Anthony Burdin
Photography courtesy maccarone inc.
and by Brendan Dugan

Anthony Burdin set out long ago as a solo recording artist. For Burdin, art and life are furiously entwined, with various musical personas at the crux of his artistic practice. Bringing his now infamous performances and preconstructed video installations to his audiences, it is at these inimitable moments, Burdin becomes all that he really wants to be – an American rock star. Yet the is no run-of-the-mill music man. His performances are captivating, albeit coarse and alienating. He does not connect with the crowd in the typical sense, but rather shuns it.
At the concert concluding his NYC solo exhibition in late 2005, Burdin performed in a pitch black room ensconced in tie-dyed sheets for a group of gallery spectators, playing drums and singing over his prerecorded sessions. He carried on this feat as the crowd trickled in and out, completely apathetic to their decay. He sings a cover of a cover song that he records over an “original” recording that concurrently plays on his tape deck. Lyrics become clear only after repeated listening – his language all his own, requiring decoding by the most steadfast fans.
His nomadic existence produced “The 2003 Summer P-lot Tour” – unseen performances executed in empty parking lots throughout the California terrain that he has called home. Whether live or self-captured on video, he defies being categorized as either satirical or earnest. His work culminates the hybrid of affections that initially bring an individual to music – the desire for display and expression amidst the inevitable loneliness of the human condition. It’s beautiful and unparalleled, leaving his public perpetually wanting more.

artist=Anthony Burdin
interviewer=Sup