Biography of Laurie Anderson
The remarkable flair and creativity of Laurie Anderson has long mesmerized audiences around the world. Her experimental performances may have helped her become a household name, yet she is equally revered as a musician. A trained sculptor, Anderson also plays violin and keyboard, mastering all manner of music styles. Indeed, her single O Superman was a global hit and reached number 2 in the UK charts.
Born in Chicago in 1947, Laurie Anderson was always drawn to downtown New York's experimental art scene. Some of her earliest performances took place on street corners, one of which involved her standing on a block of ice in skates and playing the violin—once the ice had melted the performance was over. Often her work explores a territory between wakefulness and daydreams, allowing for a perpetual interplay between perspective and perception. In many ways her work must be seen as existing as part of a whole, what Jacqueline Burckhardt describes as an "endless flow of a great work in progress."
A thrilling performer, Laurie Anderson has been known to be unpredictable onstage and is adept at mixing pop-synthesizing beats with her experimental compositions. She was also married to the legendary musician Lou Reed, the former lead singer of the Velvet Underground. Ever active, Anderson is a freelance critic, has released seven albums with Warner Brothers, and made numerous films, notably Home of the Brave, 1986 which featured the author William S. Burroughs.