About Marshall Barnes

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The Truest 21st Century Renaissance Man...

  

Marshall Barnes has always been ahead of his time, and everyone else's in fact. To list his background and talents would be to recite an unbelievable litany of abilities and accomplishments. Sufficite it to say that there is no one else presently that represents a more perfect blend of artist and scientist - although both titles he readily rejects. In fact, repeatedly Lee Smolin unknowingly describes Marshall with astonishing accuracy when he discusses seers (we prefer the term, visionaries) as the types of individuals who are the ones that can lead the physics world  from its current state of duldroms. So we'll just let the professional quotes tell the story:

 

"Marshall, WHO?"

"Here's one of the top flight bands around - Marshall Barnes and Friends!"

- CAROL CHENEY, SCHOOLIES, WBNS TV  Jan. 1979

 

"Some of Marshall's recent titles include "How Could They Be So Wrong?" (pop song), "Bottled Frog" (experimental/acid rock)...and "Piece of the Action" (hard rock ala Patti Smith).

- APARTMENT SCENE April 1979

 

"With his hands in so many artistic endeavors, Barnes said he isn't sure which direction his life will follow."

- THE NEWS Aug. 1979

 

"Barnes has two other programs on cable. One was an experimental film done as part of a course. The other was a talk show. His next he calls a 'video album'."

- DAVID DRAKE, CITIZEN-JOURNAL Oct. 1979

 

"Marshall Barnes is preparing for the day when teen-agers go out and buy video cassettes of their favorite rock operas as easily as they now purchase stereo recordings.

- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Jan. 1980

 

"Five Columbus teenagers...should wrap up production this month on one of the nation's first video albums. Marshall Barnes wrote all of the music for the album...Todd Rundgren glitter rock..."

- OHIO MAGAZINE, Feb. 1980

 

"Barnes is no newcomer to the world of video effects. He said he first became aware of how much he liked visual effects when he saw his first light show in the fifth grade."

- THE NEWS Feb. 1980

 

"A young genius at work...Marshall Barnes is a pioneer in the world of video production and engineering."

- HELEN MARKEL, COLUMBUS SPOTLIGHT July 1980

 

"Marshall Barnes says he wants to make Columbus the video space rock capital of the world, and who knows? He just might."

- TOM BURRIS, ACTION 6 NEWS WTVN TV July 1980

 

"Barnes is the only person in the country writing original music for video animation, recording it alone, and then producing the visual effects too."

- UPPER ARLINGTON NEWS, Aug. 1980

 

"Blending a psychedelic panorama of sights with music in the style of Todd Rundgren...Barnes wrote all of the music and played the instruments on the 27 minute tape."

- OHIO MAGAZINE, Sept. 1980

 

"Marshall Barnes...is creative and crazy like a fox...From a critic's standpoint The Last Communication would compare more favorably with Yellow Submarine than Fantasia. The reason may be that Barnes backed into the video world from the world of rock music."

- MARY ROKER, VIDEO MAGAZINE Nov. 1980

 

"Marshall is dynamic!...If you live in New York City and happen in on some video promos, don't be surprised if you see Marshall's "Piece of the Action" or something else by this modern day Renaissance man."

- TRACY HUNKER, TESTUBE Oct. 1981

 

"It is my opinion that...Barnes is possessed of talent and experience in video entertainment well beyond his years."

- MICHAEL E. BRENNAN, VANGUARD PRODUCTIONS Feb 1982

 

"Barnes is a 23 year old dynamo who between working at a suburban record store, running his own video research company, playing rock music, fooling around with his home computer and dreaming up creative ventures like 55 episode space fairy tales, also teaches a course in writing for video music through the Ohio State University Creative Activities Program (CAP)."

- CYNTHIA CRANE, THE NEWS Aug. 1983

 

"MTV step aside. The CREATIVE ARTS PROGRAM (CAP) offers a video music course which, according to instructor Marshall Barnes, will enable students to make videos 'better than anything you will see on MTV'."

- LORI WHITT, OHIO STATE LANTERN Nov. 1983

 

"He (Barnes) can quickly shift from the jargon of a promotion man, to that of a writer, to a musician's lingo, and yes, video-computer-whiz-kid speak."

- MARTY ROZENMANN NORTHLAND NEWS, Dec. 1983

 

"Mr. Barnes has always received outstanding evaluations from his students; he has constantly been the subject of media attention; he is experienced and knowledgeable in his field."

- DAVID R. DOUGLASS, DIRECTOR CREATIVE ACTIVITIES PROGRAM  March 1984

 

"So what has Marshall Barnes been up to the last 3 years? As you would expect, a kaleidoscope of video projects."

- TAMMI BEXTON, TESTUBE Sept. 1984

 

"Barnes explained that music videos live or die on the basis of concept. One good concept, according to Barnes, is David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes"...On the other hand, BArnes turns thumbs down on Def Leppard's "Photograph".

- JOHN E, JONES JR., THE CALL & POST Oct. 1984

 

"Barnes said he can teach his students how to keep video costs low and the level of creativity up, while still using special effects...CAP Director D. Searcy said she has received a lot of positive feedback from students who have taken the course.

-BILL BOGGESS, THE OHIO STATE LANTERN Feb. 1985 

 

"BARNES BARNSTORMS the MUSIC VIDEO WORLD...Barnes is currently discussing the viability of marketing videos as a home consumer product with John O'Donnell, Sony's general manager of software."

- PEGGY HERBST, BACK STAGE April 1985

 

"I formed a task force to study the broad range of cultural needs in the city and appointed Marshall to that body. I realized he represented a viewpoint that needed to be heard. And heard he was! Marshall never missed an opportunity to advocate for his constituency."

- PATRICIA SMITH, CULTURAL AFFAIRS COORDINATOR, CITY of COLUMBUS, March 1986

 

"One look at Marshall Barnes' music videos and you figure their creator must be a fairly flipped out dude. The Last Communication, an experimental animation piece, looks like an Etch-A-Sketch gone berserk with shapes and colors. In his most recent work, Piece of the Action, the protagonist drifts into a dream of medieval jousts, Space-Age laser fights and an elevator in flight..."

- DENNIS FIELY, COLUMBUS DISPATCH July 1986

 

"Recently, the national Youth to Youth convention at Dennison University became the site of an inner space experience as video space rocker Marshall Barnes, landed to expound on his own quirky brand of drug free creativity."

- THE GRANVILLE BOOSTER August 1986 

 

"(Marshall) I want to take this time to extend our sincere appreciation nto you for presenting a workshop at our National Youth to Youth Conference in July."

- WILLIAM LIVISAY, CONFERENCE COORDINATOR August 1986

 

"The video, based on Leach's recording, So Much More, ...will include special effects by Marshall Barnes. The production will look like it's a film even though it's a videotape."

- DANA STONE, TRI-VILLAGE NEWS Oct. 1986

 

"Marshall Barnes is a wizard...Barnes is a ...video producer, inventor...He recently invented what he calls DEMI...when used with a sampling keyboard it creates sounds similar to a synthesizer but has more capabilities."

- CARINA HARRISON, THE OHIO STATE LANTERN Jan. 1987 

 

"On behalf of Mrs. Reagan, I wish to thank you for your thoughtfulness in writing to let her know about Marshall Barnes."

- LINDA M. PERREAULT, Director. of Correspondence for the FIRST LADY (Nancy Reagan) Feb. 1987 

 

"Ava Seavey, vice president of sales and marketing for Tulchin Studios in New York, thinks Barnes' technique has possibilities in the industry."

- JULIE VINSON, THE LANTERN Feb. 1988

 

"He's very young and very creative, has a million ideas...I'd like to harness his energy for other purposes."

- ANGELA MANCUSO, Executive in Charge of Production, 1125 Studios February 1988

 

"Barnes is making...an hour long version...with television in mind. Anthony Zanetta, an assistant to singer David Bowie in the early 1970s, will...narrate the documentary.

- BARBARA CARMEN, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH March 1988

 

"He (Barnes) does not limit himself to the music and film world. He is working on developing computer games and writing stories for a cartoon series..."

- NANCY RICHISON, NORTHLAND NEWS, March 1988

 

"The White House Conference for a Drug Free America Gratefully acknowledges the Outstanding Contribution of Marshall Barnes"

- LORI H. HERRINGTON, Chair WHCFADFA March 1988 

 

"Barnes also worked with Youth to Youth, a national organization that discourages drug use."

- JEFF LONG NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS CENTRAL August 1988

 

"Just Say...A locally produced anti-drug television show will air at 7pm, Saturday on WWAT (Channel 53) a Chillocothe based station...The show was conceived and hosted by musician Marshall Barnes."

- BROADCAST BITS September 1988

 

"Dear Marshall, Thank You for your participation as a workshop presenter at the 16th annual opening of our student exhibition on April 12. We are pleased with the positive comments made concerning your presentation. It is felt that your workshop will be a long remembered and appreciated one."

- ALICE SLADE, DIRECTOR, OHIO GOVERNOR'S YOUTH ART EXHIBITION April 1989

 

"The newest video is part of an ongoing process by Barnes to preach that the imagination is capable of the most outrageous fancy without chemicals."

- JEFF LONG, NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS CENTRAL Aug. 1989

 

"In 1979, Barnes started a science fiction novel in which he predicts a number of things that would...happen in the future...probability experts at Battelle and OSU said there is an 85 percent chance that the rest of Barnes' story will come true."

- ROBB LUST, OHIO STATE LANTERN April 1991

 

"Because of the holographic quality and quick editing that take place in nine of the 10 videos in "Seeing the Breykiot", it should not be viewed by epileptics, heart patients, or anyone under the influence of drugs, Barnes said."

- PAUL RUSINKO, THE LANTERN Aug. 1991

 

"A psychoactive music video which alters the viewer's consciousness is a safe alternative to using drugs...Barnes said the video must be viewed under special conditions to achieve the response."

- ALCOHOL & DRUG ABUSE WEEKLY Sept. 1991 

 

"But skeptics of Barnes...may be surprised at the progressiveness and talent of this virtual unknown."

- CARLA NOCERA, THE EDGE Feb. 1992 

 

"Barnes' developments also include EDPREPS, which allows him to create more than one guitar sound at once...and DEMI, a sampling process that creates multiple sounds which can be played through even the simplest electronics keyboard...Barnes has taken video technology in new directions."

- JIM FISCHER, DELAWARE THIS WEEK Feb. 1992 

 

 

"Marshall presented video work as part of a video festival "Not On Your T.V." which was held at ACME ART Co. in April 1991. Audience and critical response was quite favorable."

- LORI McCARGISH Gallery Director, ACME Art Co. Aug. 1992 

 

"Marshall Barnes is truly a man a head of his time, not only as an artist, but as an interdimensional trail blazer."

- UNICUS MAGAZINE Spring 1992

 

"An upcoming episode of the Fox television series Sightings received help from a former Northland resident who has become an expert on the topic of parallel universes. Marshall Barnes...was hired by Sightings to provide them with video information, maps of black holes and copies of established theories about the possibility of parallel universes."

- LARRY HOUCK, NORTHLAND NEWS December 1992

 

"Marshall Barnes gave a good talk on parallel universe theories recently...This stuff is very deep with multiple levels of physics."

- THE FREE PRESS March 1993

 

 

"Barnes, who promises to take the audience on a startling trip into the world of secret science and technology, will reveal and demonstrate the little understood concepts of invisibility..."

- FAIRBORN DAILY HEARALD Oct. 1994 

 

"Last fall, Barnes stunned a national TV audience with a videotaped experiment involving an ordinary spool of thread. He proved something solid could be made to look transparent when he passed a knitting needle behind the spool - and the metal object could still be seen!"

- JOHN McGRAN, THE SUN April 1996

 

"Marshall Barnes on a quest...and I like his line of research."

- ART BELL, COAST TO COAST AM, May 1996 

 

"I have two interviews from the Art Bell show. One is with Marshall Barnes...They are superb."

- DAN WOOLMAN, IN SEARCH OF June 1996

 

"Marshall Barnes...is a dynamic, forceful speaker and full of ideas."

- KEN HARSCH, UNIVERSAL LIGHT EXPO Oct. 1996

 

"Marshall Barnes has done some important research".

- JEAN CLAUDE BA, PhD, Professor of Physics COLUMBUS STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE March 1997 

 

"To prove his invention Barnes took me with him on an experiment, along State Route 104 from Route 56...We made the trip...without the STDTS turned on in 24 minutes. Coming back, he turned his machine on and I watched the speedometer closely...Back at Route 56 Barnes cheered when we checked our watches. We did it in 22 minutes.

- MIKE PRATT, THE CIRCLEVILLE HERALD March 2002

 

"I think there's something wrong with the way we view time. I like
Marshall's approach and have no problem with it."

- BERNARD MULLIGAN, PhD,
Professor of Physics THE
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY Feb. 2004 

 

"I would like to thank Marshall Barnes for taking the time to talk
to my CS 201 course on Time Machines.  His presentation generated a
lot of positive feedback and discussion from the class.

The class of around thirty five students seemed unanimously pleased
and were impressed with his poise and enthusiasm for the topic.  The
following class period, we discussed at length his insights into the
use of videotapes and music as a "way back" to the past (or a past).
We compared his work with that of Roland Barthes in his text, Camera
Lucida and with our impressions of photography as a memory aid and
record of the past garnered from a photography exhibit the students
attended at Columbus Museum of Art.

Personally, I have rarely seen someone with the passion that Marshall
Barnes displayed for his work."



- SABRA WEBER, PhD, Associate Professor  Anthropology Department, THE
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY May 2004
 

"An ongoing, online experiment created by Dr. Peter Naish of the Open University, in conjunction with BBC Science, and hosted at OPEN UNIVERSITY has been cited as being flawed with "worthless results" by researcher and conceptual theorist, Marshall Barnes...The initial hypothesis of the test is that extraverts will see the cube flip more times when asked than introverts, and introverts will see it flip more when asked to just passively view it than extraverts. According to the results online so far, this doesn't seem to be the case. Marshall claims to know why."

- NANCY R. FENN, THE INTROVERTZ COACH  August 2004 

 

"Later this month, Marshall Barnes will present a scientific paper at the 7th annual International Mars Society Conference in Chicago...Marshall Barnes...truly thinks outside the box...The unique mix of creative thinking and science has enabled Barnes to come up with some interesting technological theories.

- A.M. WHITAKER, COLUMBUS COMMUNICATOR August 2004

 

"Marshall Barnes has proven himself to be a bright, enthusiastic, and
ever-inquiring mind. Time and time again, he has come up with inventive
ideas that take us all to the edges of our imagination. Any program
initiated by him will be well worth attending."

- FRED ALAN WOLF, PhD, physicist, author (TAKING THE QUANTUM LEAP, others), cinema star (WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW? , AMERICAN VIDEO DIARY)  March 2005


"Marshall was able to engage and involve the students in the
SuperScience presentation despite their being antsy about the near
close of the school year".

- LINDA LEE KENNEDY, Science Teacher, Briggs High School MAY 2005



"Students were excited and had many questions throughout his
presentation. Marshall encouraged them to ask a question when it came
up instead of waiting until the conclusion - students took him up on
it.

- JACK MINOT, Physics Teacher Bexley High School May 2005



"Marshall has an excellent physics background and was able to adjust
his explanations and answers to student's questions at the
appropriate level that students can understand".

- CRAIG KRAMER, Physics Teacher, Bexley High School  May 2005

 

"Barnes...believes bringing his presentation entitled "SuperScience for High School Physics" will get students interested in areas of physics they never thought possible."

- SHANNON DILLMAN, WESTSIDE MESSENGER  June 2005

 

"Marshall Barnes shows off a photograph of the Santa Maria that he took...bending light to cause the ship to appear to disappear. The photo will be a part of an exhibit at the Santa Maria Visitor Education Center in downtown Columbus."

- TRI-VILLAGE NEWS August 2007