On Kawara
Region: New York
Like many New Yorkers, I went to this show because the Doug Wheeler exhibit next door was full. On my way into the David Zwirner Gallery, I ran into Emma Harden, who introduced me to Raluca Ancuta. We were talking about Be... more
Views: 731De Kooning's Final Decision
Region: New York
De Kooning went through three stages of portraiture. In the first, he painted men (who often resembled Frank O'Hara). In the second, he painted women. In the final stage, he painted (and also beautifully sculpted) "clamdig... more
Views: 704Damien Hirst: The Complete Spot Paintings (Gagosian Gallery, W. 24th St.)
Region: New York
Thinking of Damien's spot paintings, I recall five lines of a Beatles song: Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire; And though the holes were rather small, They had to count them all. Now they kno... more
Views: 1119"Blood Writing: Poems" by Sean Sexton
Region: New York
Sean has made of his life a book. It is a Cowboy Bible -- but not archaic. (Sean is a cowboy in Vero Beach, Florida.) He has mastered the pleasure of being ancient but not archaic. One is shocked to learn that hi... more
Views: 685Obama, Obama, Obama
Region: New York
[This is the transcript of a performance I gave at the Mothership in Woodstock, New York on Valentine's Day.] Obama was elected by Jews, blacks and women. If he had run for president in 1916 -- when only white men... more
Views: 1087Considering de Kooning
Region: New York
I went for the second time to the de Kooning show ("de Kooning: A Retrospective" at the Museum of Modern Art). For the second time, I heard a woman narrate the early life of the artist -- his extreme poverty in Rotterdam, ... more
Views: 882"John Wilkes Booth: A Sister's Memoir" by Asia Booth Clarke
Region: New York
This book (which really has no title -- the editor, Terry Alford, supplied one) is the best guide to the inner life of John Wilkes Booth, yet was only published in 1938! Asia's family discovered the manuscript in 1888, rea... more
Views: 1203"PME" by David Lefebvre
Region: New York
On my way to the Bowery Poetry Club for an Occupy Wall Street poetry assembly, I walked into Zürcher Studio. The gallery attendant told me (in answer to a question) that I was seeing a group show of artists "from the ... more
Views: 845Two Spanish Picaresque Novels: "Lazarillo De Tormes," "The Swindler"
Region: New York
This book came out in 1969, and though published by Penguin Classics, has much of the spirit of that year -- chaotic, hopeful, impulsive. These books are clearly untranslatable, but Michael Alpert was undaunted, and I am g... more
Views: 867The Big Takeover
Region: New York
I arrived at the Bearsville Theatre "Tribute to One Love" reggae show as The Big Takeover was playing. I was surprised that all the musicians were white, though the lead singer was black. All looked to be in their 20s -- t... more
Views: 1046
Member Since: December 2006
Location: New York
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# of Articles: 246
Website: www.softskull.com
Sparrow avoids refined sugar and National Geographic magazine, but he enjoys all jokes, including:
Tourist: Excuse me, but do you have a pumpkin patch?
Farmer: Why, do you have a leaky pumpkin?
His latest book is America: A Prophecy -- The Sparrow Reader (www.softskull.com).
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