sechan19 | Dispatch From the Art History Grad Lounge.

Stopped into the grad lounge this morning to chat with some peers before getting the day's work started. An anecdote by a friend of mine about a sorta-kinda-not-really period music ensemble lead to the topic of lutes, and I mentioned that I would pay good money to see a heavy metal lutist. The following conversation ensued (Note: GS = Grad Student; Fa = Faculty Member; Me = Me):

Fa: You mean, a lutenist?
Me: Is it "lutenist?"
GS1: Yes, it's "lutenist."
Me: Oh, well, a heavy metal lutenist, then.
GS1: I'd pay good money to see that as well.
Fa: Of course, it would depend on whether it was a lute, or an archlute, or a theorbo.
Me: Which would be most conducive to rock?
GS1: Theorbo, I think.
Fa: Yes.
GS1: It's larger.
GS2: "Theorbo" would make a great band name.
Me: Yeah, it would!
GS2: Of course, I already have a heavy metal band called "Panopticon." We don't ever play anything, though.
[laughter]
GS2: We're a conceptual band. We don't play; we just think about playing.
GS1: And your audience just thinks about going to your shows?
GS2: Exactly.
GS3: So when do you expect to get your conceptual tight pants and long hair.
GS2: Oh, we've already got those. You just have to conceptualize them. And I have a great beard going, too.
GS3: Do we have to pay you conceptual money, then?
GS2: Well, yeah, but it's conceptual. And we already have plenty of it so we don't care.
Me: You're in it for love of the conceptual music, not of the conceptual money, is that it?
GS2: Totally. It's like Star Trek - with the replicators. Like how they can concentrate on intellectual, scientific, and exploratory pursuits because money and food are all taken care of. Because our music and money are conceptual, and therefore freely available, we don't have to worry about anything.
GS1: I can get behind that.
Me: Fully.