INTERVIEW: This holiday season, grab the boombox and enjoy ‘Unsilent Night’
Photo: Unsilent Night will descend upon the streets of Downtown Manhattan Sunday, Dec. 14. Photo courtesy of Taylor Davidson / Provided by Aleba & Co. with permission.
“Silent Night, Holy Night” is one of the all-time classic Christmas songs, with the carol dating back more than 200 years to its origins in Austria. Well, this holiday season, consider Unsilent Night, a “winter walk” that relies on public participation and Christmas cheer. The event, devised by Phil Kline, will kick off at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, starting at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village.
There are many ways to describe this experience. Press notes indicate this is a participatory sound-sculpture and avant-garde public sound art. The sounds of the season come courtesy of boomboxes (remember those?) and amplified phones, with everyone parading together from Washington Square Park to Tompkins Square Park. This year, the New York City edition will likely be accompanied by a blanket of snow, only adding to the holiday ambiance.
If would-be participants find themselves away from the Big Apple, fret not. Unsilent Night will also be presented in other locations around the United States, everywhere from Athens, Georgia, to Chicago to Johnson City, Tennessee.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Kline to better learn about this unique experience. The composer and musician grew up in Akron, Ohio, and has been based in New York City most of his adult life. He cofounded the No Wave band the Del-Byzanteens and collaborated with Nan Goldin on the soundtrack to The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, according to his official biography. He’s particularly known for music art that utilizes many boomboxes, which is the prominent feature of Unsilent Night. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
This sounds like such a unique experience. What can participants / attendees expect?
A relaxed 45-minute winter walk with friends and neighbors, all immersed in meditative sonic tinsel.
Has the experience changed a lot since it first started in 1992?
Not really. The music was revised a bit the first few years, and the audiences have grown. But the overall experience is the same.
How would you classify this experience? Is it a concert? A tour? Immersive theater?
All or none of the above. I’d say it’s more like an avant-garde caroling party.
What are the behind-the-scenes logistics for pulling this off in so many cities?
Well, we have something of a family team, led by Aleba Gartner, with some help from our daughter, and wonderful assistants who keep the website up to date and do some social media. All kinds of people and organizations interested in having Unsilent Night in their city contact us via our website, and we send them the info they need and make sure they’re on the master schedule and in our press release — but these “hosts” activate their Unsilent Night themselves, often in ways unique to them. It’s very grassroots and has spread purely by word of mouth.
Are you generally a fan of the holiday season?
Yes. Religion aside, I love the lights and fires on the darkest and coldest nights of the year. It restores pleasant memories and keeps hope alive.
Do you feel like the typical holiday musical fare is a bit dull? Did that prompt the creation of this unique experience?
Holiday music comes in many hues, some dull and some radiant. At the time I was working on this, I was just beginning to use tape players and loops as basic material in my work. That, melded with memories of Christmas caroling in Ohio, led to Unsilent Night.
When did you first fall in love with music? Was it back in the Akron, Ohio, area or when you arrived in New York City?
From the get-go. When I was 3 years old, Fantasia blew me away, and all I wanted to hear was the dinosaur music, which was The Rite of Spring. Then, when I was 10, the Beatles arrived, and I got my first electric guitar. Moving to New York certainly widened my perspectives, but it all started in Ohio.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Unsilent Silent will be presented in New York City at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, starting in Washington Square Park. Other cities will host the experience in the coming days. Click here for more information.
