02-21-19 | Songs for Listening | Chuck Helm
Chuck Helm, the longtime (and recently retired) programmer at the Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State in Columbus, made the Thursday, February 21 list at Songs for Listening. Chuck has good ears, good eyes, good instincts — he knows himself and what he likes. While at Wexner, Chuck organized residency and commissioning projects for artists Young Jean Lee, The Wooster Group, SITI Company, Bill Frisell, Savion Glover, Nature Theater of Oklahoma, and Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, among many others. These model creative residency projects — integrating the exchange of ideas between artists, faculty and students — have advanced the understanding of how such initiatives serve the research mission of leading universities.
Here's something from an interview with Chuck on Culturebot that offers some insight into his aesthetic and style:
Q: What's a skill, talent or attribute do you most wish you had and why?
A. To surf like Joel Tudor. His deep aesthetic of optimal glide, catlike grace, and soulful style is rooted in classic values, but is also forward focused. Surfing and skateboarding were very important to me in developing a sense of dynamic aesthetics in action & independence … of choosing your line and going for it … with style. I’ve done alright in my chosen field ... but to ride a curling point break like Joel Tudor would be sublime.
‘Idiot Wind’ by Bob Dylan from ‘Blood on the Tracks’
’Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology) by Marvin Gaye from ‘What’s Going On’
’Everybody’s Talkin’ by Harry Nilsson from the soundtrack of ‘Midnight Cowboy’
’(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love & Understanding’ by Elvis Costello from ‘ Armed Forces’
’Have a Little Faith in Me’ by Bill Frisell from ‘Have a Little Faith in Me’
