Dennis Hopper was in Paris recently for the opening of his photographic exhibition “Out of the Sixties” – a propitious title for a show of images that not only document the free-spirited, boundary-bursting, and truth-seeking period that created them but also act as a visual reminder of how far we’ve veered from idealistic pursuits. Out of the Sixties, although published first as a book by Twelve Trees Press in 1986, applies as much to the origin of the pictures as to the current status of the viewer. Gallery owner Thaddaeus Ropac called the exhibition “a time capsule.” Continue reading “Dennis Hopper, “Out of the Sixties””
The Customer is Always Wrong
Sometimes the smallest thing, a spat for example, leads you into a larger examination of cultural values and belief systems.
Remembrances of Jerseys Past
All expatriates should add to their existential, Proustian shopping list at least one journey back to the Old Country – not their last place of residence, but their real pays natal. Continue reading “Remembrances of Jerseys Past”
Gulf War Seen From Paris 1991
“The American in Paris” has lost its lustre in a matter of a few long and nasty weeks. I think of Fred Astaire tapping along the cobblestone streets of Montmartre in that frivolous 1951 Academy Award winning classic, An American in Paris, and feel with disturbing, ironic intensity the tidal wave of effects that the War in the Gulf has brought upon us.
Notes on the status of hope
Commentary, December 1990
The segue between endings and beginnings always provokes some sort of cosmic re-evaluation of positions. In a world of intense specificity and specialization, we have to invent occasions to be philosophic. Semesters, projects, jobs, issues, budgets, relationships, governments, years… Continue reading “Notes on the status of hope”
Burying Molière in New York
Commentary, May 1990
Inspiration rarely takes practicality into consideration. Inevi-tably you’re in a hurry, pencil-less, and half-asleep, in a check-out line with five kilos of dog food, when the stuff creeps into your life and transports you. And sometimes it’s at high speeds in the presence of sublime banality. Continue reading “Burying Molière in New York”
Pursuit of Bohemias Past
Okay, here’s the secret. Bohemia does exist. The flood of articles on that subject just won’t die. We won’t let them.
James Salter Recalls Paris Memories
James Salter, one of the freshest voices in contemporary American fiction, was in Paris this month to renew a thirty-year relationship with the city. Although Salter never lived in Paris for any extended period, he continues to return – this time to retrieve and recall memories, images, voices, moments…
Parisian-American Culture Shock
The Delta widebody is making its final decent for LAX International Airport. The day is unseasonably clear we are told by the pilot, and down below the ninety-mile carpet of urban sprawl unrolls. It’s like a giant graveyard, each stone represented by a bright squarish dwelling. The Sierras make the wall to the north. Continue reading “Parisian-American Culture Shock”
Paris… Ten Years After
Parisvoice celebrates ten years, Feburary 1989 The celebration of birthdays, anniversaries and other assorted red-letter dates is significant in that you are confronted directly with time, drawn against the silent but ever-present tow of complacency. Beyond the festivities lies always the existential questions.