John Cage is perhaps unique in the range and depth of his influence on post-1945 artistic practice. John Rockwell wrote in The New York Times, "As the unchallenged father figure of American experimental music, Mr. Cage wields an influence that extends far beyond sound alone. . . . Indeed, the entire American avant-garde would be unthinkable without Mr. Cage's music, writings, and genially patriarchal personality." Cage discouraged such pronouncements, considering that ideas were contextual, were "in the air," citing the example of inventors in different places coming up with the same idea at virtually the same time. Nevertheless, Cage's enthusiasm and openness to experimentation, his genius and humor, and his collaborative mind-set have led a strikingly large variety of artists and thinkers--including Laurie Anderson, Joseph Beuys, Norman O. Brown, Merce Cunningham, Allen Ginsberg, Jasper Johns, Olivier Messiaen, Robert Rauschenberg, John Zorn, and many others--to acknowledge his influence and inspiration. Cage's writings...