David Grubbs Presents the Voice in the Headphones in Conversation with Josiah McElheny with Musical Performance

Author, Professor of Music, and Greenlight neighbor David Grubbs’s latest book The Voice in the Headphones is an experiment in music writing in the form of a long poem centered on the culture of the recording studio. It describes in intricate, prismatic detail one marathon day in a recording studio during which an unnamed musician struggles to complete a film soundtrack. The book extends the form of Grubbs’s previous Now that the audience is assembled, sharing its goal of musicalizing the language of writing about music. It draws upon Grubbs’s own history of several decades as a recording artist, and its location could be described as every studio in which he has set foot. For tonight’s live online event, Grubbs will read from the book, followed by a short discussion with celebrated artist and sculptor Josiah McElheny, and a performance of solo electric guitar!