Most of what we do and say is rendered obsolete sooner or later.
But great art has a timeless quality; it defies obsolescence. Over hundreds and even thousands of years it continues
to convey simple human truths. That’s the beauty of the Mona Lisa’s smile –
it may be just as intelligible to a caveman as to an astronaut.
The Apology Line most definitely has a timeless quality to
it, which is really one of the best indications of Allan’s consummate
artistry. He began recording voices on magnetic tape almost forty years ago but the distinctive human qualities of the
callers still come through as clearly today as they did back then. There is nothing dated in
these taped confessions, even though so much else in our world has been
completely transformed over the course of the intervening years. And I suspect Allan's voice recordings will retain their power and lucidity far into the future; maybe for as long as English is spoken and understood, these apologies will continue to command our attention.
If nothing else, the power of the Apology tapes is a reflection of the audacity of Allan's artistic ambition and vision. Very few artists ever have a chance to work so directly and effectively at the task of capturing and preserving the human soul -- whether by carving marble, applying oil paint to canvas or any other more conventional artistic means. But for the fifteen years Allan operated the Apology Line he immersed himself in that very task as Mr. Apology -- the curator and caretaker of the callers' souls. To that end, he rigged up his answering machines in order to record their ramblings and capture their most vulnerable selves on his audio cassette tapes. In the privacy of the anonymous telephone confessional, the Apology Line began to function as a camera obscura -- through the pinhole of the twisted copper pair wire, Allan magically captured a faithful representation of the callers most unadorned essential nature.
If nothing else, the power of the Apology tapes is a reflection of the audacity of Allan's artistic ambition and vision. Very few artists ever have a chance to work so directly and effectively at the task of capturing and preserving the human soul -- whether by carving marble, applying oil paint to canvas or any other more conventional artistic means. But for the fifteen years Allan operated the Apology Line he immersed himself in that very task as Mr. Apology -- the curator and caretaker of the callers' souls. To that end, he rigged up his answering machines in order to record their ramblings and capture their most vulnerable selves on his audio cassette tapes. In the privacy of the anonymous telephone confessional, the Apology Line began to function as a camera obscura -- through the pinhole of the twisted copper pair wire, Allan magically captured a faithful representation of the callers most unadorned essential nature.
Here's a brief selection of some calls recorded
in the early years of the Line in which you can begin to hear Allan's artistry at work.
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