Monsters over BangkokMonsters over BangkokBy now everyone should know that I like John Lurie’s work. In the past year since John last checked in with us he’s continued his methodical takeover of the art world with shows in Munich and most recently at PS1 in New York. I’d been pestering John to come back and do a follow up interview for a while and when he announced that he was going to be offering signed limited edition through his website, I capitalized and managed to talk John in to dropping by for another go-round with yours truly.
This time around we talked more about his art work, his upcoming book and the trials and tribulations of being a working artist. Kick back and enjoy John’s return to the little website o’ love…
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Joe-Mammy.com: It’s been just under a year since your first interview. Bring us up to speed with what you’ve been up to over the last year
John Lurie: urgghhh, come on Joe - that is your first question? In the last year I had a show in Munich, put together “Learn to Draw” which is a book of my black and white drawings, coming out this fall. The big thing was the show at PS1 which is up until August 14th. Sold “Fishing With John” to Australia and re-released “Voice of Chunk” in the US. Sold music to 900 dance companies. I also saw a lot of doctors and tried many different protocols for Advanced Lyme Disease. The best thing was that I was able to spend 10 days in Big Sur.
What did you do this year?
Joe: I know, I know, I thought it was the best place to start but yeah, I winced a little when I wrote it. As for me, I stopped working at a jail, got a cubicle grunt job (which pains me), unsuccessfully shopped a novel around and a few short stories. So not nearly as impressive as your year.
I have to admit I’m ignorant about what you go through with your illness. Are you regularly in pain or is it intermittent? I understand if you want to take a pass on this question but the more I read the more I realize I don’t have a clue what you’re dealing with.
John: I don't mind talking about my illness. I think that it is not such a good thing in this culture how we push death and illness away from our view. But on the other hand it is very difficult to talk about what is going on with me because I suffer from bizarre migrating neurological problems that I am only 90% sure are the result of having Advanced Lyme Disease.
My symptoms were worse a year or so ago than they are now. I am sometimes in pain but not always. It is more these combinations of dysfunction - visual disturbances, what I can only describe as neurological noise in my hearing, vestibular problems, weakness in the extremities but not always, sleep disturbances, tremor, orthostatic intolerance, I could go on for pages, I get these bee sting like sparks in my nerves, in fact, last week I was stung by a bee but didn't look because I assumed it was my body and not a bee.
Sometimes I am fine. Sometimes I am in so much trouble that it is really rather unbelievable.
Joe: That helps. I’ve noticed you have an aversion to calling art a “career” in interviews; is that because you view it more as a coping mechanism for both physical pain as well as life on kind of an existential level?
John: I have an aversion to calling anything creative a career. My music I never thought of as a career. Acting, no. Career - the word implies compromise to me.
I do have a voice-over career, which is fine. Career is about money. I like money very much, but the reason that I am painting cannot get confused with the idea that they may have value.
I got greedy for a moment with the painting, thinking this is worth this much and if I do three this week that means I will make X. But that is very much, no good. That is very, very no good.
Joe: Speaking of which, your work tends to be amusing and absurd both with the images and the titles. Do you come up with the titles first or do you have the image first, or are they just little narratives that come together at the same time?
John: Almost always, the title comes about half way into making the painting. If I come up with the title first the painting tends to come out a little contrived. It just seems like the line and composition end up being not as fluid.
Joe: Do you have any favorites among your own work?
John: My favorites really change. Often I will think one is not so good - like “Davy Crockett has lost his fucking mind.”
It used to be at the bottom of the pile and over time worked its way up.
I guess I am avoiding making a list of my favorites.
Joe: Well, let’s switch gears a bit. “Learn to Draw” is going to be released this fall sometime, could you give an overview of it?
John: “Learn to Draw” is a book of black and white works. Mostly funny. When it is coming out seems to be a secret for some reason. I think September. Should people try to order it, please understand that it is not available through Soft Skull books and that it is not out of print.
Joe: So is it just a collection of your drawings or is there some sort of narrative there as well?
John: There is an instruction page and a section in the back entitled “Puzzles for the Exceptional.”
Joe: Seriously? What does the instruction page say?
John:
INSTRUCTIONS
Welcome! You can have a dream. You can be a good drawer.
Pay attention!
Drawing can be fun and you can impress your friends.
Point the lead of the pencil on a block of paper.
Shading is important.
In the objects about us that we think of as beautiful,
it isn't always their color that attracts our attention;
it is what they look like.
We are not garbage. We are people.
GOOD LUCK!
Joe: That’s great. Have you gotten any advance word/reviews on it yet?
John: No nothing yet. It has been a bit of a fiasco.
Joe: How do you do it? Maybe I don’t have a representative sample but from this interview and the last one it just seems that you run into difficulties like that more than most.
John: How do I do it? Is that the question?
Joe: Yeah, I guess I’m impressed that you seem to keep picking yourself up and plugging away even though it seems a lot of things don’t work out the way they probably should…
John: I still don't know how to answer the question. I am pretty tenacious. And if I possibly can, I make sure that the quality of whatever I put out meets a certain standard, which is why I didn't let the book come out on Soft Skull last year.
Joe: I guess I was speaking for myself. I understand that you have to be tenacious to fight for something you’ve done to make sure it keeps up with your standards, but from my own experience it can be incredibly frustrating at times.
John: Joe, dear, you seemed to have stopped asking questions. Yes it is incredibly frustrating and maybe I fight too hard. My problem is that I am supposed to be the artist and there are these other people who make lots of money and, in theory, are supposed to take care of the business side. Of course, that is never the case.
Joe: “Dear”? (laughing) Has it really gotten that bad?
How did the PS1 show come about?
John: My friend Lisa Rosen from Fine Art Restoration was at some art dinner with Alanna Heis from PS1. My name came up. Alanna came to my house, slapped her hand on her knee and said - let's do a show this summer. Simple as that. It was nice how simple and how they didn't make me jump through any hoops to have the show. Usually there are hoops to jump through and I am not good at this.
Joe: Were you surprised by the response to the show?
John: I didn't expect all that vomiting.
Joe: (laughing hard) Do you have any comments on the record about the whole “Превед” thing?
John: Not really any comments.
Joe: You’ve recently expanded your website to include a section devoted to your artwork. Could you give a quick description of the site and what you’ve got there?
John: Well we have had the art section for a long time, but now we have started selling prints. So we are doing signed limited edition prints. I think that is the only difference except my assistant, Jeremy, insisted on putting my bio on there, even though I think it is dumb.
Joe: It’s not that bad. Did you have a bio that you preferred more than that one?
John: No, not that the bio is bad, it just seemed odd to put my bio on my website. Maybe it is normal.
Joe: I think the “I am not an Indian” thing helps give it an appropriate twist. How are your memoirs coming?
John: Yeah it did - I have started working on the memoir again, recently.
Joe: Well, that’s about all I can think of, was there anything we missed?
John: I think we are ok. I have been so depressed and enraged about what is going on and it is hard to keep it out of the interview.
I think it was good.
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Be sure to drop by John’s site for exclusive limited edition signed prints of his artwork. As always some other goodies are available at the Joe-Mammy.com Shop. If you’re going to be in New York, drop by PS1 before August 14, 2006 to check out John’s work first hand. Keep an eye out for “Learn to Draw” coming… well, sometime in the semi-near future. Watch the Blog for the most up-to-date information.
