Allan and Allen’s Complaint

September 23, 2017Simon Pettet

Another video from the Stanford Archives this weekend – Nam June Paik and Shigeko Kuboto’s 1982 experimental video  “Allan ‘n’ Allen’s Complaint” (the twin subjects are Allan Kaprow and Allen Ginsberg), both sons of patriarchal fathers. The film explores that complex relationship.

“People are always talking about Jewish mother and nobody talks about Jewish father.”

AG: (So perhaps the father) is more withdrawn,  more vulnerable, less pushy in his emotions and relationship

AK: And there’s another side to it, (and) that is, the father tends to be the one who openly suffers, or is consecrated to some kind of suffering … Read More

Good Morning, Mr Orwell

January 1, 2014admin

Thirty years ago today (January 1, 1984 – sic), video-pioneer Nam June Paik conceived of  and presented “Good Morning Mr Orwell”, a unique and unprecedented  international live satellite hook-up, linking up the studios of WNET, New York with the Pompidou Center in Paris (as well as hooking up with broadcasters in Germany and in his own home country, South Korea). Allen and Peter Orlovsky (along with Steven Taylor and  Arthur Russell) were an integral part of the program, which also featured contributions from John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Joseph Beuys, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson… Read More

New Year 2013

January 1, 2013admin

 

[Allen Ginsberg & Neal Cassady, in front Charles Plymell’s 1403 Gough Street Apartment,  leaning on Neal’s Plymouth, San Francisco, Summer 1963.  photo c. Allen Ginsberg Estate]

HAPPY NEW YEAR  (2013) GREETINGS  from The Allen Ginsberg Project

Almost 30 years ago today (well, 29, might as well be exact!), Allen saw the New Year in with Nam June Paik – the fabled 1984 – “Good Morning, Mr Orwell” – Allen and Peter and Steven Taylor and Arthur Russell.. and a whole bunch more – propagandizing meditation! –  Here‘s a link to the whole ground-breaking show. Here’s … Read More

Nam June Paik (1932-2006)

July 20, 2011admin

[John Cage, Allen Ginsberg, Nam June Paik, Merce Cunningham, New Years Day 1984, at the time of the “Good Morning, Mr Orwell” collaboration, directed by Paik – photo by Hank O’Neal]
Nam June Paik was born on this day, July 20, 1932.
Born in Korea and educated in Japan, he is generally considered the first video artist and the pioneer of all subsequent media art. Exhibited all over the world, a recent retrospective show took place at the Tate, Liverpool, in England. The curator, Sook-Kyung Lee speaks on his significance here, here, and here.
Allen’s involvement with him … Read More

Two Videos – Beat Hotel and Good Morning Mr Orwell

August 3, 2009admin

For quite some time we thought photographer Harold Chapman had vanished without a trace. All we had was his amazing book of photos from the Beat Hotel in the late ’50s and early ’60s. His shots of Peter and Allen, Ian Sommerville, William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, and Gregory Corso, are among the most iconic ever shot of these people, and his chronicling of the characters and scene at the hotel on 9 rue Git-le-Coeur, is pretty much the only visual documentation there is of that crucial era. So, anyway, he resurfaced some 5 years ago with a few photo-exhibitions … Read More