It's Science! And Brian Eno!

Brian Eno, “Glitch” (taken from Drums Between The Bells) by Warp Records

There is something that seems impossibly unfair about brilliant scientists who also manage to be wonderful writers. Like, okay, it’s not enough that you’re a theoretical physicist, you also happen to turn out remarkable Borgesian tales. Grrr! I had the same feeling about David Eagleman, whose Sum was reviewed (accurately) in the New York Times as a “delightful, thought-provoking little collection [which] belongs to that category of strange, unclassifiable books that will haunt the reader long after the last page has been turned.” Eagleman is profiled in this week’s New Yorker, which discusses his research into our perceptions of time. I was humming along and enjoying it, almost fully able to set aside my feelings of insecurity, until I got to the part where, hey, he gets to go over to Brian Eno’s studio to perform an experiment on a bunch of drummers. Okay, it’s not enough that you’re a neuroscientist whose work is “full of touching moments and glorious wit,” but you also happen to hang out with Brian Eno. Grrr! (You should still read this piece.) Speaking of Brian Eno, he’s got a new record out in July which is a collaboration with the poet Rick Holland. You’ll find the track “Glitch” above. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but it is certainly to mine.