What We Do Know About Ray
The Documentary on Ray Johnson's life was kind of wishy-washy, down hill and the #1 Internet claims Ray made the internet. Separating the fact from fiction re: the most famous unknown artist.
1. that is a ridiculous title.
2. rent in NY city was $28/ month in the 50's when Ray and his friends John Cage and Andy Warhol were neighbors
3. the boys were so skinny because they had no money to eat, they didn't work and spent what wasn't $28 on what one can only asume was drugs + odd art supplies
4. my life seems so wasteful, I must move to a place where rent is no more than $50/month, stop eatting and while I'm at it stop working. I imagine there are hidden places like St. Louis where rent is cheap and kids are boozing in the name of their parent's money and creation.
5. For 20 years Ray's lover was one of his teachers, a man who was married with family. I don't care if you're a man or a woman, if you aren't already messed up, that kind of relationship seems like it would fuck you.
6. Ray Johnson's art was pretty
much beautiful7. He liked to be video taped
8. He did extremely embarassing performance art, and called some of his work Nothings.
9. On Jan 13th 1995 he jumped off a bridge and killed himself. People call it performance art and act like it is alright.
10. Ray Johnson liked to send things in the mail. He started the New York Correspondence School, which wasn't really a school or even a place.
"...I think the New York Correspondence School was truly communicative simply because I was able to wheel the ping-pong paddle and to keep the ball on the move..."- Ray Johnson
posted by sarah at 8:22 AM
2 Comments:
nice visuals. your #2 reminds me of this:
Morton Feldman:
My teacher Stefan Wolpe was a Marxist and he felt my music was too esoteric at the time. And he had his studio on a proletarian street, on Fourteenth Street and Sixth Avenue. . . . He was on the second floor and we were looking out the window, and he said, “What about the man on the street?” At that moment . . . Jackson Pollock was crossing the street. The crazy artist of my generation was crossing the street at that moment.
...still reading. g
by the way, you left me a message today--something about a rendez-vous after the fruit market. you know i'd love to meet you, but not on such short notice.
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