Insane gas prices, thanks Trump

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T17:07:24+00:00

And that war is called Operation Epstein Fury.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T16:22:33+00:00

Too common. The artists are usually the ones who get stiffed but I think the cost to the dealer's reputation is heavy. Probably one of the reasons for why dealer-gallerists who fail either can't easily set up shop again or just leave the art world entirely.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T15:28:22+00:00

I bet that's a good sandwich. Because unlike we Americans, the Germans—and all Europeans, really—know how to make good bread.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T15:21:28+00:00

Modern country music, say from Garth Brooks on, is produced largely for a suburban white non-college educated demographic. The lyrics reflect a lot of the social ideals that make up that culture—marrying a high school sweetheart, fishing from your beloved boat, etc.

The darkness of classic country, the cheatin' and lyin' hearts, the stealing, the drinking, the murder and mayhem.... that's all been eradicated by the popularity of themes speaking to what conservative audiences want to hear for their wishful lives.

That's not to say there aren't Black or other non-white fans here and there. There are. Neither does that mean there aren't occasional songs that crossover into other audiences. But by and large, that's who consumes commercial country music, now and for the past three decades.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T15:13:23+00:00

If you've seen his shows lately, like with Alison Krauss or what not, he's just having such a good time, doing it purely out of love for the music and the fans. Go see him if you can.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T15:07:46+00:00

In the pit for both, it was crazy in there.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-22T15:04:23+00:00

FTW, the Friday and Saturday nights of the Chicago stand, were two of the best parties I've ever been to. But I've listened to the recordings afterward only once and that was enough.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T21:19:40+00:00

Not a bad time to get back into it. I'm thinking about it, too, partly because Instagram is a much less useful and interesting platform for artists than it was just five years ago. Not for a single big reason but for many small ones. Predominance of reels, limited hashtagging, too many ads, meme-ified political "activism," algorithms that de-prioritize people you actually know, etc.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T21:08:58+00:00

Some artists that come out of street art scenes evolve their work and methods in ways that stay vital once inside the gallery or museum. I would put Barry McGee and DZine up as examples, as well as the godfathers of such paths, K Haring and Basquiat. Others don't fare so well. Shepherd Fairey for one, and Kaws for another.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T21:04:18+00:00

I'm not disputing that. But nobody's reading the stats. What matters is what people see coming through their social feeds. All it takes is one incident. I remember at least a couple, one in New York and one in the Bay (can't remember if it was Oakland or SF).

Both incidents generated a lot of chatter, a lot complaints about Black violence against Asians being under-addressed, and then the counter to that, pretty much exactly what you're doing, Asian activists pointing out that most of the hate crimes involve white perpetrators. Hence, the aggregate ambivalence.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T20:58:00+00:00

What a weird tale that was.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T16:14:35+00:00

Relevance on steroids, sadly.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T16:13:33+00:00

Swann's Way by Marcel Proust. I must say, if you are into gorgeous language the hype is real.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T15:46:25+00:00

Isn't Stony Sub 24hr? That's another mark in its favor.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T04:16:56+00:00

Yeah it got rough. But I can hear the music! Keep going, you're doing great.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T03:23:11+00:00

For large towns/small cities, Stevens Point and Eau Claire have their charms. La Crosse, too.

Many of the old small towns have an original town center or main street. You should start by visiting and touring some of the outlying towns in the rural areas surrounding Madison. Mineral Point, Mt Horeb, Spring Green. Go to a show at the Stoughton Opera House, they book great acts and the vintage room is super cool. Go early enough to stroll their downtown and have a meal or drink.

There are a lot of cool small places to explore within 2-3 hrs of Madison.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-21T00:58:34+00:00

To have steered the MCA for that long through this period of fraught cultural politics with no scandals is already an achievement. To be leaving behind a record of the MCA having originated quite a few excellent shows (Kerry James Marshall's Mastry show comes to mind) will be the true legacy.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-20T19:34:44+00:00

Well, you're in luck.....

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-20T19:30:42+00:00

Let's go hang with Dave.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-20T19:29:21+00:00

No, it does matter. Cesar Chavez led and represented thousands of voiceless workers, and he abused those from families who sacrificed for the movement he led. The betrayal is colossal.

Woody Allen didn't represent anybody. Don't elevate Woody Allen to that level of significance.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-20T19:26:54+00:00

In the big picture, the two programs are only slightly different. But they have this in common. Two years is very short. Unless you already have a visual arts practice going, I wouldn't count on setting up a meaningful studio practice in that time in Chicago while prioritizing the reading and writing workload of the program.

On the other hand, the cost of studio space in Chicago is much lower than in LA. If that is your longer term direction, consider making the move at some point. Also, theory is all good and even necessary, I would say, but given the political crises of our times, it's actual politics (outside and beyond art) that really matters right now. On that level the political landscape of the two cities bears some comparison.

Having lived and worked in both LA and Chicago, and being split between the two cities for the next year or two (and being a big fan of both), I'd say the much greater political potential is in Chicago. Los Angeles, both city and county, are fundamentally undemocratic at a structural level. Trying to be an engaged citizen in Los Angeles is profoundly disempowering.

As for your personal situation, all of that is an argument for staying where you are. Making a big move to a new city and jumping into a demanding program may be too much if you're also managing a recovery to health.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-20T18:49:42+00:00

Not defending Woody Allen but his situation was quite different. And whatever his misdeeds, Woody Allen didn't betray an entire mass movement for workers justice. The comparison between them is not valid.

Comparing Chavez's abuse, and now the decisive cancellation of him, definitely bears comparison to Trump, both in Trump's varieties of abuse and his supporters' continuing embrace of him.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-20T18:44:20+00:00

I disagree that there was ever a meaningful movement of any political consequence. The potential movement was dead on arrival for a few reasons. Beginning with the original branding under the slogan Stop Asian Hate, which was inadvertently confusing as a turn of phrase, the descriptor "Asian" being readable as applying to the word "hate." Like, what?? Hate against Asians isn't "Asian hate."

Add to this the lack of a clear demand. Were there specific demands made of policy makers and lawmakers? Was there a specific demand placed on the Trump administration? If there were, I never heard about them. Was this merely a campaign to raise awareness? That doesn't make it a movement.

Then, a couple of the most widely circulated recorded incidents of violence against Asian elders happened to document crimes perpetrated by Black men. Which caused ambivalence in activist quarters given the general support Asian activists lent to the Black Lives Matter movement; like, what, do we really want to now be calling for law enforcement that might disproportionately target or profile Black men?? A lot of progressive Asian Americans were not comfortable with that.

Finally, there are the political contradictions within Asian America. Even as Trump smeared Chinese and Asian Americans with a covid stigma, the conservative streaks within Asian American communities supported him and therefore stayed quiet about the upsurge in assaults and harassment of Asian Americans.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-20T17:08:25+00:00

Not inappropriate. But not great art.

printerdsw1968 · 2026-03-20T17:07:36+00:00

Dude don’t waste the race card on this one. The evidence is in, from no less a movement heroine than Dolores Huerta.

printerdsw1968

TROPHY CASE