JOHN MYERS

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THAT'S BEIJING MAGAZINE
August 20, 2006
Five Questions for …
John Myers,
composer, conductor, and controller of 100 guitars
by Eric Mendel

Evading classification, New Yorker John Myers has made himself known in many musical circles. Over the last two decades he has worked closely with Glen Branca, often conducting Branca’s symphonies of 100 guitarists. In recent years, Myers has been branching out as a composer with his own guitar ensemble, Blastula.This month, he performs at D-22, whose owner Michael Pettis booked Myers' band
RAT AT RAT R
(alongside bands like Sonic Youth) over 20 years ago in New York’s East Village. tbj sat down with Myers to get his thoughts on musical styles and the scene in Beijing.
tbj: For readers who haven’t been yet enlightened, how would you describe the art-electric-guitar movement?
John Myers: The West has been having a romance with the guitar for over 100 years. It was only a matter of time before young composers began writing serious music for the electric guitar. For example, Steve Reich composed a lengthy, minimalist guitar work that was recorded by Pat Metheny.
tbj: You have often been associated with Glenn Branca. Where does he fit in?
JM: I think that Glenn Branca was influenced by Reich, but not by Reich’s guitar pieces. Instead, I think it was by large ensemble works like Music for Eighteen Musicians.Nevertheless, Branca approaches his compositions from a very different perspective. With a large ensemble, he has organized the guitars like a choir or a large string section of an orchestra. With these forces he can create many contrasting lines with harmonic and rhythmic complexity.Because he is using electric guitars, he has attracted the attention of many experimental rock musicians. As a result the boundaries between contemporary classical music and popular music, high-brow art and pop art, have become blurred and less defined. Lee Renaldo and Thurston Moore both played in Branca’s ensemble in the early ‘80s. I don’t think Sonic Youth would’ve been born if not for Glenn Branca.
tbj: How is your compositional approach different?
JM: I’m very interested in melody and harmony. I may use textural elements at times, but I’m always focusing on some expressive line that I can develop or mutate. Sometimes I like to use interlocking parts that are similar to Javanese gamelan music except that I use more Western tunings. Like Branca, though, I am also very interested in the harmonic series and (the tuning system) Just Intonation. If you’’ve ever heard a perfect third in Just Intonation you know there is nothing more beautiful sounding.
tbj: Michael Pettis describes your interest in Chinese music as “infectious,” and as “opening up space for serious Chinese musicians to explore their own roots.” What first brought you out here?
JM: I first visited China in 2001 because I wanted to see the Three Gorges. I returned last year to study Mandarin in Shanghai. In Beijing last summer I met a great local musician, Jeffray Zhang (of White and Carsick Cars). We hit it off immediately … I sat in with them for a couple of hours and then we played at the What Bar. I had so much fun with them. I thought Zhang and his band were coming from the same place musically that I was. Who’d ever think people from such different cultures and thousands of miles apart would have similar ideas about music? I was very encouraged by Zhang’s level and sophistication so I invited him to come to New York last February, to play in Branca’s Symphony No. 13.After I returned to New York last fall I missed China so much that I decided to return this summer. And I have a great guqin teacher in Suzhou, Pei Jinbao.
tbj: What kind of music can audiences expect to hear you playing these days?
JM: I love to layer different melodies in a complex counterpoint. I am more influenced by music from other cultures and there always seems to be a strong element of emotion in my pieces. Many times I am criticized for being too emotional. But I just can’t seem to help myself.John Myers performs on August 26 at D-22. See Live Music Events, p43 in the magazine for details