I won’t be using my all access pass to SCOPE London (Oct 12-15) in case you want to purchase it at the above link.

I Missed My Own Art Opening

Works on Paper by Sylvia Miles
Collages by Mat Gleason

Curated by Baird Jones

Sept. 18, 2006 thru Oct. 18, 2006

The Paterson Museum
2 Market St.
Paterson , NJ (973-321-1260)

I pretend to be stupid and talk like a hick a lot. I noticed that some people think I am not so smart and I prefer it that way. Academics (who are often of average intellect) enrage me when they expect deference to their stated opinions based on their status or position. I have learned more from my cleaning lady than from any of these pompous twits.

When people get to know me and figure out that I might have a little going on upstairs, some tend to get kind of nagging - the implication is that I should be doing more with my life, that I should be out making lots of money. Or they assume that I have made money and get weird, like my cleaning lady a lot of the time.

I don’t have the hippie death wish to the dollar, but I DO refuse to be its slave.

The only time it is good to be considered smarter than average are:

When Cops are Around
Being a nerd profiles polar opposite of almost all criminal activity (save embezzling type stuff). I was once handcuffed as 8 cops searched my house. One cop asked If I had any tattoos. I responded affirmatively. “So you like pain?” asked the dykey cop who was there to see how I would respond to women. “Oh no, I’m a total wimp,” I answered in a pained (and truthful) expression. So they pull up my sleeve and I have a tattoo of Jackson Pollock painting. “What is that?” she asks, incredulous and suspicious in three words. I go into a complete nerdy explanation of Pollock’s role in Modern art that would put the typical art history lecturer to shame and they practically call off the whole investigation.

When Playing Poker
I have gotten many an opponent to fold simply by wearing my glasses to the table and doing math in a semi-audible mumble.

Those are pretty much it. If you look smart, are smart or act smart, you pretty much have to be an egomaniac with paper credentials to get an iota of respect. I would rather appear dull and lucky. Unless and until the cops knock on the door again.

We went to an art opening “Preview” reception last night in Chinatown and it seemed all of the galleries and preview receptions - I think realizing that Culver City AND Bergamot Station have their openings tonight, they switched gears at the last minute and made their own date.

It was mobbed and people happily took copies of the magazine from our distribution girl, so a good night - let’s all do it again tonight!

Todd Warren has died, kinda shocked he lived this long.

Also John Kizu passsed away, there is a memorial tonight in Little Tokyo.

There are so many many art openings this weekend. I’m going to go to Chinatown openings but what i really want is to see the art and that will require going when nobody else is going. Pretty simple.

I got quoted in an article about Billy Shire in Variety Magazine.