person
1933–2021·also known as Schafer, Murray Schafer

Canadian composer and creator of the concept of "soundscape," who as a student sat in McLuhan's 1951–52 class. His firsthand testimony to Bob corroborates one of the most striking early McLuhan lines — that Finnegans Wake "was not a book; it was a radio program."

Across the dialogues

01

The student-witness — corroborating McLuhan's 1951–52 "Finnegans Wake was a radio program"

Schafer, a student in McLuhan's 1951–52 class, gave Bob firsthand corroboration that McLuhan taught Finnegans Wake "was not a book; it was a radio program."

"And you brought up Murray Schafer. Murray told me, and he was in his class in '51, '52 or so, that Marshall insisted to them to understand that Finnegans Wake was not a book. It was a radio program."
Bob Dobbsasserted
52

From lone witness to a theory of his own — the soundscape read as McLuhan applied to sound, the city already music and the noise already dialogue between sounds

Cameron reads Schafer's soundscape as McLuhan applied to sound — the city already music, the noise already dialogue, "closely related to Cage's ideas"; the World Soundscape Project at Simon Fraser was its research arm.

"And his theory from McLuhan was that the cityscape is already music,"
Cameron McEwenasserted

Connections

connects toMarshall McLuhan

A student in McLuhan's 1951–52 class; gave Bob firsthand testimony of McLuhan's teaching.

connects toFinnegans Wake

Corroborates that McLuhan taught Finnegans Wake "was not a book; it was a radio program" — in 1951–52.