Green shoots

[imomus]

Green shoots are a-sproutin' in what's been a bleakly recessionary year for me as far as paid journalism goes; I'm pleased to announce a new Momus column, a regular interview slot on the Art in America website. My first interviewee is Michael Portnoy; here's the piece, which contains the strangest joke I've ever heard:



It's probably just me aging, but aren't editors looking younger, fresher-faced and cuter every year? This is my new boss at Art in America; he's like a cross between Tintin and Joe Howe! Neat style: fresh as a daisy, green as a shoot!

Comments

[endoftheseason.livejournal.com]

There should probably be some sort of rule that you're not allowed to be an editor until after age 40 or so, by which time you'll hopefully have picked up at least a bit of discrimination.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Discrimination? HE PICKED ME, DIDN'T HE?

[endoftheseason.livejournal.com]

An undoubtedly rare moment of lucidity.

[milky-eyes.livejournal.com]

very funny.
You're not alone in the lack of paying jobs... most people I know (or all) who write are.... sort of screwed.

WOW! and what a dashing young boss you have... quite the whipper snapper.

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Staying in the woods seems to help cut costs.

[deadbatteries.livejournal.com]

yes, wonderful style and palette.

[count-vronsky.livejournal.com]

[count-vronsky.livejournal.com]

[most-ghost.livejournal.com]

hilarious!
congrats a.g.

[rhodri.livejournal.com]

Looks like he could do with a pie or two. Here, give him this pie.

[neil-scott.livejournal.com]

And some socks.

[endoftheseason.livejournal.com]

"And some socks."

Those socks look like they'd be too big for his li'l feets.

[endoftheseason.livejournal.com]

Looks like he could do with a pie or two. Here, give him this pie.

Preferably with a side of jellied eels.

[(Anonymous)]

fyi - the Georges Mathieu movie is "The Fury of Being"
http://georgesmathieu-themovie.com/

It's by Frederic Roussif who made numerous stylized documentaries in the 70s. In the latter part of "The Fury of Being" Vangelis plays live on the set.

- ndkent

[imomus.livejournal.com]

The Fury of Being, correct. Anyone who follows my link to the trailer will see that immediately. But I found Michael's misremembered title evocatively parodistic. "The Blindness of Fury" evokes melodramatic artist biopics like Lust For Life:

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[(Anonymous)]

Congrats on getting new work! Though I wish you weren't reduced to quizing hacks for a living.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

C'mon, a hack would have told a joke that was funny, or attempted to be.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

By the way, here's Artforum's mini-interview with Aki Sasamoto (http://artforum.com/words/id=23246), which ran earlier in August. When I pitched the interview feature to Art in America as being titled "400 Words With..." (it later bumped up to 600 words because the Portnoy interview ran longer) I'd forgotten that Artforum had this slot called 500 Words. I guess we should change the title for the next one.

[milky-eyes.livejournal.com]

Why change the title? Because its similar to Artforum's?
that shouldnt be a problem, it should actually be fun.
(artforum gives you '400' but Art in America gives '600')


Thanks for the link to the interview.
I love Aki...

[(Anonymous)]

That editor is too fashionable. "You're an artist not a hairdresser." First thing you learn at art school.

[(Anonymous)]

who said he's an artist?

[(Anonymous)]

From the looks of the ultra-mundane stuff in Art in America, who said he's an editor?

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

They tell the kids in art school that so the faculty can immediately tell the smart ones from the dumb ones.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh sure he looks artistic and fashionable now, but I went to junior high with that dude, and he used to beat me up and steal my lunch money on a daily basis.

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

"Fresh as a daisy?" That entire outfit, from head to toe, you could buy at TOPMAN (http://www.topman.com/), it's as generic as they come. He's even wearing the cliched thick-rimmed glasses.

[endoftheseason.livejournal.com]

Yep.

[(Anonymous)]

Excellent clothes here, thanks for the link!

You're working for Little Lord Fauntleroy

[(Anonymous)]

Funny how the slagging off of the US doesn't keep you from accepting (penny-ante) work from there.

[(Anonymous)]

Looks like the gay mafia have recruited you.

[(Anonymous)]

Is the "art world" small enough to become boring?

How does a person learn about "art world"? What if a guy didn't like his "surroundings", and thought some art world could do him some good - could let a dude breath a little, maybe.

That guys wearing my motherfucking shoes. Do I wear them with a different head to experience art world? Do I ask: What is art world?

[sandroha.livejournal.com]

Good