Were it not for his belief in a nonnarrative cinema, some American film and video artists, even those who were not his students Paul Sharits and Stephen Beck, to name only two might have had different careers.
It's not an unfair charge: See Steely Dan's 2001 Album of the Year victory over Beck, Eminem and Radiohead (plus Paul Simon), or Herbie Hancock's win over Kanye West and Amy Winehouse in 2008.