Descending

Images chosen from the google search
results for the word Descending

Thanks a.s. for the idea, even if it was sarcastic.

Zak Smith on Drugs

So I just snagged this section of a provocative interview with Zac Smith from the ever-giving alec soth blog. The whole interview is here and its well worth the jump. Some of his ideas about drugs and people who use drugs to create art are positively honest and discomforting and optimisticly resounding and hillarious, and no doubt controversial, depending on your own tendencies and directions.
The interview is predominantly concerned with the recent release of Smith'sPictures Showing What Happens on Each Page of Thomas Pynchon's Novel Gravity's Rainbow his collection of pen and ink illustrations for every page of Thomas Pynchon's famous novel written in 1973, though it strays into further corners of the artist's mind.

Terri Saul: Gravity’s Rainbow is one of the most drug-ridden novels ever written. When considering your illustrations of it, I thought about Glenn Gould, a musician who experimented with both drugs and classical music. Do you ever use drugs while working?

Zak Smith: 1-Drugs are very popular among people who are interested in interesting things but are not themselves very interesting.

2-Drugs make your body do weird things–so they’re interesting if you’re in the performing arts.

3-Drugs make boring things seem interesting, so products created by people while they are on drugs are often really boring.

Glenn Gould is a pretty good example of all three of these propositions–his rendition of Webern’s piano opus–(23 or 28?)–is amazing, but when he sits down and writes his own stuff, he’s terrible and derivative.

What I do–and what most fine artists do–is not a performing art, so drugs just do to you what they do to everyone else: they make you suck and then waste everyone’s time pretending you sucked for some non-drug reason.

I mean, in art school if there was some minimalist who made like a 2 by 4 except it was purposefully off by a quarter-inch and that was their art, you knew that guy was either on speed or a big pothead. When you look at all that crap conceptual art from the sixties and seventies–drugs.

Anyone with half an eyeball knows Victor Moscoso is obviously waaaaaaaay better then Andy Warhol–unless you’re on LSD, in which case they’re both exactly the same–green next to magenta, fuuuuuuck duuuuude. Then you sober up and have to defend how much you liked it and well, Andy’s got some old photo of Jackie O in it so you pretend you like it because it was like socially relevant and shit and Victor Moscocco just has a cool picture of a dinosaur so you just pretend you never saw it.

Big muddy neo-expressionist art that looks exactly like every other big muddy painting anyone accidentally made ever? Cocaine.

The funny part is then the critics have to scramble back to their desks and write 80-page essays about why they think Andy Warhol is good that DON’T just say “Sorry, sorry, I was on drugs.”

Terri Saul: Gravity’s Rainbow is a book–at least in part–about how information can tend toward entropy. What is your view of our current information-saturated culture?

Zak Smith: Ok, here’s a view–in newspapers with huge circulations we got headlines saying the president is a felon who lies about pretty much everything all the time and doesn’t know where Sweden is and most people in his country either don’t vote or decide to re-elect him and I got a myspace page which says “Don’t send blind friend requests, explain who you are first” and I get blind friend requests every day.

Information is only information if people are not total morons–however, people are total morons. Therefore we do not live in an information-saturated culture, we live in a Brad-Pitt-and-whatshername-just-had-a-baby- saturated-culture where smart people who care can find what they need when they have to if they’re lucky and we always have and we always will.

What is a Ghost?

"A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber."

- Coceres from Guillermo Del Toro's The Devil's Backbone

Moving the Coven

Dragon Head

Leonardo da Vinci's Dragon head

3 Women in Japan

Lights of Cleveland

In Uaxctun

Ali and I ate whole cloves of garlic on the earthen floor of our little hut, giant cockroaches crackling above our heads in the dry, straw-thatched ceiling. The garlic was meant to repel the mosquitos' bloodthirsty appetite that had suddenly, with the setting of the sun, become so devastatingly apparent; but it had little success, and we made our way through the dense, humid jungle to an evening meal with our hostess. The crudely screened porch where we sat and ate was not as primitive as the kitchen from where the food emerged, but it was a savory meal of roasted chicken, yellow rice and diced beets, wholesome enough to satisfy our hunger after a long day of bruising busrides and a cumbersome search for lodging, that at one point in time had seemed utterly desperate. Luckily for us, as so often occurs when traveling in foreign places, we were bailed out by a child, a young boy of nine or ten years, who directed us to this woman's empty hut for rent. He was not surprisingly shirtless and without shoes, and his well-worn jeans were so brown with dirt and mud that from a distance he appeared to be naked. His Spanish was blunt, but effective enough to understand and, more importantly, he was able to understand us; pointing to the end of the long stretch of open grass that divided the village in two, it could have served as a runway for small aircraft, and then jabbing his finger left as if to signal that by turning at the end of the tract we would find what we were looking for. Which we did find, a place to eat and rest for the night, upon following his directions. Up to that moment, we had encountered nothing short of oblivion from the locals in the village as they had mostly refused even eye contact with us, much less conversation, and with only one bus arriving and departing daily, we had begun to consider the option of roughing it that night in the jungle on the edge of this apparently inhospitable community.

RED STONE

A poem by Dick Hugo

If underwater and glowing, a red stone
is always good luck. Fish it out, even
if you must wade and wet your good shoes.
It will dry flat red like a new potato.
You should rub it and remember the way
it sparkles underwater, like a red haired woman
curving troutlike through moss.
A red stone will get you through divorce, rage,
sudden attacks of poison and certain diseses
like ringworm or gout. A red stone will not
reverse Alzen-Heimer's disease, or get you past
cancer of the colon. Use it for what it can do.
When it has done its work, return it softly
where you found it, and let your wet feet
sting a moment in the foam's white chill.

-Richard Hugo

Vanity Witch

A rare still from the Small Town Witch video shoot.
The goth queen of underground independent music videos adjusts her makeup between takes.

Jump to the video

Rotten D.J.

So whatever, I didn't find this because I was looking for it, but rather stumbled upon it and pilfered it from another blog - I don't remember whose blog, but I'm sure its in my links. Anyway, its a playlist from John Lydon's dj set when he played on Tommy Vance's Capital Radio show on July 16th, 1977. No punk but for the Pistols, though the multitude of reggae tunes shouldn't surprise:

Tim Buckley - Sweet Surrender
The Creation - Life Is Just Beginning
David Bowie - Rebel Rebel
The Chieftains - Jig A Jig
Augustus Pablo - King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown
Gary Glitter- Doin' Alright With The Boys
Fred Locks - These Walls
Culture - I'm Not Ashamed
Dr Alimantado - Born For A Purpose
Bobby Byrd - Back From The Dead
Neil Young - Revolution Blues
Sex Pistols - Did You No Wrong
Lou Reed - Men Of Good Fortune
Kevin Coyne - Eastbourne Ladies
Peter Hammill - Institute Of Mental Health (Burning)
Peter Hammill - Nobody's Business
Captain Beefheart - The Blimp
Nico - Janitor Of Lunacy
Ken Boothe - Is It Because I'm Black
John Cale - Legs Larry At Television Centre
Third Ear Band - Fleance
Can - Halleluwah
Peter Tosh - Legalise It

Dead Moon, The End (belated post)

If you never got to see them live, you should have; they performed the most soulful and intimate rock show I have ever seen, huddled together inside their nest of candles and amplifiers, their barbed and jagged boogie declerations blasting out over mesmerized devotees and further gutter-strutting their way out into the city streets. Dead Moon was the ragged truth, Dead Moon, too soon laid to rest.

Transfloral View(s)

Regarding Round Objects in the Nethers of Abroad

There are times when, far away from home, all the beans are magic beans, and every single window is an invitation to be born again. These are the moments when traveling costs are as insignificant as brushes and pens are useless, for who can sit still to write amidst such delight? Afternoons spent cascading from well-lit bars into dense Tokyo streets, wine stained chins cutting through the breeze; we found our way into a lush green park where children and their mothers posed for pictures on the path and the birds in the canopy were hysterical and deafening like sirens in the trees. The din from the city grew farther away...

The Marvelous Globe of the Human Eye

"Travelers are fantasists, conjurers, seers - and what they finally discover is that every round object everywhere is a crystal ball: stone, teapot, the marvelous globe of the human eye."
- Cynthia Ozick

Goodbye, Andrew Hill

Hank Shteamer eulogizes the late, brilliant Andrew Hill better than I could have done, so here's a jump to his thoughts. Check out his links too, especially the recordings from Mary McPartland's Piano Jazz show; the interview is as effortless as the playing is sublime.

Electric Guitar Experiment

I still listen to Ed with great wonder and awe; this video clarifies everything but explains nothing.

Bert and Ernie Experiment

I used to watch them with great wonder when I was young; this short video clarifies nothing.

Appalachia Crossing

Concerning Travel

"He is, of course, the best of travelers, for he is not put off by the vagaries of trains, inn-keepers, or the elements. And since it is the impact of the place upon him and not himself on the place which concerns him, his expeditions are usually both comfortable and successful."

- Phyllis McGinley

I discovered this quote the day following my last post.

Train to Tokyo Airport

Speeding from vast immesuarble Tokyo
on a train
to the airport
with a feeling like I never was there.

BLUE STONE

a poem by Dick Hugo

A blue stone is only one piece
of a huge blue stone no one can find.
A blue stone is anything but
a blue stone. It is a speck of sky
in your hand or a tiny bit of sea.
Of all stones, it contains
the most magics. It can veer your life
away from poverty to riches. It can grow a tree
exactly where you need shade. Just rub
a blue stone and make a wish. A blue stone
becomes the blue marble shooter
you won all those marble games with.
I always act indifferent
around blue stones, sort of nonchalant
like I feel they're nothing special.
That way they work best for me.
I avoid cold faces and cruel remarks.
When I sail a blue stone downwind into
the long blue day, armies start marching.
When I find the stone, armies stop.
When I sail a blue stone into the wind
that always precedes a rain in Montana
and then find the stone and pick it up
a bird sings blue rain.
Days I can't find a blue stone
no matter where I look, I know they've returned
every one to the big blue stone they came from
somewhere in blue mountains,
a place unmapped and roadless
that can't be seen from the air.

- Richard Hugo

Springtime on the Mall

Springtime is the city's best season. The residents are pleased to come out of their tiresome apartments and to mingle in the museums with visitors from around the globe. The warm air guarantees the many blooming parks to be full with revelers and their dogs, and kites floating high into the clouds until long after the sun goes down. And on this day, we set off to meet a painter we'd not seen in years...

In the Morning

in the morning we had steaming black coffee in tall glasses and watched through the front window of the cafe
the old ladies and their little dogs hustling through the fog

Winter Chat

10:09 PM
Da Fune
10:10 PM
Der Patzick
how are you my friend?
i am supa
and you my brother?
my head hurts
but i am well
any progress with the diplomacy/bueracracy down at the DHS office?
you know i used to work for them
maybe i still have some pull with the agency
10:15 PM
no progress. in waiting for shizue's documents to arrive then will submit the packet
hey, what is your address?
...
so i'm thinking thursday might be a free day - bad weather on the way - we've been working again this week, so now i'm really looking forward to a free day. what are you up to on thursday?
working until three. last day in the construction biz
looking forward to that one
i know that makes you sad
how's the cold up there?
thats cool your working again
i saw 1 degrees in fargo
totally
high of 1 today
wow
sounds inviting
-30 windchills when i got up
frozen balls!
its suppose to get much colder this weekend
is that possible?
face freeze!
raisin balls!
no no currant balls!
we worked in 9 degrees yesterday morning, that was farkin cold, anything you touched...moving ladders...trying to hit nails with a hammer - forget about it
and the winds been blowing like a mother fucker
totes
the wild wind
wild is the wind
we watch snow fall, white patterns paint the ground, and we shift through the trees, like wind above the sea
together we are free, communication entity
i watched the japan slideshow i made after gathering most of the pics months ago...what a pictoral journey that was....we documented the trip quite well i think
snow like words from a colder breath
we definitely need to pull some stuff together from the japan trip
a frozen sentence less moving than birds but from the same sky
i agree
juli and klauss lyrics
i could add your illuminations
maybe we can continue to group and think and plan and then when we get together spring or summer...try to nail down some real production
like birds we are dancing and windmills we are turning
yes yes
feel free
so many things i would like to do
totally. nothing makes you want to do more than having other shit that you have to do
i've been rather flooded with ideas just from going back to work these last two days
its funny how that works
now i'm pining for a free day
i came across various materials for some art projects this past weekend. maybe some production in the next couple of weeks
keep me posted
i started working on a new tune as well. 'uber eyes'
add it to the collection
i have some left over footage from the small town witch footage that i might try and meld into a short instrumental video
nice
i was going to ask you if you knew how to drop photos into the video stream
yes
and then control the amount of time their visible
because when i try to do it...their up for too long
perhaps we could do it over the phone sometime?
i want to make very quick, almost subliminal use of them
alright
that sounds grewvy
how is uber eyes coming along?
but basically there are two ways - adjusting film speed or using the razor tool
another kraut masterpiece?
krautsy
ok
indeed
10:30 PM
i have a small clip from uber eyes. very archaic at this stage
i finally got the missing link to my tripod, a plate that screws into the camera - useless without one, but i've yet to use it. i'm thinking birds this weekend with the telephoto...the tripod is going to become indespensible, i believe
birds rule
for both video and stills
i can't wait to use it. i want to try more of that dark/light time lapse shit we used to fuck around with in missoula
thats what i hoping i can incorporate into new endeavors
in the basement
living room and in utah...with the flashlight and lighters
great times
pat thought we were freaks of the night
i think with the tripod...you could almost use it like a canvas for painting on with light
most certainly
leave the shutter open longer and really paint with super-focused light sources
we'll see
10:35 PM
and explore more depth and motion
but we need to put together at least A video from japan and a photo collection as well
there's so much shit...and the farther i get from the trip the better it all looks
i agree. there are so many photos that i have come to enjoy
if you and mitz are up for another cabin get away - perhaps we could put together a soundtrack for the project
mos def
we are definitely into a cabin getaway
me too
how is uber eyes?
if it weren't so cold, and a million other things...we'd get on a plane tomorrow
i haven't heard it yet
oh
i was thinking of going up there in a month or so. after the coldest part of the year passes
in celebration of the coming of warmth
i will...i need to turn in, though, now, because of my newly revised schedule. i'm tired!
you should if you have time
you'll be around this week?
after no more construction buildy job?
ok. i have two papers and a test to work on for tomorrow
yikes
best luck on those
i should be around in the evenings
10:40 PM
i'll look for you
no more buildy!
that's lovely
best luck in the mighty wind
stay warm
thanks
peace
you too
peace

Sukiya-zukuri

In the desert in the night coyotes pissed on our packs and would not leave.
We came around a bend on the ridge
and saw only their yellow eyes glowing from the light of the moon.

Beginning