Art and Academia

An art gallery opened across the street last night! This is so good. The owners were talking about the success of the opening and remarking that they think there's a need in the community, the community of my and outlying streets, for a bookstore and a free wireless connection spot to chill also and they're gonna get right on it. All this is very inkeeping with my horoscope about how generous I am and the surprise in store!

So i was thinking about art and pretension... I would say my thoughts there aren't very congealed yet (I am a walking sleeping person right now)

But I was thinking this morning anyway. I went on line to google search Norman Mailer and misogyny becasue I've never been able to find out why he's so known for that and all I've read was "The Executioner's Song" which I didn't find misogynistic particularly.

Still no answer there but wound up reading a completely amazing bell hooks essay about the misogyny of gangsta rap being a red herring for the white male patriarchy.

She mentioned how when all that outcry started (probably 1991 or something) Spin magazine had her interview Ice Cube and then hacked out most of the interview when she and he wound up respectfully discussing themselves rather than having some sort of "Black Feminist attacks Black Rapper" brawl.

But this blog is supposed to be about me. So I was sort of thinking that there's absolutely not one word of bell hooks' essay I don't find to be unequivocally true. But she's so SERIOUS. If you pay attention to the truth behind the structures that comprise your whole identity in society, well... what's the point... what's the point of that anymore than making a movie (She used "the Piano" to make her point about mainstream misogyny that DOESN'T get this big reaction like young black male reflections of the power structure do) that people are moved by without understanding that it's really pretty fucked.

I guess it's whether or not people having access to the truth is important to you.

I just think academics have utopian ideals and I don't understand why they don't just go do as the Romans do... what motivates them to point out the complexities when they know there's always been people who kind of got it and people who either don't or choose not to?

And as for being an artist, well, how do you retain your integrity when the ego is so important there. It's only my problem to the extent that mingling at an art gallery is a trip. It's really fun becasue people are so on. But that's also pressure... it's not a no-pressure situation, yet, the goal of an event like that is warm feelings, is it not? I gravitate more to that. But I'll tell you, there may be times in the course of the night that my behavior reinforces the white male patriarchy!

Blah blah blah. I can't wait to go home and eat in bed. I think I'm going to go on Craigslist and try to find a handy man to help me redesign my apartment, move furniture, throw out the loft bed, drill this shelf back up this Saturday morning. I am really out of it right now.

XO