Introduction

[Roy Johansen <rjohanse@mail.tds.net>]

Hi all,
I've been a member of f_minor for a few months now, and I have enjoyed 
your contributions tremendously. A 'thank you' to you all, and 
especially to Mary Jo who actually took the initiative to creating 
something that so (apparently) many of us enjoy and feel at home with.
Some time ago we were encouraged to introduce ourselves, so here goes:

My name is Roy, I live in a small community in Wisconsin, but I grew up 
in Norway, and that's where I was first exposed to Glenn Gould's music. 
Since early adolescence I have been in love with the music of  J.S. 
Bach, and it was, of course, just a matter of time before I became aware 
of  Gould. Very fittingly, the first piece I heard him perform (no, not 
live; the closest I ever physically got to him was when he played in 
Stockholm (and I was seven months old at the time)) was the Golberg 
Variations, and I was spellbound. As quickly as my monthly allowance 
would allow, I acquired every Gould recording that I could get my hands 
on, which, in Norway at the time, meant most of his Bach and a bit of 
Beethoven. And at that time I knew nothing of the controversies 
surrounding Gould, like his, as legend has it, performing dressed in an 
overcoat and/or fingerless gloves, his humming and "chirpy" chair &c. I 
was just taken in by the extraordinary clarity with which he performed 
the (polyphonic) music I loved. As time went by I, of course, learned 
about his concert drop-out, CD318 and so forth, but what fascinated me 
the most, what struck the most resonant cords (or is it chords?; it 
makes sense either way) within me, was his philosophy; his (well, not 
exactly _his_ ) theories on a world-wide network, his abhorrence of 
violence and competition, his ideas about "listener participation" 
(which is a logically necessary consequence of non-competitiveness 
(Comments? --Anyone? --Anyone at all?!!)), &c.. 
At any rate, I hope I will have the time (and guts) to participate a bit 
more actively in f_minor.

Finally, does anyone have any thoughts on Goulds dim views on 
competition? I would be more than happy to: (a) market my own (b) defend 
Goulds (which, essentially, amounts to pretty much the same) :)

Roy Johansen
rjohanse@waun.tdsnet.com
P.O.Box 124
New Glarus, WI 53574