"Laurie Anderson: Tiny Desk Concert, May 2026"

Laurie Anderson (previously here) played a Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR studios recently, performing some of her classic songs ("Let X = X" and "Dog Show") as well as a fascinating cover of "Dirty Blvd." by her late husband Lou Reed.

Laurie Anderson: Tiny Desk Concert
Tom Huizenga | May 22, 2026

Laurie Anderson has a way of holding our lives up to a mirror, reintroducing us to ourselves, in all our ridiculousness and splendor. Now in her late 70s, the curious-minded visionary maintains her impish smile; her incantations — on everything from the American Dream to Amelia Earhart in this Tiny Desk set — seem more sage-like than ever.

The idea of playing music behind an office desk struck Anderson as just another off-beat idea. She's had hundreds of her own. No one can boast being NASA's first artist in residence and performing a concert for dogs at the Sydney Opera House.

Anderson emerged from a hothouse of visual arts, theatre and music that commingled in lower Manhattan in the early 1970s. She hung out at Philip Glass' loft, she once told me, listening to "organs at ear-bleeding levels," while staring at the ceiling. In 1981, she enjoyed an unexpected hit in "O Superman," and since then has created thoughtful, tech-savvy musical meditations on wide-ranging topics.

Coming straight from the Big Ears Festival, where she played with a seven-piece band, Anderson pared down to a trio for this career-spanning set with violist Martha Mooke and multi-instrumentalist Doug Wieselman.

"Let X=X," with its inscrutable references, random yet consequential, is from her debut album Big Science. It might be telling us what you see is what you get, but also that it's OK to let the unknowable be what it is. "The Letter," which follows, is from her latest, Amelia, a moving travelogue following the flight path of the famed pilot. From the desolation of her late husband Lou Reed's "Dirty Blvd.," Anderson shifts to brief moments of beauty — a paean to the stars above and a dream of being a dog.

https://laurieanderson.com/

"I Buried All The Answers" by Fink

Another gorgeous, moving track from English singer-songwriter Fink (previously here). "I Buried All The Answers" is from his forthcoming ninth studio album "The City Is Coming To Erase It All" available June 5th, 2026.

I should be sorry but I'm not
Now I'm standing on my own two feet
I should be bitter but the memories they taste so sweet

I know I should be richer than I am
But I spent it all like tomorrow isn't real
I should be yearning for more but I'm full to the brim

I should be in a hurry but I'm not
As I watch the sand of the hour glass
I should get ready but the moment has already passed

I should be busy as hell
But sometimes doing nothing is enough
I should be running from myself but I buried all the answers here

I should be sorry but I'm not
Now I'm standing on my own two feet
I should be bitter but the memories they taste so sweet

And here is a beautiful live version...

https://finkmusic.net/

"Death of Love" by James Blake

Seems apropos that love dies in an office, among men in suits, where decisions about humans are made in a void outside of humanity. It's "Death of Love" by James Blake, live with the London Welsh Male Voice Choir. From his new album "Trying Times" out on March 13, 2026.

I don't know how we got here
I think we might be sleeping
I think we might be walking
To the death of love

It never seemed so hard
To say what you really mean
When everything you have seen is from above
It's the death of love (death of)

If we're on an island all the time
And it's yours and it is mine
It's the death of love

Is there no good faith?
Is our love misplaced?

I don't know how we got here
But everything feels different
People are losing interest
In the best of love

It never seemed so hard
To say what you really mean
When everything you have seen is from above
It's the death of love (death of)

If we're on an island all the time
And it's yours and it is mine
It's the death of love

Don't leave me behind
Over one bad hour
Sometimes we come back empty handed
Like bees from plastic flowers
We can't follow you where you're going
We can't follow you where you're going
We can't follow you where you're planning to go
To the death of love

I think we might be sleeping
I think we might be walking
To the...
To the death of love

https://jamesblakemusic.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Willy Chavarria

Paris Fashion Week wrapped yesterday and before I move on, I want to share a...it can't be called a fashion show, a runway show...it is performance art colliding with the art of costume. Willy Chavarria topped his beautifully heartfelt show last January, seen here, with this incredible concert / Broadway show / runway happening / film presentation for his Fall Winter '26-'27 collection. The showspace is enormous, the music fitting, and the clothes are on extras wandering around this city scene while a relationship plays out to a tragic conclusion. This is the power of art.

https://willychavarria.com/

"Sympathy Magic" by Florence + the Machine LIVE

Here is a wonderful, energetic live version of Florence (previously here) performing "Sympathy Magic" from her brand new album "Everybody Scream."

https://florenceandthemachine.net/

"Why I Love The Stars" by Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson is a national (and international) treasure and living legend. She is responsible for some of the most innovative music and musical inventions in the last one hundred years. I have seen her live many times over the last many decades (I saw her perform her "United States I-IV" in the 80s!) and whenever she is performing live in an area near me, I make an effort to attend. And I am always blown away by her storytelling, her presentation, her uniqueness, her musicality, and her astonishing ability to pinpoint aspects of culture and life from a new perspective, cutting to the heart of things in a devastating way (in the video below, she introduces herself as being from the former United States of America...).

So I am extremely grateful that we get to virtually attend this recent concert of hers. Filmed at the Chapelle Sainte-Jeanne-D'arc in Paris for a private concert as part of the Arte series, she titled this show "Why I Love The Stars." She assembled a marvelous group of musicians who are clearly skilled at improv. This is an hour and ten minutes of magic. Please enjoy.

"You know the reason I really love the stars?
It's because
we cannot

hurt them.

We can't burn them
or flood them
or make them overflow.
We can't blow them up
or turn them out.

But we are reaching for them.
We are
reaching
for them."

https://laurieanderson.com/

Laurie and Lou's Three Rules For Surviving Our Current Times (When There Is No Time To Think)
Rule #1: Don't be afraid of anyone. Can you imagine what your life would be like if you weren't afraid of anyone?
Rule #2: Get a really good bullsh*t detector...and learn how to use it.
Rule #3: Be really...tender.

"Big Eye" by Christine and the Queens

I have been wanting to post this arresting song, "Big Eye" by Christine and the Queens (previously here) for a while now. The lyric video, below, naturally uses the album track from his newest release, the ambitious concept album "Paranoïa, Angels, True Love," but Red also performed a staggering live version at Glastonbury a few months ago.

Red (Chris) now uses he/him pronouns and performed this song sans blouson, with some tape on his nipples in an apparent way to circumvent any sort of public nudity laws. Apparently this passes YouTube's rule against nudity as well. But honestly, Red has a masculine build anyhow and if one were to glance quickly, one could possibly take him for a cisgendered man. But I don't want to chance posting the video here and risking someone, um, shall I say unenlightened and overzealous flagging my blog to Blogger. So, here is the lyric video, and then a screen capture from his Glastonbury performance of "Big Eye" with a link in the photo. Do yourself a favor: click on it to go to the YouTube page of BBC Music so you can marvel at one of the most powerful, electrifying live performances I have seen in a while.

http://christineandthequeens.com/

"Run A Red Light" Live by Everything But The Girl

So fantastic to see Tracey and Ben (Everything But The Girl) create this song live at the BBC studios...*goosebumps*

You can see the official video for "Run A Red Light' and read their explanation of the lyrics here.

Their new album "Fuse" is out now.
https://ebtg.com/

"Summertime" by Joni Mitchell

I am absolutely blown away by Joni Mitchell's (previously here) voice in this excerpt from her all-star concert tribute when she received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize. It sounds as if, miraculously, she has shaved thirty years off her voice...and considering the harrowing health issues she has been through the last several years, this is especially wonderful to hear. Long live Joni!

PBS stations will broadcast the concert — “Joni Mitchell: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song” — at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, March 31 (check local listings) and on PBS.org and the PBS App as part of the co-produced Emmy Award-winning music series. It will also be broadcast to U.S. Department of Defense locations around the world via the American Forces Network.

Mitchell got her start performing in coffee shops and nightclubs in her native Canada and would go on to become an icon among music makers, setting a new standard marrying music and lyrics. With such songs as “Both Sides, Now,” “Chelsea Morning,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Woodstock” and “The Circle Game,” Mitchell became a household name.

Mitchell redefined the role of women musicians. She oversaw all aspects of her albums, including songwriting, arrangements, performance, production and artwork. Her sound crosses musical genres from folk to jazz, classical and rock, and she continues to inspire her fellow artists.

Mitchell is also a talented painter, creating the cover art for many of her albums, and her visual art will be featured prominently in the tribute concert, along with her music.

“I’m a creative person. I like the creative process,” Mitchell said. “I’ve been a painter all my life. I’ve been a musician most of my life. If you can paint with a brush, you can paint with words. … It’s a great honor to join the pantheon of recipients.”

Bestowed in recognition of the legendary songwriting team of George and Ira Gershwin, the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is the nation’s highest award for influence, impact and achievement in popular music. The honoree is selected by the Librarian of Congress in consultation with a board of scholars, producers, performers, songwriters and other music specialists. Previous recipients are Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney, songwriting duo the late Burt Bacharach and the late Hal David, Carole King, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett, Emilio and Gloria Estefan, Garth Brooks, and Lionel Richie.

https://jonimitchell.com/

Bono and The Edge At The Tiny Desk

On the heels of St. Patrick's Day, let's check in with a pair of very famous Irishmen: Bono and The Edge (if you have been living under a rock, they are part of a little band called U2 who have a had a few hit songs here and there) dropped in to the Tiny Desk at NPR--yesterday, on St. Pat's Day--to perform a low-key, charming set.

Tiny Desk says: "The performance was a preview of U2's new album, Songs Of Surrender, featuring stripped-down versions of songs from across the band's catalog. To help pull off several reimagined songs from the 2000 album All That You Can't Leave Behind, Bono and The Edge invited a teen choir from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., to join them. During rehearsals, Bono told the students to think of 'Beautiful Day' as the kind of 'post-drinking' singalong you'd bellow with friends after leaving a bar. He then quickly realized none of them are old enough to drink, before feigning a heart attack."

"Songs of Surrender," 40 U2 songs reimagined and re-recorded is out now.
https://www.u2.com/

"Trustfall" by P!nk with Yoann Bourgeois

"Trustfall" is another one of those "sad bangers" from the marvelous P!nk. Here she is singing it live on Graham Norton, accompanied by the equally marvelous French acrobat/dancer Yoann Bourgeois doing his classic stair routine. Beautiful visual to go with the lyrics of this song...

P!nk's 9th studio album "Trustfall" is out now.

https://www.pinkspage.com

"There Were Bells" by Brian Eno

Brian Eno has been a special, prolific, inspirational, influential genius in his long and varied career creating music and art. Here, he sings his song "There Were Bells" from his album FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE out on October 14th, 2022. This live performance of "There Were Bells" was written by Brian Eno for a performance by him and his brother Roger at UNESCO World Heritage site, the Acropolis in August 2021. It was 45 degrees (113 degrees F) in Athens on the day of the concert with wildfires raging just outside the city, prompting his introductory comment "I thought, here we are at the birthplace of Western civilization, probably witnessing the end of it." This haunting track is taken from Eno’s new album FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE and provides a poignant reminder of the current climate emergency, a theme that is explored throughout the record.

His statement on his website says:
"I'm more and more convinced that our only hope of saving our planet is if we begin to have different feelings about it: specifically, if we become re-enchanted by the amazing improbability of life, suffer regret and even shame at what we've already lost and feel exhilarated by the challenges we face and what might yet become possible. Briefly, we need to fall in love again, but this time with nature, with Civilisation and with our hopes for the future."
--Brian Eno, July 2022

There were birds above, they sang the whole day through
And the sky revolves a pink to golden blue
All the roads through time weave the world's long rhyme
And it all unravels in a sea of pearls and swine

There were bells above that rang the whole day through
And the sky was shot with light and hazy blue
Early days of winter sun, all the days turned into one
All the sirens beckoning the crew

There were horns as loud as war that tore apart the sky
There were storms and floods of blood of human life
Never mind, my love, let's wait for the dove
Fly back to tell us there is a haven showing nigh
There were those who ran away
There were those who had to stay
In the end, they all went the same way

Brian Eno | Photo: Cecily Eno

https://brian-eno.net/

I am not sure I can muster the same cautious optimism that Eno can. I created this blog many years ago now as a way to catalog things that inspired me, caught my eye or ear or heart, things I found beautiful. And it goes without saying, at least in my mind, that these things are products of a wondrous world full of the possibility of creation, a pure expression of the sheer existence of human beings. It all results from an inexhaustible élan toward creating, participating in a cycle that is breathtaking, overwhelming, and even a little frightening if one can stand still long enough to perceive it. It sounds silly but this little blog has been my way to remember this all, and I wrote in the "ABOUT" column to the right that I am dedicated to posting the positive, the fascinating, the beautiful, the interesting, the moving, and the inspiring and uplifting. But I also say that just like life, all of these things may often have a bit of melancholy or even sadness in them, which is what makes our time here so lovely and bittersweet and precious. And I cannot think of anything more melancholy or sad than the impending end of our civilization which, make no mistake, is on the way. I have alluded to these worries we all have in posts through the last many years but my focus, being on beauty, has not allowed me to address it directly.

Maybe like many of you, readers, I am sometimes too weary and worn down from it all to continue to hold it at bay. After all, we still have to carry on with our lives at this moment, in this place and time, for each of us. I still have to earn a living, manage my design company, pay a mortgage, feed and clothe myself. But every so often I just break down and cry. The impending disasters encroaching on us all weigh us all down whether we acknowledge it or not: the constant fires, and extreme heat fronts, and droughts, and storms, and hurricanes, and rising sea levels, and flooding, and burned bodies of humans and animals, and charred ruins of homes and towns, and drowned bodies of humans and animals, and migrants from climate disasters as well as murderous regimes, and senseless wars, and the deliberate cruelty and the denialism from so, so, so many fellow humans whose ignorance perpetuates it all. I was evacuated from my home here in California for almost 2 weeks because of a fire that threatened a large section of the state, and I hold directly responsible anyone who denied and still denies what is happening in front of their eyes, anyone who has thwarted efforts to address climate catastrophe, anyone who has voted for and supports any political figure in a position of power who could enact meaningful change but who simply has not out of misplaced religious fanaticism or willful ignorance and a wish to hold on to power. I was lucky enough to have my home and neighborhood spared but hundreds of my fellow citizens just a few miles away from me were not so lucky. Everything we are suffering now was laid out over 30 years ago and we have had all that time to make plans and changes but no, we are now witnessing the beginning of the end. Actually, it has been going on for a bit now so this is not the beginning, it is well underway. How far will it be allowed to go? How far will the destruction go? Will there be a day when I turn on my faucet and nothing comes out, when I have to leave my home for a migrant camp because the state is no longer inhabitable? Do I die of hunger or dehydration? Dysentery from crowded conditions? What is waiting for us all? And maybe we deserve whatever is waiting for us, if we can't figure out how to do this right. Maybe we all deserve to die. These thoughts and worries are painful and sometimes debilitating. At this moment, I am in a place where I can't be quiet, I have to cry out in a way I allow myself to do in life but have not here in virtual blog-land, until now.

So for this post, readers, I speak to you a tiny bit of what keeps me up at night, what churns my stomach, and what makes me tremble for my future and the future of us all. But I have to do some laundry, and get ready for my upcoming week. And tomorrow I will be back to sharing lovely art and special music with you all. It will make the time go by faster. And maybe, just maybe, it will have some sort of ripple effect...if you are inspired by what I share, maybe you can inspire someone else, and we can all, as Eno suggests, fall in love with civilization and ourselves, and find ourselves worthy of saving. Maybe.

"Throw Me A Line" live in concert by HAEVN

Wow, this is a lovely performance of a gentle, swooning, swelling song, "Throw Me A Line" by the group HAEVN (the duo of singer-songwriter Marijn van der Meer and film soundtrack composer Jorrit Kleijnen) with the enhancement of an orchestra...that gorgeous arrangement played by the string section is near to heaven...

Is there a place where we can go and talk this out
Got a feeling that I can’t escape
I’m falling in doubt

Is there a way for you to leave this daunting force
Got all shattered by your push and pull
Leaving me lost

oeh, Say the words
I’m right here
oeh, Just say the words

oeh, Throw me a line
you hear me?
oeh, Throw me a line

Remember when you told me how our lives would change
You’d be leaving all your fears behind
I’ve been holding a space for us

oeh, Say the words
I’m right here
oeh, Just say the words

oeh, Throw me a line
you hear me?
oeh, Throw me a line

Are you out there
I’ve been waiting for so long
Are you out there

Are you ready to break out now
Are you ready to break out now
Are you ready to break out now
Are you ready to break out now

Are you ready to break out now
Are you ready to break out now
Are you ready to break out now

Cause I’m ready for you

https://www.haevnmusic.com/

"Please" by Jessie Ware...LIVE!

Regular readers may recall that I posted this song, "Please" by Jessie Ware last month here and I still love the glorious, nostalgic, disco sound tinged with a 90s club vibe. Here she is performing her song on The One Show in the UK...and for those requiring proof that she can actually sing, take note that her voice sounds fantastic live.

https://www.jessieware.com/

Laurie Anderson: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert on NPR

I adore Laurie Anderson (previously here). I have seen her many, many times in concert over the decades. I was even lucky enough to see her groundbreaking, mind-boggling musical and theatrical performance art piece "United States I - IV" when she toured it in 1983. She remains a national--international--treasure.

Bob Boilen | May 20, 2021
Laurie Anderson is a revolutionary artist who has mixed storytelling, music and technology for the past four decades plus. This Tiny Desk (home) concert celebrates the truly breathtaking breakthrough album she put out in 1982, Big Science. On that record, she used a few different voice processors; one of them was a Vocoder. By singing into a microphone attached to a keyboard, you can hear how it effectively adds harmony to her voice on "Let x=x." Laurie Anderson also used that effect, creating what I think of as 'the voice of authority' in her storytelling, on "O Superman," a song unlike anything music I'd heard when it came out in 1981. She made use of a vocal loop, something ever-present these days in sampling, but here she uses an Eventide Harmonizer, looping the single syllable "ha" as the rhythm of the song. It's a song about dealing with the technological revolution, about compassion; if it's your first time hearing it, take it in and see what strikes you.

Here, Roma Baran, who played on and produced Big Science with Laurie Anderson in 1982, performs on synthesizer. We also hear some brilliant cello and improv from Rubin Kodheli.

On a personal note, I was a lover of Laurie's music back in those days; they were also the days I played synthesizer in my band Tiny Desk Unit. We opened for Laurie Anderson in 1981, and Laurie joined us onstage for a song. I bring this up because the Tiny Desk name (created by our guitarist Michael Barron) was familiar to Laurie long before this NPR series existed. At the end of her home concert, Laurie, I assume, mistakingly, thanks Tiny Desk Unit for having her. It made me smile and sparked so many memories. Thank you, Laurie.

https://laurieanderson.com/

"Evaporation" by Josin

Lyrics.

"Evaporation" by Josin (previousloy here).   

I cry over my loss
'Cause it's been all winter's fault
I count on to 3 or 2 or 4
Ain't no fake picture I'm looking at 

Maybe all is made
To evaporate 

How d'you feel, love, when this life's too short?
How we live, love, when this life's too short?

We're just stupid fools
Who want it all back
Maybe all is made
To evaporate

How d'you feel, love, when this life's too short?
How we love, love, when this life's too short?

Ain't no fake picture we're looking at
Ain't no fake picture we're looking at

http://josinmusic.com/

"American Dreaming" by Dead Can Dance

Consider the spirit of these words: "American Dreaming" by Dead Can Dance.

>

I need my conscience to keep watch over me
To protect me from myself
So I can wear honesty like a crown on my head
When I walk into the promised land

We've been too long American dreaming
I think we've all lost the way
Forlorn somnambulistic maniacal
In the dark

I'm in love with an American girl
Well, she's my best friend
I love her surreptitious smile
That hides the pain within her

And we'll go dancing in the rings of laughter
And live alone by the shores
Forlorn in the rounds of rapture
And live alone for the loss

Yeah, on the lea the rising wind blows
Fay-ee, on the lea the rising wind blows
How long? How long?

Forlorn in the grounds of allegiances
We left behind
Turned back by the foot of the doorway
Never lost and found

We've been too long American dreaming
I think we've all lost the heart
Forlorn somnambulistic maniacal
In the dark

Yeah, on the lea the rising wind blows
Yeah, on the lea the rising wind blows
How long? How long? 

https://www.deadcandance.com/

"Outline" by Zero 7 and Lou Stone

New vocalist Lou Stone has teamed with Zero 7 for "Outline." The song will be part of the newest Zero 7 release, "Shadows," out on October 23, 2020. Take a listen to this amazing live performance of the song and Lou Stone's tender, crafted delivery.

https://www.zero7.co.uk/ 

https://iamloustone.com/

"People, I've Been Sad" by Christine and the Queens

This song, "People, I've Been Sad" from Christine and the Queens' latest release "La Vita Nuova" hits the spot...

It's true, that people, I've been sad
(People, I've been sad)
It's true, that people, I've been gone
(People, I've been gone)
It's true, that people, I've been missing out
(I've been missing out)
And missing out for way too long
(People, I've been gone)
It's just that me, myself and I
(Me, myself and I)
Been missing out for way too long
(Out for way too long)
Been taking 'cause I should have missing out
(I've been missing out)
Forsaking things for way too long
(Didn't take for long)
If you disappear
Then I'm disappearing too
You know the feeling (you know the feeling)
You know the feeling
If you fall apart
Then I'm falling behind you
You know the feeling (you know the feeling)
You know the feeling
Les gens viennent et parlent mal
(Ils parlent si mal)
Des sentiments qui pourtant comptent
(Tellement ils comptent)
Prise au piège de quelque chose de fort
(Quelque chose de fort)
Je n'ai décroché pour personne
(Jamais pour personne)
If you disappear
Then I'm disappearing too
You know the feeling (you know the feeling)
You know the feeling
If you fall apart
Then I'm falling behind you
You know the feeling (you know the feeling)
You know the feeling
Adolescence contrariée par un millier de chardons morts
Marcher pieds nus sur du verre et maintenant tout est plus fort
Adolescence contrariée par des milliers de remords
Maintenant quand je ressens quelque chose tout est bien plus fort
Adolescence contrariée par un millier de chardons morts
Marcher pieds nus sur du verre et maintenant tout est plus fort
Adolescence contrariée par une solitude folle
Maintenant quand je suis dehors le soleil me brûle encore
Ils parlent si mal
Tellement ils comptent
Quelque chose de fort
Jamais pour personne
If you disappear
Then I'm
You know the feeling (you know the feeling)
You know the feeling
If you fall apart
Then I
You know the feeling (you know the feeling)
You know the feeling
If you disappear
Then I'm
You know the feeling (you know the feeling)
You know the feeling
If you fall apart
Then I
You know the feeling (you know the feeling)
You know the feeling

And for those who hear the electronic effects on her voice and doubt her true talent and power, take a look at this clip of her performing the song live for Lady Gaga's wonderful fundraising benefit event One World: Together At Home last month. And her lovely words at the end are worth hearing...

http://www.christineandthequeens.com/

A Winged Victory For The Sullen In Concert

I have been mesmerized by this exquisite live performance by A Winged Victory For The Sullen (Dustin O'Halloran and Adam Wiltzie), playing live at the London Barbican. It is powerful, moving music for the end of the world, and the beginning of another.

https://awvfts.com/