samedi, juillet 22, 2006

el watan

Il était une fois three rivers called: Litani, Hasbani, Wasani... Going to the metro station Barbès, an old traditionnal north african immigration area, I bought the algerian newspaper El Watan, for reading an other version of the conflict in Lebanon. It's written in french by algerian journalists and printed in Algiers. It's strange to read about the water problem: since 1919, the future Israel wants access to the south Lebanon rivers and springs. There's a severe lack of water in Israel, while Lebanon has no shortage. Comme par hasard, the Hezbollah traditionnal area is an important water area. This war is probably one of the first unofficial blue gold war. It has nothing to do with military provocations; thanks, El Watan!

jeudi, juillet 20, 2006

sales representative

Jacques, after condemning Israel and asking for peace in Liban, flew to Saoudit Arabia for selling french weapons. As you know, since the 70's, selling weapons is one of his favorite travel purpose... Selling weapons is a passe-temps comme un autre. The cynicism of the now time is to sell peace and war in the same time, in a war time. Jacques sent the prime minister Villepin in Liban, so that he could sell weapons while talking about peace without embarrassment; les affaires sont les affaires! I wonder why Jacques isn't getting retired as a sales representative. He's 73 years old; l'âge de la retraite a depuis longtemps sonné!

I must say that I prefer Jacques to Nicolas Sarkozy, our probable next president. I feel like Sarkozy is as dangerous as Bush. In 98 when we were travelling the US, I remember having sayed that if Bush is the next US president, he will damage the peace of the world. Jacques is an old lion; he's not dangerous. Nicolas is dangerous, because he will make ami ami with the dangerous ones. Believe me.

mardi, juillet 18, 2006

loos

"Josephine Baker had a special relationship with architecture throughout her life. In 1926, the important modern architect Adolf Loos created plans for a fantastic residence for Baker. The three-story house, clad in dramatic stripes of black and white marble, featured a café and at its center, an indoor swimming pool with windows for underwater viewing."

I wonder how this project was born. Was Adolf Loos, the enemy of ornament, in love with the black dancer from Saint Louis, Missouri? Probably. She was, unlike the african masks for the cubists, a living and dancing answer against l'ordre bourgeois, ordre né de la dictature de la Raison et de la nécessité du " progrès" (XIXème siècle). It's such a beautiful house. It remained a project. Loos seemed to have been a close spirit to Rem Koolhaas. Koolhaas was a journalist; he even worked for ... Russ Meyer, le papa des gros seins (daddy big boobs). He seems to have spent more time thinking than making, especially in the past.

It's rather about "thinking of what things could be" than making them exist. Le monde est déjà assez encombré d'objets; ne devraient naître que les objets LES PLUS NECESSAIRES, dans le sens éthymologique du "necesse est". Koolhaas project for Les Halles in Paris was a slap given to the Paris of Baron Haussmann, the Paris of the XIXth century, le Paris bourgois that still rules the architecture here. My own project is here.

Josephine Baker was discovered in a NYC cabaret by Caroline Dudley, a young american woman working in a Paris theater. In 1925, Dudley curated La Revue Nègre, an immense public success. Dudley said that Baker wasn't playing the main role in this small New York cabaret, but she was the funniest girl on stage. Dudley later met a french poet/writer and spent 40 years with him in his vineyard near Montpellier. His name was Joseph Delteil. Delteil's Joan of Arc was the material used by Carl Dreyer for his film, in which Antonin Artaud plays a role. A black and white movie, of course. Black like Josephine, white like Jeanne d'Arc.

Black and white is so elegant.

A short scene of wet football that I filmed in Los Angeles. Wet football is a great sport; it keeps the tee-shirt always wet.

lundi, juillet 17, 2006

Souls

"L'Inferno" is a 1911 italian film, a blockbuster from the early years of movie industry. Some of the scenes are extraordinary, visually, like the streams of souls being watched by Dante and Virgile. This film is an ancestor of the horror film industry in Italy... I think that the huge power of the Mamma in Italia is one reason why the people created horror; it's a way to get rid of this overwhelming figure.

Stéphane Bérard, an artist and film maker I know and appreciate, just published Dante's Inferno in a new traduction, which has nothing to do with the original: it's his own version; he just borrows the name of Dante. His french publisher is Al Dante, like the spaghettis; with an A.

I lost the 69 minutes of "GOTO" this morning. It was a long work, around 100 hours. Never edit a long film on Imovie! Hopefully, I have a DVD draft and it will force me to use a better editing software; the image and the sound will be better.

dimanche, juillet 16, 2006

ashes

Siniora, prime minister in Liban, go back home from UNO, which is supposed to defend the peace, with a war in his bag: America allows Israel to defend itself... Supporting Israel right now is like peeing on the smoking ashes of the WTC.

"Le monde est dirigé par des imbéciles ivres de pouvoir" (Henry Miller, 1971).

"Chacun fait ce qu'il peut" (Henry Miller, 1971).

lundi, juillet 10, 2006

This new video is called maybee and it's my personal response to the previous video shot by Tape Store, a talented musician and film director from Missouri. His friend MC Cat Genius from Cat Jams sent us his music and we listened to it in the car. In his 17 minutes movie, Tape Store, aged 15, is having a career as a pole dancer called Daisy; eventually Daisy gets a job at Wal Mart...

I also add this one: Tumble Weed vs Toog in San Diego.

dimanche, juillet 09, 2006

vendredi, juillet 07, 2006

Le Quartanier 6: this fabulous poetry magazine made in Montreal is having its launch tonight in Marseille. I am very proud to be part of this adventure; you will find inside excellent poems like Alain Farah's, critics, and L'égalité des signes, poems I started to write in Marseille; some have been published a few months ago (22 december 2005 post). I worked on these poems like a butcher, eliminating all flesh, keeping the bone. Then, polishing the bone until it shines and looks like silver (or silver plated). It took me about 4 years for turning these 35 poems into an inox sculpture. This is the core of my poetry, the central experience, after what I was feeling free...

I also changed my songs on Myspace so you can click on the right after reading this.

jeudi, juillet 06, 2006

harley

i'm a forties model baby
i got class and i got style
i got chrome and i got rubber
come ride on me a while

ain't no fancy wire harness
as runs this slick machine
i'm chopper wired baby
kick me over make me scream

throw yer leg across me baby
where do ya feel my thunder
i'm low and lean and mean
i'm a bobtailed lightning wonder

i been stretched and i been lowered
i been dropped and i been rode
it's been forty years of highway baby
but i ain't feelin old

mardi, juillet 04, 2006

chiraq and saddam

Jacques is pacific like war; he's pacific like a pacific war. He didn't attack Saddam because Saddam was a "personal friend". France sold for 10 milliards euros weapons during Saddam's war against Iran... In 1974, Jacques went many times to Iraq, trying to sell nuclear centrals and cool stuff like that. One was bombed by Israel in 1981. On these pictures, you can see Jacques smoking a cigarette with his personal friend; he is very impressed by Saddam's moustache. The other picture shows the two friends visiting the nuclear research center of Cadarache, in the south of France (1975). The smock was the official Presidents outfit in that time. I'm writing a song about this friendship; it's called "Chiraq" and it's for my Goto album.

nuclear friend

dimanche, juillet 02, 2006

tideland-jodelle

Tideland by Terry Gilliam is a beautiful movie. It has something to do with "The Heart is deceitful above all things" by Asia Argento (a child growing amongst crazy adults), but it's taking the fairy tale direction and it also refers to Alice in Wonderland. Hollywood probably wouldn't have permitted such images like the young actress Jodelle holding her father's syringe between her teeth after the shoot. I regret that it's a 12+ movie in France, for the children the age of Jodelle won't be able to watch it on a screen.

I went to the church today and the gospel was about ... a 12 years old girl who died. Her father Jaïre comes to Jesus while she's about to die. When they get home, the family says: it's too late, she's passed away. Some are laughing at Jesus. He only takes the parents, Jean, Jacques and Pierre with him in the girl's room. Jesus calls her from death and she stands up; then he asks to keep that miracle secret.

It's a strange moment, no matter you're a believer or not, to have a man supposed to be the son of God entering a 12 years old girl's room. It's like God visiting Alice in Wonderland... Terry Gilliam says that the book called Tideland is "funny, touching and disturbing". This the best way to talk about this age and it is the narrow path I would like to follow for my art.

samedi, juillet 01, 2006

Darger room

It's the third time that I see a Henry Darger exhibition. First time was in Atlanta, then in Berlin and now in Paris. The Paris retrospective is the best of the 3: it's huge, the display is perfect, very respectful, with excerpts of Darger's 15 000 pages story about the Vivian Girls. There is also a documentary from 2003 (in english only) which is compelling. Henry Darger has been a great inspiration for me. Years ago, I wrote a song called "Vivian Girl" to be released on my next album (Kumi Okamoto from the Konki Duet is singing). I have just wrote an other song called " Pretty Baby" about a pre-teen. Also, like Henry, like my friend Momus (his song "Lolitapop Dollhouse" for Kahimi Karie and all the fairy atmosphere of the beautiful mini LP "Journey to the center of me" he wrote for her), I'm fascinated by the 9/12 years old psyché of girls children, without knowing what it is exactly... Maybe it's because I was forced to wear long hair as a child and couldn't stand the fact of being called a girl, while liking it.

On the picture, you can see the Henry Darger room, 851 Webster Street in Chicago as it was when he died... Chicago is also the city of an other incredible painter and musician, Wesley Willis.