ART BY THE BAY CONCERT LECTURE SERIES

July 20th, 2006

You been around artists very long, you should think about a 12 step program. A.A.A. Associatin with Artists Anonymous. Time was when we kept em away— AT bay, not by the bay, for godsake. We put em up in attics, in back rooms, in isolated studios, we let em cut off their ears if they felt like it or walk around with their eyeglass glass knocked out and wear weathered beat up hats no self-respectin hounddog would ever chew, we let em dress like weirdoes and crackpots and …. Well hell, let’s be honest, like artists.

We kept em poor and hungry so you KNEW they painted or sculpted or cut glass to smithereens cause they didn’t know no better. We called that PASSION back then. Or vision. Or genius. If it got too out of control, we put em in a special place for geniuses, the padded motel. We kept the light on for em.

Nowadays we got pharmaceutical remedies. You get a mite TOO geniusy, we can bring you back into earth orbit real quick. I suppose the art suffers, but hey, pharmaceutical CEO’s gotta eat too. And anyway, look at all these artists we got now. Look under every other rock on the South End and I figure there’s a paint splattered ARTISTE or half an earlobe left behind.

People who are obviously not from around these parts keep sayin, my goodness, it must be interesting livin among all these artist types. I just say, yes ma’am, never a dull moment. Just gotta be careful you don’t trip over the easels, end up subject matter.

No, best to keep them artists at arms’ length. If not further. We got signs down our way: Don’t Feed the Wildlife. We ain’t talking raccoons. It’s for THEIR protection too, remember.

Entry Filed under: deer in the headlights (concert commentary)