Glenn Branca and the Lost History of Cyberpunk: No Wave, Cyberspace, and Science Fiction Literature

Glenn Branca and the Lost History of Cyberpunk: No Wave, Cyberspace, and Science Fiction Literature, by James Reich
https://www.jamesreichbooks.com

No Wave composer Glenn Branca was an important advocate for the science fiction literary sub-genre cyberpunk. This is a personal account of seeing Branca in London, and the author's earliest experiences with the Internet, including the discovery that Branca was selling collectible cyberpunk books online. Among the observations here is the influence of Branca and Robert Longo, notably Longo's "Men in the Cities" series on the aesthetics of cyberspace as it stylized, including the sharp suit and the interrupted body ad its motions that continue into the Matrix. The video also picks up some continuities between the science fiction avant-garde, music, and cyberpunk culture, including William Gibson's use of dub.

Music: "Elegy for Kathy Acker" composed and performed by James Reich