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I'm just a new guy here, just chipping my bit in.
Knowledge of music theory is definitely not the key to writing great music, you can look almost anywhere to see that.
It is a great tool to have though.
I read an interview with Thurston about his experiences playing improvised music with jazz players who are well versed in music theory and aural recognition. He was saying, basically, that that was a whole new challenge for him, and a part of the music where he was unable to participate because the other players were speaking in a language he was unable to understand.
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in regards to knowledge of music theory 'justifying' people like Branca, i'm not so sure about that. I think you can be equally valid as a musician, performer, artist with or without theory knowledge, provided that the INTENT is there to make good music/art and you are open to the experience and the other players around you (provided you arn't solo).
A bunch of guys fiddling with the knobs on their amp, not listening to eachother at all, revelling in the fact they are making 'arty noise', that's not what makes music good to me.
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