Michael Basinski
Lancaster, New York
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The Associate Curator of The Poetry/Rare Books Collection of University Libraries, SUNY at Buffalo, Michael Basinski's concrete opems (yes opems), poems and articles have appeared in many magazines including Deluxe Rubber Chicken, Boxkite, Rampike, Open Letter, Lungfull, Explosive, Tinfish, and many others. His visual works have appeared as covers for Lvng and Slipstream magazines. More visual work can be located at http://www.ubu.com/ and http://www.factoryschool.org/ These web sites feature sound files. His most recent books include Heka (FactorysSchool) Strange Things Begin to Happen When a Meteor Crashes in the Arizona Desert (Burning Press), Beseechers (Light and Dust books) and Mool3Ghosts (Reality Studio). He regularly performs retro and neo Fluxus works with his ensemble The BuFF/Fluxus Project. See also: http://wings.buffalo.edu/epc/authors/basinski/
in other words...Michael Basinski works in a library and now creates graphic covers for the hold!
graphic design /hold cover |
• What do you do for a living?
Work.
• Who are your favorite artists?
Snodroid Schlibo, Rolilake Somewhere Else, Velavolva Dust, Zatka Kenosha, etc.
• What influences you to write about/how you do?
Supermarket sale papers, beet soup, apples, weeds, the laundry, the dishes, the electric bill, drug stores, gas bill, post office, bank, gas station, tuna sandwich.
• Where do you see the underground writing scene in 25 years?
underground
• from cait: make up your own question and answer it honestly! ?
Q: Do you care?
A: No.
and what do you do with allthose books you review after you read them?
Some go into the library. If they are inscribed to me they go on the shelf at home. Sometimes they get passed on to young writers who need masters.
• questions submitted by contributors (no names) •
• Talk about what being an editor gives you that keeps you going from issue to issue despite the above and other challenges you face.
Name in print
• What goes bump in the night, lives in the basement and /or haunts your dreams?
Me catching death, I live in the basement, and/or death catching me.
• Jump?
No
• Is there any subject/object not properly a subject/object of art?
no
• What taboos, if any, remain for the artist in general and/or for you personally?
none
• What are your top three artistic priorities?
Flame
Fame
Flim
• Tell us what makes you melt and why.
Memories/I can't remember.
• It's obvious that the idea of community is important to the editors of The-Hold. Talk to us about how this community developed over time and what you see as its future.
Cait Collins is the community - without her there would be none, no oasis, no sweet lips, no reason to fear death, no reason to put on clean socks, no reason to go out at night, no reason to think about fish, walrus, phonebooks and the like. I can't see into the future.
FINAL COMMENT:
Jesus, that was easy! The only hope for writing is that there be enough outsiders, others, romantics, polka song writers, waitresses and the unwashed and unacknowledged poets of the world to continue an assault at the banality which passes as poetry. IN whatever fashion one wishes to create an assault, breaking words, testing morals, fighting the class war, culture war, keeping the poetry faith, worshipping the beats or Bukowski, Robert Graves, raiding Hunger, watching The Misfits, screaming, becoming naked, having a sex change, going to India, stop from eating carrots, rob bank, breaking windows, replacing windows, close eyes, shit or go blind, excuse the pigs the rest come latter or writing a letter or changing the cat litter. Well: It is all good
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