[Jandek] RE:REJandek Autograph

[Justin]

This the most pretentious thing I have read in awhile
alright there sleepy jackson take a breath



 

i never would have thought that on a music discussion
list dedicated to jandek of all things, there would be
so little appreciation for the idea that art can be
expressed in other ways besides a literal practice of
music, paint, collage, etc. an act of producing
something for an audience, no matter a large group or
one person, can be considered artful (and thoughtful
for that matter) without becoming the actual art
piece. from merriam-webster's online dictionary...

 

Main entry: art form 

Function: noun 
Date: 1868 
 
1: a form or medium of expression recognized as fine
art <sees dance as both an art form and an
entertainment>
2 a: an unconventional form or medium in which
impulses regarded as artistic may be expressed
<describe pinball as a great American art form— Tom
Buckley> b: an undertaking or activity enhanced by a
high level of skill or refinement <easy
conversation—an art form in peril of being lost to
contemporary schedules — Joanna Pruess>
 

the way jandek, or any musician, chooses to dress,
both on and offstage, is a part of who they are. the
feakin' cell phone they choose to use (or choosing not
to use a cell phone) becomes a part of what people
recognize as the artist's aesthetic. any choice we
make in life makes a statement: about who we are, and
who we want to be as artists, as consumers, as living,
thinking beings. sometimes this choice is made
consciously. sometimes subconsciously. and, of course,
the choice is always affected by what is available.
if, when jandek arrives at the post office, they are
out of all stamps except for "frank sinatra" stamps
and "minnesota statehood" stamps and he then picks the
stamps with ol' blue eyes, he has made a specific
choice, even if that choice was limited and/or
subconscious. i doesn't matter that the choice was
forced because the post office required stamps for
mailing this time, and there are no stamps the next
time because chose to use metered mail.

 

the artwork that accompanies his albums is one of the
things that first help draw me in, to want to
investigate his music more. the fact that he has
consistantly maintained the wordless front art year
after year is fantastic to me. i guess what i'm trying
to say is that while i did not, and do not, think that
he was trying "include stamps in his 'art' ", i
certainly think the man has a visual element to what
he is doing (think of the dancer at the recent show)
and to dismiss these more mundane decisions as
entirely artless is absurd.

 

i would recommend two books for anyone on this list.
"peace is every step" by thich nhat hanh for examples
of mindfulness in everyday life. (could washing dishes
be art?) and "wabi-sabi: for artists, designers, poets
&amp; philosophers" by leonard koren. i think of
jandek's music as audio wabi-sabi.

 

sorry if this comes off as preachy. derek.

 

when i'm watchin' my tv and a man comes on and tell
me/

how white my shirts can be/

but, he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke/

the same cigarettes as me