Jarek Paul Ervin

Bio

Jarek Paul Ervin writes on aesthetic theory, politics, music analysis, and social theory. His published works explore a range of topics, including US punk icons such as Patti Smith and Lou Reed, the role of LGBTQ musicians in the early history of punk, and the political-economic dimensions of art.

Contributions

New York Blues: John Gavanti, No Wave, and the Limits of Collaboration

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The collaboratively produced 1980 no wave opera John Gavanti is loosely based on Mozart’s 1787 Don Giovanni, itself a telling of the Don Juan legend that was adapted by the Italian librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. The two works are quite different. Whereas Mozart’s original is magisterial, punctuated by moments of comedy and the macabre, the modern update is cacophonous and irreverent. Although there are occasional, glib references to the source material, the newer work is constructed around a dense...

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collaboration music