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Arthur Russell: Vanished into Music

4 Extra Debut. Writer Olivia Laing presents an imaginative portrait of the cellist, songwriter and disco auteur, Arthur Russell. From 2016.

Writer Olivia Laing presents an imaginative portrait of Arthur Russell.

Arthur Russell was a cellist, a composer, a songwriter and a disco auteur. He was active in the New York downtown scene of the 1970s and was a frequent collaborator with the likes of Allen Ginsberg and Philip Glass. Although extremely prolific, his inability to finish projects is often cited as part of the reason that very little of his music was released during his lifetime.

When Arthur Russell died in 1992 his Village Voice obituary read, "Arthur's songs were so personal that it seems as though he simply vanished into his music."

Featuring:

Mustafa Ahmed
Joyce Bowden
Steven Hall
Tom Lee

Producer: Martin Williams

First broadcast on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 in September 2016.

Available now

30 minutes

On radio

Mon 25 Nov 2024 10:30

Broadcasts

  • Tue 27 Sep 2016 11:30
  • Sat 1 Oct 2016 15:30
  • Mon 25 Nov 2024 10:30
  • Mon 25 Nov 2024 16:30
  • Tue 26 Nov 2024 00:30

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