Oblique Strategies
Encyclopedia
Oblique Strategies is a set of published cards created by Brian Eno
and Peter Schmidt first published in 1975, and is now in its fifth, open ended, edition. Prior to Oblique Strategies, Schmidt created "The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts" http://www.peterschmidtweb.com/thoughtsbehind.html in 1970, a similar collection of "55 sentences", in an edition of 100.
From the introduction to the 2001 edition:
, in which a character offers passers-by cards from a deck. Strategies mentioned include "Honor thy error as a hidden intention", "Look closely at the most embarrassing details and amplify", "Not building a wall; making a brick", "Repetition is a form of change", and one which came to be seen as a summary of the film's ethos (though it was not part of the official set of Oblique Strategies), "Withdrawing in disgust is not the same thing as apathy." This line was quoted in the 1994 song "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
" by R.E.M.
, who also mentioned Oblique Strategies in their 1998 song "Diminished" off the album Up
. The Oblique Strategies are also referenced in comic 1018, "Oblique Angles", of popular web comic Questionable Content
.
Other musicians reportedly inspired by Oblique Strategies include the British band Coldplay
, said to have used the cards when recording their 2008 Brian Eno
-produced album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
, and French band Phoenix
, who claimed to have used the cards when recording their 2009 album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
. German musician/composer Blixa Bargeld
has a similar navigation system, called Dave. In response to their song "Brian Eno", off their album Congratulations
, MGMT
has said they had a deck of Oblique Strategies in the studio, but they "don't know if [they] used them correctly."
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and Peter Schmidt first published in 1975, and is now in its fifth, open ended, edition. Prior to Oblique Strategies, Schmidt created "The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts" http://www.peterschmidtweb.com/thoughtsbehind.html in 1970, a similar collection of "55 sentences", in an edition of 100.
Design and use
Each card contains a phrase or cryptic remark which can be used to break a deadlock or dilemma situation. Some are specific to music composition; others are more general. Examples include:- Use an old idea
- State the problem in words as clearly as possible.
- Only one element of each kind.
- What would your closest friend do?
- What to increase? What to reduce?
- Are there sections? Consider transitions.
- Try faking it!
- Honour thy error as a hidden intention.
- Ask your body
- Work at a different speed
From the introduction to the 2001 edition:
These cards evolved from separate observations of the principles underlying what we were doing. Sometimes they were recognised in retrospect (intellect catching up with intuition), sometimes they were identified as they were happening, sometimes they were formulated.
They can be used as a pack, or by drawing a single card from the shuffled pack when a dilemma occurs in a working situation. In this case the card is trusted even if its appropriateness is quite unclear...
Cultural impact
References to Oblique Strategies exist in popular culture, most notably in the film SlackerSlacker (film)
Slacker is an American independent film written and directed by Richard Linklater, who also appears in the film. Slacker was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival in 1991.-Plot summary:...
, in which a character offers passers-by cards from a deck. Strategies mentioned include "Honor thy error as a hidden intention", "Look closely at the most embarrassing details and amplify", "Not building a wall; making a brick", "Repetition is a form of change", and one which came to be seen as a summary of the film's ethos (though it was not part of the official set of Oblique Strategies), "Withdrawing in disgust is not the same thing as apathy." This line was quoted in the 1994 song "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" is a song by the American alternative rock group R.E.M. from their 1994 album Monster. It was the first single taken from the album, released three weeks later. It peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. Due to its...
" by R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
, who also mentioned Oblique Strategies in their 1998 song "Diminished" off the album Up
Up (R.E.M. album)
Up is the 11th album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was the band's first album without original drummer Bill Berry, who left the group amicably in October 1997 to pursue his own interests. In his place, R.E.M...
. The Oblique Strategies are also referenced in comic 1018, "Oblique Angles", of popular web comic Questionable Content
Questionable Content
Questionable Content is a slice-of-life webcomic written and drawn by Jeph Jacques. It was launched on August 1, 2003. Jacques currently makes his living exclusively from QC merchandising and advertising, making him one of the few professional webcomic artists...
.
Other musicians reportedly inspired by Oblique Strategies include the British band Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, said to have used the cards when recording their 2008 Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
-produced album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, often referred to as simply Viva la Vida is the fourth studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 11 June 2008 on Parlophone. The album was named after a Spanish phrase that translates in English as "long live life"...
, and French band Phoenix
Phoenix (band)
Phoenix is a Grammy Award winning French indie rock band from Versailles, founded by Thomas Mars, Deck d'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz.-Formation and early years:...
, who claimed to have used the cards when recording their 2009 album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is the fourth studio album album by the French alternative rock band Phoenix. The album was released internationally by V2 Records on 25 May 2009....
. German musician/composer Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld is a composer, author, actor, singer, musician, performer and lecturer in a number of artistic fields...
has a similar navigation system, called Dave. In response to their song "Brian Eno", off their album Congratulations
Congratulations (album)
The album received mostly positive reviews upon its release, and a 72/100 metascore at Metacritic, based upon 39 reviews. Pitchfork Media deemed the album "audacious, ambitious, and a little fried." NME got a first listen of the album and described it as a mix of "frenetic, brief psych nuggets......
, MGMT
MGMT
MGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
has said they had a deck of Oblique Strategies in the studio, but they "don't know if [they] used them correctly."
See also
- Lateral thinkingLateral thinkingLateral thinking is solving problems through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involving ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic...
- I ChingI ChingThe I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
- an ancient consultation book based on random draws - Aleatoric musicAleatoric musicAleatoric music is music in which some element of the composition is left to chance, and/or some primary element of a composed work's realization is left to the determination of its performer...
- Water Yam (artist's book)
External links
- The Oblique Strategies
- PeterSchmidtWeb The Peter Schmidt web site.
- Random Oblique Strategies Gives you a random Oblique Strategy selected from editions 1–5.
- Random Strategies A script that displays a random phrase from an Oblique Strategies deck.
- Brian Eno with Jarvis Cocker - Eno explains Oblique Strategies on Jarvis CockerJarvis CockerJarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
's BBC6 Radio show, Nov. 08, 2010. - Random Oblique Strategies site with modern design.