"I REMEMBER BOB IN SCENES. In the 1970s I went to a lot of very long Bob Wilson performances, among them the legendary Deafman Glance (1970) and A Letter for Queen Victoria (1974). They lasted for hours; some were all night. I often watched from the top of the nosebleed balcony-sometimes wrapp­ed in a sleeping bag, the images onstage mixing with my dreams. Even now I'm not sure whether I dreamed something or saw it in a Bob Wilson performance."
"As I approached them from behind, I had the feeling I was walking at triple speed, as if zipping past them on a moving walkway. As I passed, I saw that the tall man was Bob Wilson. "Hello, Bob!!" I said as I sped by. He smiled and made the short bird croak that he used as a laugh. "Lauuuuurie! Only four more hours to go!""
"It was then that I saw what was in front of us, hanging over the Hudson River at the end of the street: an enormous glowing orange ball, like something from an Egyptian myth. The sun. And then I remembered-it was Manhattanhenge, one of the two days a year that the sun aligns with Manhattan's crosstown grid and seems to be setting in the middle of the street, glaring and gargantuan against its New Jersey background."
Memories focus on very long Bob Wilson performances in the 1970s, including Deafman Glance and A Letter for Queen Victoria, many lasting hours or all night. I often watched from the nosebleed balcony, sometimes wrapped in a sleeping bag, with stage images mixing into dreams. Bob taught me about time, meditation, light, and theater. A chance encounter during Manhattanhenge revealed his ritualistic slow walk across Fourteenth Street beneath an enormous glowing sun. Iconic images include Bob in the "Torch Dance" from Einstein on the Beach and solos like The Man in the Raincoat.
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