Unlimited Free Space: Comprehensive Waterfront Plan
| ND |
I can't believe that - oh, we're on tape. Never mind. I'm not gonna say anything. |
| VJ |
What? |
| BK |
Stop it. Stop the tape. |
| ND |
No. I'm not gonna say anything. |
| BK |
It makes me nervous. |
| ND |
This part of our conversation is censored. Even though it has a lot to do with how we produce art. Certain people can imagine what it's about. |
| BK |
I think we should record anything. |
| ND |
Well, is he like an old guard leftist? Or what? |
| BK |
Yeah. |
| ND |
That's what he sounds like to me. |
| BK |
Yeah. But, when he called me after he read your fax, he took it so serious. He wanted to understand. He wanted to interpret this text. And be clear on what this text is about. And I read the text several times. Everything was not clear for me, either. It was a very, very, very poetic text, in a way. With the moon and the jetties. He wanted me to explain the text to him. |
| VJ |
[laughs] |
| BK |
He wanted a really rational summary of the text. |
| VJ |
This is what's so suspicious about these people because they want to explain everything. |
|
ND |
Even explanations. Then again, it's not suspicious. When we go to Norway,
you say the same things to me. We must remember that I am the Ammie - ich
bin ein ammie in the group. We're a little fucking crazed - being New
York-based Ammies - we're a little crazed in our behavior patterns here.
Our cynicisms and our sarcasms and our humor and our wit and our
regulated freedoms. There's freedom that's codified here that can you
take you a long way. A lot further than codified behavior in Europe.
You go to Europe - like when we go to [a:t] meetings, I'm holdin' back.
I learned. When I'm over there - I'll see things in Europe - that's one
of the things that freaked me out when our friend came here from Vienna -
she was saying these things - everytime I saw her she said some negative
thing about New York and Americans. I wasn't really offended or shocked.
But I was surprised. Because if I go to Europe, I know how uptight
Europeans are. I wouldn't dare to bring up - in most situations - that
total uptightness that I think is experienced there. When I go home and
talk to Vibeke after the day is over, then I'll say to her, "Jeez! That
motherfucker was so uptight! Christ! What the hell was wrong with them?"
But when I'm sitting down with them, I'm not gonna say it to them. I don't know. John Farris always calls me an apologist. "You're always apologizin' to white people." When I go to Europe, I do that. Instead of critiquing Europe, I'll say, "It's so cool here that everybody listens to jungle and drum and bass. While in the states, it's still Aretha Franklin and James Brown." I'm more ready to criticize America in Europe than to criticize Europe. When I come back to America, I criticize both places. But, I don't dare go to Europe and criticize the Europeans. |
| BK |
I don't think the idea is to criticize America in Europe. They do it anyway. |
| ND |
Maybe I shouldn't do that. Maybe I make them too happy by doing that. Maybe I should go over there and tell 'em what I really think. |
| BK |
It would be better |
| ND |
You're a buncha goddamn fucks livin' off the fuckin' socialist tit!. And you need to live under the capitalist system to get ready for the revolution. Because this socialism is distracting you. |
| VJ |
Vamos. |
| ND |
See? She doesn't want me to say these things. |
| VJ |
No. It's fine. But the sun is coming up. And we haven't even reached the fish market. |
| ND |
Where's the cups? |
| VJ |
In your bag. One is in your hand. |
| ND |
Where's yours? |
| VJ |
What is that? I got a tail. |
| BK |
[laughs] Where's my camera? |
| VJ |
You got a tail, too. Look. You got a tail, too. |
| BK |
What is this about? I don't know. |
| ND |
It's about a twin spotlight. |
| VJ |
Your thing is hangin out? it's like, what do we expect? What about the exhibition fee? Just do it like that. Then it would be totally clear. And it would be written and it would have the authority of the written language. I think it's good. |
| ND |
How much money you givin us, motherfucker?! |
| VJ |
No. We put up some totally realistic thing. This is the expenses. On top of that, we have - |
| ND |
We don't do art unless we get paid!! |
| VJ |
No. That's not true. When we get through, we won't be paid shit. |
| ND |
We don't do art unless we get paid, nigger! |
| BK |
Cracker! |
| ND |
If he don't give us no money, he's just another nigger. |
| VJ, BK |
[laughs] |
| VJ |
Alright. |
| BK |
So... |
| VJ |
So nice, the light, my tail - I have to leave you here on the pier. |
|
BK |
Normally, I'm not accustomed to those practices. |
| ND |
I'm not accustomed to their practices, either. I tell you now! I don't
think we ever been paid to do any fuckin' art in our fuckin' lives.
It's not a matter of getting paid or not, it's just a matter of
knowing. If he said, "I don't have a fuckin' dime to give you." Then
we would know that. And we would just go from there. Not knowin' what
the fuck - that's the problem. [to old man on bench] Good
morning sir. Not knowing is really a pain in the kiester. [passing tennis
courts] Still havin a disco party over here. [singing off key] Everythin' looks worse in black and white. Kodachrome gimme the night's bright colors. Gimme the greens of summer. Makes me think all yo world's a sunny day, oh yeah. I got a night on camera. I love to take a photograph. Mama don't take my Polaroid away. |
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Modified December 23, 1997