Terminal Prestige: The Case of Avant-Garde Music Composition Author(s): Susan McClary Source: Cultural Critique, No. 12, Discursive Strategies and the Economy of Prestige (Spring, 1989), pp. 57-81 Published by: University of Minnesota Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1354322 . Accessed: 26/03/2013 12:58 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. University of Minnesota Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Cultural Critique. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 164.41.4.26 on Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:58:33 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Terminal Prestige: The Case of Avant-Garde Music Composition Susan McClary Good evening. Welcome to Difficult Listening Hour. The spot on your dial for that relentless and impenetrable sound of Difficult Music [Music ... Music ... Music . .] So sit bolt upright in that straight-backedchair, button that top button, and get set for some difficult music: Ooola. -Laurie Anderson, "Difficult Listening Hour"' Ath,en composer/performance artist Laurie Anderson performs "Difficult Listening Hour" as part of her extended work, United States, she satirizes several aspects of the present-day music scene.