Tony Conrad's music and films have often defied conventionality. His work is often described as traditional manipulations of rhythm and melodic form - experimental and acerbic, a rejection of the structure of high culture.
Much like his music, Conrad is a revolutionary thinker, a man constantly changing, adopting new modes of thinking and living. He is also the director of graduate studies in the media department and a professor of media studies at the UB.
Live a life of substance, a life of compassion, understanding and culture - this has always been Conrad's mantra. He believes in individuals working together and creating something greater than their individual lives. It is this idea of understanding and learning life lessons from one another that Conrad believes most people forget.
"Teaching is a socially constructive way to better America and the world," said Conrad. "The university is a hierarchy. In the classroom this hierarchy stops, and there's just people, people with a culture. My job is to set up an environment of faith and help people learn what they want to learn."
Born in rural Maryland just outside Baltimore, Conrad had a modest childhood. His father was a portrait painter and his mother was a high school teacher.
"We were stronger in spirit than in the pocketbook," he said.
After high school, Conrad attended Harvard University, where he studied mathematics. Having previously taken violin lessons, Conrad began to take interest in contemporary composition and furthered his studies in the baroque violin repertoire.
In 1976, Conrad joined the UB's Department of Media Studies, where he joined famed avant-garde filmmakers Hollis Frampton and James Blue under department director Gerald O'Grady.
Conrad said he believes in humanity's goodness and the ability to transcend selfishness and egotism, organizing and working together progressively.
"The economy has been stripped from Buffalo, but the institutions still survive - the culture is strong," he said. "This campus has unbelievable resources. We're told that the future for Buffalo is technology - but it's important not to leave culture behind."
Meg Knowles, technical director of the Department of Media Study, has known Conrad since she was 10 years old.
"He is someone who is community-minded," said Knowles. Knowles said Conrad was a central figure in Buffalo's public access programming, and he was one of the producers of the 8mm News Collective, a program that initiated controversial projects including a documentary on the news media.
"Besides being crazy and wearing orange pajamas to work, he works very hard - he's really made a difference in the Buffalo community," said Knowles.
Conrad has also been very active in the Buffalo art community. He is on the board of directors at "Squeaky Wheel," a group located on Elmwood Avenue that offers affordable workshops, equipment and education to local independent media makers and media studies students.
"He enlightened my view on the media," said Howard Kim, a first-year graduate student in media arts production. "He could talk forever about the media - not just the media, but art in general."
Chris Outlaw, a media arts production graduate student, said Conrad, unlike many other professors, pays special attention to students.
"He's the director of graduate studies, but he'll take the time to go through the steps that you need to obtain your degree," he said. "He's a very easy going guy."
by Thanh Bui, Staff Writer
