Portrait of the Artist as an Asshole...

[Laszlo_Kovacks]

Apologies to all involved if I unintentionally tear at healthy scar tissue with this posting, bit I felt the devilish tap on the shoulder (over and above that of the searing claws of the monkey currently residing on my back), prompting me towards a basic, ground-level discourse regarding some of the toys thrown from the pram during the not-so-distant Ryan/MC offensive. Surely a forum of this type is to communicate, share ideas and promote intelligent discussion of a worldy/cultural/hedonistic nature, not (although it caused me great, unbelieving moments of mirth - mainly at the junior school infantilism of the original posting)attempted defamation of character, based upon the very tempramental flaws ingrained in every genius, every lunatic and missing somewhat, but made up for in extreme blandness, from the millions of mediocrities who don't have, and never will have, the courage of their own lame convictions.
Now I don't know Matt personally, but he makes me laugh, he's smart, he's got good taste in film, music, women and foreign cities from what I can gather, and he is willing to experiment with everything the curious mind of any artiste would likewise do. He's prone to egotistical sweeps, or he's perverse (by who's judgement, surely today its subjective), he's unreliable, he's got a bit of attitude, and without attitude you ain't goin' nowhere. Look at our history, all artistic genii were unbearable at times, but that was accepted because of the creativity or beauty to which they could and would aspire. This Ryan guy's gonna have to grow up fast if he wants to move into film, fuckin directors are worse than writers - check out Fassbinder for a start, there is nothing horrific that that man did not do, to himself, but mostly to others. Check Herzog, nutter, look at Hopper after Easy Rider, and what about Jodorowski, Passolini et al, and slightly closer to home, the crack-crazed, brutality and extremism of Abel Ferrara. These people went further than The Fuckin' Coen Brothers cos they are lunatic visionaries who positively delight in transgression and barrier burning. But then again Ryan's allusion to shit-smeared nappies may still develop the scatalogical theme favoured by certain German acolytes of the genre excelled in by Pier Paolo. As a valedictory gesture allow me to indulge myself in lunatic listing - Burroughs shot and killed his wife; Mailer beat and stabbed his wife; Hemmingway was a misogynist who blew his own head off; Sartre continually beat feminist icon Simone De Beauvoir; Verlaine in an absinth frezy shot the young Rimbaud, when they weren't flagellating Verlaine's young wife, and Will Self is just an arrogant prick, but he's also a writer. Goes with the territory, always has, its a profession or calling which allows one to indulge in extreme measures of debauchery and hedonistic pursuits, and defend any non-acceptable social actions, by putting it all down to getting into a character, purely for research. Damn right too.
Now, I haven't met Matt as stated, but I do know of this Innes bloke from Poptones he's occasionally mentioned on this site, and well, nice enough guy at the best of times, but has a terrible propensity for swanning into bars with cover girls from Elite or Storm, when he isn't relentlessly harangueing visiting popsters to within an inch of their inferior intellects, making no secret of the fact that he's sucking on a crack-pipe, its not bloody eucalyptus leaves, that's for sure. Anyway each to his own, but god forbid if your MC and the one we've got here should ever hook up, then its time for the postings board, but with semtex-loaded, text-traps. Gone on a bit...lost my bloody thread in the process...must dash...a bientot!

[mccutcheon]

I love this post even though i think I'm called an asshole. K.L. last I heard from Innes is he is moving down to London and might get his first real job since 1987!! Plans are we are meeting up in Sept to "do some damage" as he says. If you are near please show up. I'm off down the pub. McCutcheon...and we have new photos of Victoria coming at Pax Fans when I get back drunk. XXX

[mccutcheon]

i think that should be L.K.

All Apologies! as we say in this part of the world.

(I'm not going to point out the K.C. reference..shit.)

[Laszlo_Kovacks]

It would indeed be interesting, to say the least, to presh flesh in in the Necropolis in the fall (at THe Fall?), but unfortunately, myself and the increasingly non-contributing Poptones lackey have a nefarious conflict of interests, which, lets just say, dictate that we limit personal association. If you rendezvous with him, I sadly cannot comply, but in his absence, then there is no reason to put a meeting outwith the realms of possibility. We have, for as long as memory allows, engaged in a relationship of the most symbiotic kind. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a particularly apt analogy, I think I am correct in saying.
Didn' click to the Kurt lack of apologies first time round, bloody worm-wood in the absinth, rots the eyeballs!

[Laszlo_Kovacks]

It's always nice to be appreciated MC, although, I must admit it was a bit of a surprise to myself also, as I only have a very vague memory of writing it, such was the extent of my then, agreeably unbalanced and distorted, sense of well-being. One thing though, the 'Asshole' accusation, was in no way personally directed at one individual ie you; that would have been tantamount to committing the very same, puerile hostilities I accreditted to the seemingly, sad tho' it is in one so young, deluded aspiring film-maker. It was a broad generalisation, a wholly vacuous statement with only a margin of the catchment group justifiably able to lay claim to such a derogatively, positive piece of negatism, such a sublimely degenerate accolade. 'Pablo Picasso never got called an asshole' claimed both John Cale and The Modern Lovers, but I'd lay bets he bloody well did. Your Scottish friend, Matt, he gets called an Asshole all the time, but then again, he never hangs around in the type of dives where these utterances are made. Did at one point though, but greater degenerate pastimes dictated he follow their calling to another level, and in any case, 'Absence is the Highest Form of Being' - my favourite quote, dwell on that a while.

[mccutcheon]

Damn you boys are so articulate. I have to get out my dictionary everytime Innes writes to me. I love it. Will you be in London in the fall?

[mccutcheon]

yes we should meet up for a pint on our own. I'll be there a while and besides Joon, Michelle, Alexi and Kate I don't know anyone else anymore or at least where they are. don't worry i don't talk in a loud voice even when I'm pissed.

[mccutcheon]

hey who is that British popstar who imports the green insanity that eats minds?

[Laszlo_Kovacks]

Not awke yet, but I can unconciously fathom thast you can only be referring to John Foster-Moore, who initially took over the drumming duties from Bobby G in the JAMC, then progressed to guitar, and currently, after dropping the 'Foster', can be found as one third of Black Box Recorder. The Import Company Green Bohemia was set up by Moore and Tom Hodgkinson, editor of The Idler magazine, purely to facilitate the imbibing of the potent fuel which drove many to madness and beyond, circa 'Fin de Siecle' Paris. Good move on their part, check out the Idler web site, dedicate to men who 'live to loaf' at www.idler.net I think.
L.C.

[mccutcheon]

that's the one

[Laszlo_Kovacks]

Sorry, who wants nautical, sheepshanks, rear-admirals and being piped aboard, wrong link!!!
Should have been www.idler.co.uk should be more to your liking.

[mccutcheon]

that's good and I like Black Box Recorder.