We went out to dinner Saturday night to 410 Boyd in order to see Rick Robinson’s exhibition (rickrospective), but the show had already come down and they were installing a new exhibit. Let’s just say that the food was great and leave it at that.

Then we went to Dangerous Curve, fast becoming my favorite Los Angeles gallery. They hosted one of the best exhibits of the year, Pinchefuntastique a participatory installation by RaeAnne Robbinett. She took commercial detritus from the barrioand made art commentary installations throughout the gallery. The show was alive and vivid and the art combined a cerebral cataloguing of experience with a sarcastic challenge to the viewer to try to outlast all of the permutations one could come up with.

So while we were there, a guy tells us about a party happening at a loft. so we go over there and there is a well-lit industrial building - definitely part of the redevelopment going on in Downtown L.A. this one is right across the street front he old LACE - in fact the letters are still on the building. So we walk in and go up the elevator to the party - it is totally not out crowd, as my girlfriend and i are neither black nor gay. But the loft was decorated in a fantastic manner, so we just had to look around.

Then we went to a party for Matt Aston on 6th Street.

Exhausted.

When someone tries to tie you down to an opinion or associate you exclusively with a particular institution or method, slip out of the noose immediately. Even if the assessment rings true, deny everything, plead ignorance, ask the person what he or she could ever be talking about.

I’ve seen hundreds of Southern California artists die a career death the moment they nodded in agreement when the mention of their alma mater and its associated stylings was brought up in conversation. Or even their neighborhood and the clique with which they socialize.

The trick is to make everyone think you are part of their movement, their clique, their frame of reference. Defining you otherwise is your professional death in their eyes. Everytime someone sees me and says I was just thinking about you, I know I have a professional networker on my hands. And it might have a repulsive sheen to it, the lack off an authentic contribution to the world filled in with the grand schmooze, but it is a formidable energy force in the professional spectrum and you are alerted the this is someone with whom you will have to deal, someone that gets it and is not going away at the first bad review or public disgrace.

I think the Trader Joe’s coffee has extra caffeine in it. I typed all of that in as quickly as i thought it.

Salerno and a beautiful brunette are distributing the new issue of the magazine as I write this. Check your local Los Angeles-area gallery, they are out. Shipping to New York and nationally commences Monday morning.

Feeling satisfaction in a job well done. The issue looks good, the new printer did a terrific job in a very timely manner.

Holy friggin criminy, a link to a new Pixies song (covering Warren Zevon) courtesy of .

So this bloke at the Brewery Art Colony asks me to name the biggest artists in L.A.

He is scheming up some big production and is used to talking recent gradate students into uplifting his exhibition space (which is only for the elite until you complain about the half-assed quality all around, and then it is an alternative space and you are part of the problem).

So he has this list and I am popping off with observations like, Toba Khedoori had a solo show at MOCA, she must be semi large. So did Jennifer Pastor… and he is scribbling names, only pausing when I mention someone he had already typed onto his list. So then I look at his list. He has the big names on there (Kelley, Pittman, Baldessari) but he has some weird midcareer mediocrities on there (Lockhart, Kersels) and I start to laugh and tell him that he would probably get a more thoughtful response from people if he asked them Can you name an artist in L.A. whose career right now is bigger than Martin Kersels’ career? as it would weed out people whose careers were once far bigger than anything Martin will ever have (but are in bitter semi-retirement currently with no impact on culture at large). This Kersels Question also it puts the success of a lot of people with sparkly resumes up to a relatively simple litmus test.

Are you bigger than Martin Kersels?

Went to the new printer’s bright and early on Tuesday - so early that we got there before anyone else. Met a lot of people. I will miss the old printer’s, Glendale Rotary Offset and all of the people, Sandy in camera and Jennifer upstairs. We had the run of the place. But they are out of business and we aren’t so time to move forward. And the new place had form after form for me to fill out. All sorts of tax-i.d. stuff. What a mess.

Late Monday night I put all of the corporate info into the Coagula staff box copyright section while laying out the paper. It was weird to erase my own name from the page and put something else there.

We watched Annie Hall on Tuesday afternoon. I see now why it won Best Picture over Star Wars. Despite being very 70s in appearance, it has a deep timelessness. And Woody Allen’s feelings about intellectuals and academia are eerily exact to my own.

JERK stopped by with her boyfriend and we talked about doing a spot on NPR. They want to interview her. She is one of the quitest human beings on the planet, but still seemed game for it.

Going to the new printer brite & early with the new issue’s layout finished.
Hopefully they have their s— together.
I realize how much i took our prevous printer for granted.
Now he’s out of bidnuss and we move on.

Did taxes today. Oh god, the feds are cool bt the Staeof California is a bunch of assholes.
My accountant was like Pay California in full first, the feds are nice, California is like the mob, they will come after you.
So the checks get written tomorrow afternoon.

I will not be going to the damn Sunset Junction this weekend.

Magazine deadline is keeling me.
Took the rental car from vacation back today.
The secret to renting with Enterprise is to make an internet reservation for their totally cheapest car and gamble they will have only a better model available on the lot when you show up.
The guy there admitted he had to rent a Benz at a Yugo price once. I got a four-door Malibu for $27 a day, so no complaining aqui.

Here is a bitchen website:

TOOGLE