When I did Emily’s Spider, I spent days drawing spiders. I drew lots and lots of spiders. When I was done, three of them stood out:
When I looked again, I knew who they were: Emily, the spider, and me.
Archive for February, 2010
The Out-Takes: Emily, The Spider, And Me
Sunday, February 28th, 2010A Tale Of Two Tarps
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
This is a tale of two “tarps”. But it is also a tale of two collaborators, Colleen and myself. The Nelson line is unmistakable and very strong. But what makes it a tale of two artists is that I think we see it in very different ways. If I understand Colleen right, she sees it as a tale of people who suffer and of people who are greedy, callous and oblivious in the face of that suffering. So far, so good. No doubt about that. (Well, maybe there is. Angela?) Does that mean that if we had better people running banks it would be different? I think this is where we diverge. To me, this is a tale of how the gears run in the machine we call our society. Banks and the making of money have very high leverage in this machine. Hunger, disease, poverty, not so much. Some 80 or 90 years ago, W.E.B. DuBois pointed out that since the early 1800′s we have had the knowledge and installed industrial capacity to feed, clothe and house everybody. (With population growth, that now hangs in the balance.) At some point, that has to become the central problem — not “Why don’t we do it?”, but “How can we re-order the machine so we do?”
Well, that’s art. Lotta different views.
Me And The Octopus
Sunday, February 21st, 2010
With a tip of the hat to various people including David and Angela. Remember, these stunts are being performed by Professional Cartoons. Don’t try this in your own home!
Eugene Linden, The Octopus and the Orangutan, More True Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence and Ingenuity.
In memoriam Al Haig
Saturday, February 20th, 2010Al Haig, supporter and defender of mass murder and torture, particularly in El Salvador. He was what Ed Sanders calls a basmanophile, a person who loves violence. Here’s what I said about him at the time.
Al Haig and his dog, Junta
(Al Haig is walking his dog Junta. Al wears military clothing including stars on his arm and a general’s hat. The dog may be played by an actor wearing a large spiked collar and perhaps some sort of fangs. The dog is viscious and threatens the audience. He snaps and barks and raises his leg to piss on them. Al, at the other end of the leash is unconcerned.)
Al : Hi. I’m Al Haig, Vicar of Foriegn Affairs. This is my dog, Junta. He’s my friend. And I believe in sticking by my friends. He makes me feel secure. I can go to sleep at night knowing no one will steal my El Salvador. Yeah, he’s a strong dog, a good dog. He’s no pushover. Aint that right, Junta?
But of course there’ve been problems with him. People are complaining that he’s been biting innocent people. Some times he drags people off and no one knows where. They just–disappear. ‘Course it’s all just talk. Yer a good boy, aintcha Junta? A while back, people were complaining
that he bit a bunch of nuns. A bunch of Holy Sisters, imagine! You wouldn’t do a thing like that, wouldja Junta? I’ll bet they did something foolish, like try to run from him.
They say he’s bit 20,000 people. But I don’t believe it. They deserved it anyway, didn’t they Junta?
People say I ought to be more strict with him. Put him on a shorter leash, or have his fangs pulled. But I couldn’t do that to my friend. You gotta stick by your friend. No, it doesn’t matter what they say, he’s just my good dog Junta.
Frannie Bobannie MacDougal
Saturday, February 6th, 2010
Emily’s Spider
Friday, February 5th, 2010
I don’t always care for her piety, but to my ear, she is probably the best poet this country has produced. What’s weird is that some of her best stuff is inches away from doggerel. How does she do it? It’s a mystery to me.
At The Fair
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
I was newly arrived in Columbus for my first “real job” as a mathematician. I immediately made up an Ohio State University riddle: Point to the nearest nuclear reactor. It was in the building across the street from the Math Department.
I went to the Ohio State Fair.
The Ohio State Fair’s claim to shame was that they had blacklisted The Weavers back in the McCarthy days. They had booked The Weavers as a headline act, but when they arrived the Fair wouldn’t let them go on.
Nonetheless, I went to the Fair. I saw this and saw that. I ate popcorn. I had an ear of corn. There was a Black dame walking around with the a bullwhip. I smiled at her and held the ear of corn up. “Can you hit this?”
“Hey, you’re alright.” She eyed the corn, took aim. And lowered her arm. “I don’t trust myself.” We smiled and parted.
There was a stand taking computer photos and printing them on things. It was a bit new-fangled. Buttons, mugs, I don’t know what all. They’d print your face in the oval of a giant cloth million dollar bill, and it could say something under your face. I committed art.
Free Market
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010Jim’s comment reminds me…
Free Market is the name of the North American Fertility Goddess. She beguiles many with her promises of new and unimaginable pleasures. She is very vain, and regularly demands to be worshiped with human sacrifice.