A Few Thoughts on Robert Pollard

Robert Pollard began “started by voices” in 1981 in Dayton Ohio with band mates that are too numerous and fleeting to mention. He was a 4th grade elementary school teacher during the day, the profession he used to finance his musical inclinations. He is described as being an extremely prolific songwriter; accredited with 23 albums and having written about 2000 songs, he was named the 78th greatest songwriter of all time by Paste Magazine. Through an eleven year haze of narcotics, booze and hallucinogenic (mis?) adventures, Pollard finally found himself in the indie-rock lime light in 1994 when Matador records signed him. His ambitions and dreams suddenly seemed to have become a reality, something Baudrillard has (not surprisingly) put some thought into: “Go and organize a fake holdup. Be sure to check that your weapons are harmless, and take the most trustworthy hostage, so that no life is in danger (otherwise you risk committing an offence). Demand ransom, and arrange it so that the operation creates the greatest commotion possible – in brief, stay close to the “truth”, so as to test the reaction of the apparatus to a perfect simulation. But you wont succeed: the web of artificial signs will be inextricably mixed up with real elements (a police officer will really shoot on sight; a bank customer will faint and die of a heart attack; they will really turn the phony ransom over to you) – in brief, you unwittingly find yourself immediately in the real, one of whose function is precisely to devour every attempt at simulation, to reduce everything to some reality – that’s exactly how the established order is. “ (Simulations, Baudrillard, 39). In more ways than one, Pollard was going through the actions (simulations) of an indie rocker for the entirety of 14 years (with little to no personal or financial gain) just as one would if they were simulating a bank robbery, as Baudrillard examined. How much of Robert Pollards early narrative was simulation (of being an indie-rocker), and at what point did it cross over into the real - into the celebrity limelight? How does substance abuse play into this; from the lucid reality of an LSD induced delusion to the wholly sedative nature of alcoholism, how much can we be sure of in this reality by itself, let alone a reality inundated by mind altering substances? And finally, to what degree are we all testing reality with simulations that manifest themselves as endeavors and attempts in our daily lives?

A Guide: Jailhouse Wine

The next installment of the "Jailhouse" series once again follows Tyler, as he shares his recipe for 'hooch', or 'toilet wine'. Baudrillard says it is "extremely naive to look for ethnology among the whites, or in some Third World - it is here, everywhere, in the metropolis, among the whites, in a world completely catalogued...". We seem to think that only the most profound differences between cultures around the world are worth noting - but the more subtle, close to home details are worth noticing, too, Baudrillard seems to say. What better an example than learning about the tricks the incarcerated use to come close to the perks of being out of jail? Though living within what Baudrillard would almost definitely consider a 'First World Country', the confinement and restriction of freedoms of those serving time leads to new and ingenious (if not a little gross) methods of achieving 'freedom'. Most of these techniques seem alien to most, if not all, of those who have never done time. I found it fitting that the video would end with the profoundly felt air of homoerraticism, because even boys can get lonely sometimes. (On that note, why has there never been a gay sex scene set in prison that hasn't been represented as gang rape / violent sexual assault in any film, ever? ((more on that later)). This, paired with clips of the various internetting ventures we pursued that night, gives an unprecedented view into the lives of aging alcoholic townies.

Jennifer Angus' work in building ornate textures using species of insects creates a skin crawling, yet beautiful, mosaic that holds detail whether seen from an inch away, or witnessed from against the opposite wall. It seems to reflect the cyclical essence of nature; patterns inside larger patterns. As a whole, the insects obviously form a larger work, but the beauty of the insects themselves - their wing structure, abdomen formation & limb fragility especially - are something to gaze at as well. Angus' work gives new meaning to 'sacred geometry', using once living creatures to create a mosaic that (in my mind) stands as a metaphor for the mathematical truths found in nature ie: the fibonacci sequence. It reminds me of certain patterns one can observe at any level of existence; venules of the human circulatory system feed into bigger veins much the same way tributaries feed into bigger rivers. Similar patterns can be seen on the 'veins' of leaves. Such reoccurring patterns make me feel reaffirmed in this life; to belong to something bigger - grander than myself. Obviously, though, Angus' work is only a simulation of said truths, but a well composed one at that.

Guide to 'Cooking' a Jailhouse Pizza

Baudrillard described the "successive phases of the image" as being: -a reflection of a basic reality -masking and perverting a basic reality -masking the absence of a basic reality -bearing no relation to any reality The piece stands as a reflection of the basic reality of a friend's - Tyler Wolff - time spent in jail. Despite being a reflection of that time, it simultaneously masks and perverts the basic reality of that time by removing it from the physical space, time and tone of the jail experience. Tyler's time in jail marked anything but a happy time in his life, therefore masking and perverting its basic reality. As jovial as the tone of the piece is, it is a reflection of a reality that was anything but that. Along that thought, the piece masks the absence of a basic reality by feigning the experience of being in jail. The pieces topic relates completely to time spent in jail, but at no point does jail as a reality enter the picture. Finally, because the idea of jail is both present and non-existent all at the same time, it bears no relation to any reality at all. It in itself is a reality, created out of shoddy filming and quick editing, but which cannot exist in any form but that. It interests me how images can exist in all of these forms at the same time. On that note, look forward to learning about jailhouse wine from Tyler in our next piece; "How To: Jailhouse Wine".

Thoughts on Montage, Larger Forces at Work

I made a short montage representing the fictitious leisurely activities of students at Lawrence University. Certeau said, “Today, it is no longer enough to manipulate, transport, and refine belief; its composition must be analyzed because people want to produce it artificially; commercial and political marketing studies are still making partial efforts in this direction. There are now too many things to believe and not enough credibility to go around.” I feel as though the art of montage can imbue a feeling, or a tone, more effectively and efficiently than many other mediums. Montage uses a sense of passing time coupled with images that, while alone, say something vague, but together, give a clear sense of the mood the creator is trying to give off. To induce an audience with this feeling is, in a sense, to “produce [belief] artificially”, as Certeau described. I believe that the motives of those who would wish to fabricate said beliefs range anywhere from innocent to malicious, but one can be sure that such unanalyzed beliefs permeate every aspect of our lives. Recognizing the inherent presence of these beliefs should come as especially important for my generation. Through social media we can create caricatured online profiles where we can selectively choose what the world will see of us. In the age where all the information we could ever need is beneath our fingertips, most – if not all – of what we believe is unquestioningly embraced. This is not to say that it is unwise to believe anything at all, only to question what one thinks – and why it is that one thinks that way.



With that said, watch my very own attempt at montage and try your best not to laugh at me.



Thanks.

De Certeau believed that: “All that is required is that the surveys ask not about what directly attaches its “members” to the party, but about what does not attract them…” (177). In other words, people may not know who they are – but they know who they are not. Call it selective memory, wishful thinking or delusions, in the end it comes down to belief. Belief – however justified – in self identity and in affiliations (to corporations, organizations or institutions etc…) are undoubtedly social constructs that reinforce (and perhaps even created in the first place) cultural norms, and they make clear distinctions as to who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’. Pursuing a fading American Dream in Werner Herzog’s “Stroszek”, Bruno is an outsider (non-English speaking, mentally challenged man) travelling with outsiders (both foreign; a prostitute & a decrepit old man) through a land that is anything but conducive to escaping outsider life (November in central Wisconsin). They stick out like a sore thumb in the fabric of conventional self-realization stories; otherwise known as the Bildungsromane – which almost exclusively follow the (often) successful journey of the protagonist’s ascent to societal acceptance. Bruno and his companions don’t fit into American society. They are ostracized because they are outsiders, through and through. Come the end of ‘Stroszek’, the trio is split up, their trailer home – foreclosed on and auctioned off – and Bruno is more than likely dead. This seems to be the inevitable end for any of those who deviate; those who were unable to indoctrinate themselves with the condoned ideals & forms of larger society. Christopher McCandless, the protagonist of “Into the Wild”, met a similar fate when he fled from the society that rejected him. Conform to societies rules or meet your demise, seems to be the form that coming of age novels teach us. Keeping this in mind, though, gives beauty to the otherwise unglamorous trio and their journey. They are realistic and raw but simply could not exist in the world that would not accept them. To all the rest, life goes on. De Certeau describes their fate: “They bet on the erosion itself of every conviction, since these vestiges indicate both the ebbing-away of what those questioned formerly believed and the absence of a stronger credibility that draws them elsewhere: “voices” do not go away; they remain there; they lie inertly where they were, but nevertheless make up the same total. The toting up becomes a tale.” (178).

It was a very interesting experience to learn about (Wisconsin resident (!)) Dick Blau’s photography. Through his photographs, he represented emotional complexity by portraying the ritually mundane. He brings into question our pre-conceived notions of childhood and, similarly, represents the discontent of adults who may have grown up too abruptly. Each of his subjects seem evidently plagued by deeply seated existential crises; their lives falling far short of the utopian visions they envisioned for themselves as children. Their reality is less appealing than their undead childhood dreams; leaving them near-lifeless. This was one of my favorites of Blau’s. The expression of the woman speaks worlds, and yet, seems completely vacant. To me, it is the quintessential example of Blau’s work.