CB: Okay, good. So, can I ask you about this place in Hyde Park, the Nile Restaurant? I: Not quite so far as Beirut, but maybe to some of you North Side fellows even farther. This is a place on 53rd Street? Or is it– CB: It’s on 55th, I believe. There— I: Oh yes, I know the one. This is a very good place. CB: It’s right in there with all those Thai restaurants. I: Yes, the Nile. . . something about this place, from my perspective, is very. . . pure. Very deliberate and very powerful. CB: Tell me about it. (At this point, part of the interview is lost, possibly due to a recording level error. The dialogue is recorded but too low and difficult to make out clearly.)
CB: Well, I thought so. Here, can I read you a page? I: Please do so. CB: This is August 17, the handwritten part. “To glorify God by holy conduct: I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul; and having your conversation honest among the cholos.” Then, the printed part, which is in verse:
Help thy servant to maintain A profession free from strain That my sole reproach may be Following Christ, and fearing thee. Walk in the light—and thine shall be
CB: . . . a small hardback book version of Abraham Lincoln’s devotional. It was full of scriptures and prayers and bible passages and stuff, one for every day of the year. Plus some of the pages had somebody’s handwritten notes all over the margins, which were very wide. I: This sounds like an event with significant potential.
A path, though stormy, bright For God in Love shall dwell with thee— And God Himself is Light!
Art Fag In Art School
ART 101
Alright. So in grade school you liked and drew comics. Your high school art teacher was encouraging, seeing you had formidable art skills and chops. So you enroll at one of Chicago’s finest art schools, highly esteemed and at forty-thousand a year recognized as a leader in art education. So there you go. You receive a fantastic fine arts education, history, tech, skills and drawing classes. Cool chicks and dudes to party with. This is a school for people who want to reach the pinnacle of The Art World. For aspiring art students with weak stomachs or bad nerves, please read no further. The reality is 95% of you fledging art students will give up your art aspirations and be up and working the drab corporate world. [Possibly in advertising. -Matt] But some of you art students are staunch idealistic individuals who together with the folly of youth and strong artistic vision deem it possible to beat the odds. You will pursue this course no matter what. Your head’s in the clouds; an artist - it’s so romantic and bohemian. Create your incredible art by day; at night have wine and conversation with your enlightened intellec-
24 lumpen
L U M P E N 10 1
tual cafe society. I know you young bucks and cool art chicks are filled with piss and vinegar and ready to take on the world with more ferocity than George Bush who is trying to destroy it. Art is a process of discovering you and the world around you. It takes a lifetime for an artist to hit his [sic] artistic stride. It’s a struggle every day for a true artist to survive. His art comes first - that means shithole studios, part-time jobs, unpaid bills, and no medical insurance. You sacrifice to pursue your artistic dreams, when you do become famous and get your just rewards and recognition, your bodily functions start failing and your family can’t wait to collect their inheritance and sell your ugly art at auction so they can all buy lakefront condos in the south Loop. So all I’m asking is be forewarned, take a few business classes - as horrific as it seems - in case you have to bail and things don’t work out. You’ll thank Professor Art Fag for the honesty art school obscures. So pack up your art supplies and good luck.
VOLUME 15 ISSUE 1 SEPTEMBER 2006
This is Professor Art Fag’s reality grounded dissertation entitled, “What Art School Will Not Tell You”