursors to New Age music. In the fall of that year, Walter Carlos underwent a sex change operation and then legally became Wendy. Since childhood, Carlos had suffered from gender dysphoria, and for two years prior to the procedure had been receiving estrogen treatment. Fearful of how the media would receive this news and worried for her musical career, she continued releasing records under the name of Walter Carlos for several years.
And then I read this on Wendy's site:

Q: Why do some of the old LP's have a different name on them?

 

A: Please be assured that these are all Wendy Carlos albums, and were so when they were first completed. But-- to cut to the chase, in those less enlightened times strong selfish opinions were voiced (synthesizers are a "male" enterprise, don't you see...?). I was flabbergasted to be denyed fair credit (the first S-OB's had no cover credit at all, in fact, just: "Performed on the Moog Synthesizer," creating another misconception: that the Moog synth did it all. CBS signed our instrument, not us, to a contract -- talk about getting no respect...). Well, politically incorrect fears and dissembling perpetuated a fictionalized identity including faked pictures, for 10 years (grrr...). I naively let them run amok, forced to hide from the public until 1979, when fed up, I pulled the plug on the whole mess. Yes, a depressing tale -- old "news" by now. People can be cruel.

 

On the other hand many female authors have used male pseudonyms, especially if it was believed their writings might be received "more eagerly" with a male image in front of it. Think of George Sand, Sig-O to composer Frederic Chopin, and many more up through Alice Sheldon, the writer whose excellent SF novels were credited: James Tiptree, Jr. A few men have recently written us in (threatened?) outrage, insisting we should perpetuate the folly, and still refuse accurate album credit, "to maintain consistency" (once wrong, always wrong?). Unbelievable cheek (proof we haven't come so far?). Arrgh! Please feel free to bop a few heads for us...

I took it to mean that she had been using a male pseudonym, but I guess it could be interpreted as her revealing her sex change. Does anyone here know her personally? Does Dominic Milano frequent these forums? Anyone? Not that it matters...just curious.

 

BTW, here's Wendy's studio as of last year:

http://www.wendycarlos.com/wurlynew/studio03.jpg

Two Synergies and a MIDIboard! A bit of claustraphopia for me, but neat nonetheless.

 

EDIT-corrected some really bad spelling errors that changed the intent of the sentences.

"For instance" is not proof.

 

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Originally posted by kad

OK, now you've got my attention! Was Wendy a woman all along, pretending to be a man early in her career??

This is a topic that Ms. Carlos addresses on her web site without really answering the question. Her essay "On Prurient Matters" is a must read. Having just read it, my feeling now is "who cares?" Ms. Carlos is a great composer and one of the true pioneers of electronic music. After over 30 years, it's time recognize her accomplishments without dwelling on this part of her past.

 

Link: Wendy Carlos "On Prurient Matters"

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I assure you it makes no difference to me - Wendy is and has always been QUITE brilliant! It just ammuses me that so many of us have been duped for so long!!

 

Kirk

Reality is like the sun - you can block it out for a time but it ain't goin' away...
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Originally posted by bleen:

I thought it was fairly common knowledge that Wendy was Walter long ago?

Indeed it is. That's why I'm surprised (and amused) to find out that perhaps Wendy has ALWAYS been "Wendy" and never "Walter". :)

 

Like you said, makes no historical difference.

 

Kirk

Reality is like the sun - you can block it out for a time but it ain't goin' away...
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I feel horrible for the pain that transgendered people must go through. There are no greater societal norms than those imposed on the different genders. I'd think it would be much easier for a person to be homosexual (not that that's a walk in the park either, I'm sure).

 

Anyway...I've known a few folks who've had sex changes (all male-to-female). It's very difficult looking a person in the eye who I used to hang out with and knowing...well, the guy has to fight nature every damn day, with hormones and surgical procedures and cosmetics. And, sadly, in my humble opinion, all of their lives have NOT improved since the change.

 

So (filed under the list of things you probably rarely have thought about): be glad you're content with your birth gender.

 

- Jeff

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Originally posted by Jeff Da Weasel:

I feel horrible for the pain that transgendered people must go through. There are no greater societal norms than those imposed on the different genders. I'd think it would be much easier for a person to be homosexual (not that that's a walk in the park either, I'm sure).

 

- Jeff

This is very true. Anyway, for what's worth, on the book "Analog Days", which I'm reading right now, there's a painful report on how Carlos stopped public appearances after the change (that was 1969 - a change of gender was unheard of), but was forced by the record label to appear in public at least for concerts and awards, so she just did it dressed as a male, with great physical and mental distress... And of course, her overall lack of public visibility cut a great deal of her huge success.

Stupidity can kill, folks.

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Shouldn't make any difference in the world who produced Carlos' music, but I am still under the impression that if it had been Wendy Carlos since day one, it would have been much simpler to say "it has actually been Wendy Carlos since day one" then to come out with a transgender story in PlayBoy back in '79. Occam's Razor and all that.

 

What I REALLY want to know is where can I find a Kurzweil MIDIBoard (see pics above) in decent condition????

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Originally posted by Marzzz:

What I REALLY want to know is where can I find a Kurzweil MIDIBoard (see pics above) in decent condition????

Last year, I had an opportunity to pick up a MidiBoard in perfect condition for $499!! The fact that I simply didn't have $499 available at the time nearly made me cry like a little girl! :cry:

 

In my opinion, the MidiBoard has the best keyboard feel of any controller ever made. Possibly the coolest buttons as well...

 

Kirk

Reality is like the sun - you can block it out for a time but it ain't goin' away...
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