“Hello? This is your mother, are you there? Are you coming home?” Welcome to a discussion of avant-pop artist Laurie Anderson’s 1981 7″ single “O Superman” b/w “Walk The Dog.” Released by 1-10 Records, the record signaled the arrival of a fascinating, one of a kind sound creator. For this episode, your regular hosts Marc and John are joined by Alex Reed, author of Laurie Anderson’s Big Science. From her layered vocal abstractions to the dog noises on the B-side, no one sounds like Laurie and this extra-sized talk dives into the ins-and-out of its mystifying creation.
About The Spindle: The 7-inch record isn’t just a format—it’s an art form. On each episode of The Spindle podcast, music writer Marc Masters (Pitchfork, The Wire, Bandcamp) and music historian (and music maker) John Howard dive into a great 7-inch, dissecting its background, impact, and the reasons why it stands out as a small plastic piece of music history.
What’s your favorite 7″? Call us at 1-877-WASTOIDS and weigh in!