Here's the perfect hint: A mocking depiction of King Louis-Philippe as the Rabelais character Gargantua. The caricature might as well be Trump. He feeds on bundles of swag delivered by his obsequious minions and, from his outhouse throne, he shits out appointments, titles, and other rewards for the privileged class. Not incidentally, Honoré Daumier went to prison for six months for this 1831 lithograph after its publication in a satirical illustrated periodical that appeared weekly in Paris, La Caricature morale, politique et littéraire. Hat's … [Read more...]
Once Upon a Time in India . . .
There was a mimeo magazine called ppHOO69 *Intercontinental*1969. It was edited by Pradip Choudhuri and published by Subhas Ghose, with a front cover by Alejandro Jodorowsky and a back cover by Claude Pélieu. The poems and prose were divided into two sections, one in Tamil and one in English (with some French). CLICK THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM. CLICK THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM. … [Read more...]
‘Righteous Poles’ Make an Appeal
Following Ronald S. Lauder's open letter ("It's Time to Dial Back the Rhetoric") about the Holocaust and recent anti-Semitic developments in Poland, another open letter has appeared (also in The New York Times). This one is signed by 50 Polish citizens, "the remaining living Righteous representing the 6,850 Righteous Poles" who have been recognized by Yad Vashem, the World Holocast Remembrance Center in Israel, for taking great risks to save Jews during World War II. Read their letter here. They say, among other things: We were all victims, … [Read more...]
Poland Dials the Wrong Number
An open letter from Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, took up a full page yesterday in The New York Times. The heading was "It's Time to Dial Back the Rhetoric in Poland." I have no expertise in the matter, but I couldn't help recalling Tuvye Tenenbom's take on the situation of Polish Jews and the video he made during a period when Lauder claims things were looking up for them. Tenenbom recorded what he called “rampant” anti-Semitic graffiti everywhere in the city of Lodz. Have a look, then read Lauder's letter below. … [Read more...]
A Burroughs-Gysin ‘Motherlode’
SEE UPDATE BELOW My staff of thousands informs me that the Smithsonian Institute has posted scans of three notebooks by William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin dating from 1963 to 1973, and 1977. It was described to me as "a motherlode" of writings and collages. And indeed it is. Have a look by clicking the images and/or the caption. American flag over the empty field DECEMBRE 23 VICTORY by J. Conrad 358-8 EN ROUTE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD Look out the window. . . fire by the track. . . streams crusted with. . sewage. to yesterday and … [Read more...]
‘Aletheia’ to Tour Northeastern U.S.
Composed by William Osborne for singer-instrumentalist, computer-controlled piano, and quadraphonic electronics, “Aletheia” is a music theater work featuring the solo performance of Abbie Conant as the title character. Osborne writes, "Aletheia is an opera singer who is delighted that she has been asked to perform for an opera gala. She only needs to go down to the courtyard and impress the people with her performance . . . but she reconsiders . . . should she really sing? Why won’t her feet move? "Does she not know that she lives in a … [Read more...]
Oh Say Can You See . ? .
Some ideas are so good that they're too good to steal. Norman O. Mustill had many of them. This was one. But good ideas get around --or go around -- landing many times in many places. Sonia Polido's good idea landed yesterday as an illustration for the lead editorial "What Trump Doesn’t Get About the State of the Union." The editorial itself? Not so good. It was one of those on the one hand on the other hand fables. … [Read more...]
Two Sides of a ‘Small Electrical Storm’
Nearly 50 years ago, Gary Lee-Nova sent a pair of two-sided silkscreen prints to Marshall McLuhan. He had seen McLuhan's copy of Finnegans Wake with handwritten comments on a subject Joyce had treated: "the electrification of the entire world." He says his print drawing "was a crude, almost rude emulation of the comments." If the result is any measure, I beg to differ. There's nothing crude about either side of the finished silkscreen, front or back. (Click the images to enlarge them for a close inspection.) "I never heard directly from … [Read more...]
Acker Awards to Honor One-of-a Kind Artists
I don't know what the late Kathy Acker would think of an award given in her name to non-conforming artists. I assume an experimental punk novelist and poet would like the idea of supporting artists who don't conform. Although awards are besides the point especially for non-conformists, they do generate publicity. And unless I'm wrong, even non-conformists might not mind getting some of that. The Lower East Side artist-activist Clayton Patterson, who is a moving force behind the awards, knows this perhaps better than anyone. For years, … [Read more...]
The Shithole and the Shithouse
By now roughly 23 million people have seen the rebranded Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. Or if they haven't, at least that many have googled it. If you're the one person who hasn't seen it, here it is. And here, not incidentally, is Trump's Shithouse in Washington D.C., also known as The White House. … [Read more...]
A Rising Composer’s Calling
Dylan Mattingly's work-in-progress opera "Stranger Love" is to be performed at Roulette in a world premiere next week in New York City on Jan. 16 & 17. STRANGER LOVE Music by Dylan Mattingly Libretto by Thomas Bartscherer Concept by Thomas Bartscherer and Dylan Mattingly Act I is the tale of two lovers, in the tradition of Orpheus & Euridice, Heloise & Abelard, Rick & Elsa. Written to the rhythm of the seasons, Spring is the encounter; Summer, the unfolding; Autumn, the threat from without; Winter, the threat from within. … [Read more...]
DIY: Coupla White Rappers
Does everybody wanna be a web star? Click for video. … [Read more...]
The Lust to Consume
"The people who run Tesco's must be Buddhists. You go in there ... and there is nothing you could possibly want."--Heathcote Williams Tesco PLC is a global retailer based in the U.K. It owns and operates supermarkets throughout Europe and in recent years has expanded to Turkey, China, Thailand, and the U.S. the Middle East, Asia, and the U.S. … [Read more...]
Quad Cinema Hosts Wyler Festival
WNYC's Sara Fishko has produced a terrific audio piece about William Wyler and two of his best films -- "Dodsworth" and "The Best Years of Our Lives" -- both of which are playing among the 25 being screened at the Quad through Dec. 11. Listen: Click for the schedule. “Jan Herman's biography of William Wyler is a classic of the genre, paying equal attention to Wyler’s life and his films, and uncovering the rich interweave between the two. Herman invariably rewards readers with his depth of insight, balance of treatment, and first-class … [Read more...]
Amazon Cashes in on AIDS
A Magazine for Word and Image
Andreas Hansen 3 Sabine Vogel 84 Tone Avenstroup 6 Caroline Hartge 86 Joshua Groß 7 Christian Geissler 88 Katja Horn 10 Sabine Peters 90 Wolf Ways 11 Bert Panenfuß 91 Kai Pohl 12 Stefan Döring 94 Kristin Schulz 15 Karl Krüll 95 Alexander Krohn 16 Monika Rinck 100 Katrin Eissing 17 Ulf Stolterforth 101 Mary Beach 20 … [Read more...]
As the World Turns
Separated by 500 years and $450 million. … [Read more...]