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Nicolás Guagnini from 77 Testicular Imprints, 2007
‘The paintings were produced with oil paint applied directly to the artist’s testicles and imprinted on various bound and ephemeral printed matter including: mainstream magazines such as Time and Life; art market staples such as Artforum, Art in America and Art News; exhibition and auction catalogues; rare magazines and artist’s books; personal letters; and lastly, on an assortment of original artworks, poems and studio notes by Vito Acconci, Simon Bedwell, Alejandro Cesarco, and Dan Graham.’
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Morwenna Catt David Cameron Voodoo Testicles, 2014
‘I’m not partisan and I’m happy to ‘voodooize’ any political testicles to order – I’d be particularly keen to ‘set to’ the crown jewels of Nigel farage. Do get in touch if you’re interested!’
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Carroll Dunham Composite Image (Testicles), 2003
Watercolor, acrylic and graphite on linen
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Dan Gerbo Ball breaker, 2016
Real testicles conserved in formalin
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Daniel Bitton Scrote n’ Tote Backpack, 2015
‘Not surprisingly, Daniel Bitton’s photo of himself standing in line for a show wearing a backpack that resembled a giant scrotal sac went viral last year. This led thousands of people (really, thousands) to request one, so Daniel has obliged and created the Scrote n’ Tote. He has launched a crowdfunding campaign to get the proper materials to turn the prototype – which is too heavy and too delicate – into a sturdy and lifelike functioning backpack / knapsack. Once fully funded, he plans on selling the Scrote ‘n’ Tote for $120 USD (plus shipping).’
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Piero della Francesca Burial of the Sacred Wood, 1452-1459
fresco
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Sam Francis Blue Balls, 1962
Watercolour on paper
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Denis Defrancesco King Kong Balls, 2019
‘His majestic approach gives a new spirit to grey streets, feeling as comfortable as in a green garden. King Kong Balls’ exotic look catches every single passerby’s attention. His fascinating expression is the right decoration for large spaces, due to his dimensions and weight.’
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Flying Testicle Testicle Rider, 1993
‘Early 90s experimental/noise trio which included Masami Akita (Merzbow), Maso Yamazaki (Masonna) and Zev Asher (Roughage).’
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Sue Williams Various, 1997 – 2010
‘In these abstracted images of testosterone stress, Williams’ invention could be called the “scrotal line,” a kind of ragged arabesque that is peculiarly familiar but never before committed to canvas. And that would be, of course, decrepit old-man scrotum, not fresh new baby scrotum. It’s a wow.’
Testicle Flange on the Green, 1997
War of the Testicles, 2010
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Bob Flanagan You Always Hurt the One You Love, 1991
‘In You Always Hurt the Ones You Love (1991), Flanagan sings and enacts his personhood at his head, using humour as a device to further contradict the victim/deviant label, while his body is transformed into an object by nailing his penis and testicles to a plank of wood.’
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Unknown Tanuki, 1952
‘Ceramic statues of Tanuki are found everywhere in modern Japan, especially outside bars and restaurants, where a pudgy Tanuki effigy typically beckons drinkers and diners to enter and spend generously (a role similar to Maneki Neko, the Beckoning Cat, who stands outside retail establishments.) In his modern form, the fun-loving Tanuki is commonly depicted with a big tummy, a straw hat, a bewildered facial expression (he is easily duped), a giant scrotum, a staff attached to a sake flask, and a promissory note (that he never pays). Many of these attributes suggest his money was wasted on wine, women, and food.’
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Martin Creed A sheet of paper crumpled into a testicle, 2003
Crumpled paper in plexiglass on wood pedestal
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Graeme Why do guys have really big balls?, 2014
‘Talking about regular XY guys really big balls, with a brief mention of irregular XXY guys really small balls.’
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Paweł Althamer Piotr, 2011
‘Portrait subject had his face cast in plaster, selected the metal understructures on which he was mounted, and watched as the sculpture was “fleshed out” with plastic generated by extruding machines that had been transferred from Poland to Germany.’
________________
Ian Mozdzen Obscene, 2007
‘Audiences enter cre8ery studios, a multi-purpose gallery and studio space located in Winnipeg’s historic Exchange District, to witness and respond to the first performance draft of Obscene, a new experimental theatrical work by yours truly. Obscene tells the sordid tale of Michael, a self-castrated eunuch. Armed with dozens of eggs, liters of ketchup, and my shameless perineum, I’ve recreated his psychological landscape, mapping out his epic journey from boyhood to manhood to genital nullification. A shaft of heavenly light penetrates blackness to illuminate a man singing – high, shrill, angelic. “Slash me a cunt, I am in love.” He thrusts a knife between his legs. Blood gushes from the wound and seeps through his white smock. We see a home video of a horse castration. A farmer slices open the animal’s scrotum, pulls out a gleaming testicle, and then swiftly slashes the spermatic cord. The severed testicle is then tossed to the ground and devoured by a hungry dog. The farmer laughs heartily. Michael strips. We catch a glimpse of his mutilated genitals … looking like attempted murder. He slips on a pretty, silky dress and a hideously tangled wig. After taking a swig of whiskey he obscenely applies juicy red lipstick to his lips. He looks like some sort of demented tranny clown. Blood drips down his thighs. He belches bitterly. The bloody genitals are revealed. Michael-Joy, face twisting with pain, forcefully tucks the organs between his legs. Fingers caress the hairy mound remaining. The caress turns into a vulgar jerk-off. Heavenly music soars. An angel glides before our eyes. “Blessed be the blade,” it chimes.’
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Petra Mrzyk and Jean-François Moriceau Tattoo, 2017
‘Today’s installment of tattoos the internet is mocking is this one, posted on Twitter by user Gutphobia, with the caption: “idk about y’all but this looks like a nutsack to me.’ We were sure it was a strangely designed heart, so we contacted the tattoos designers Petra Mrzyk and Jean-François Moriceau asking if it was intentionally a ball sack. ‘Yes exactly, it’s a hand caressing a nut sack 🙂 Nothing more,’ Jean-François replied via email. ‘A guy ask me if he can make a tattoo of this drawing and we said OK. But we didn’t see the media storm about this tattoo, I just saw it on a few Instagram account!’’
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Bruce Nauman Crime and Punishment (Punch and Judy), 1985
‘For Bruce Nauman drawing is equivalent to thinking.’
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Daniel Edwards Tom Cruise Shroud, 2015
‘Artist Daniel Edwards assisted Cory Allen Contemporary Art in St. Petersburg, Fla. to create the unusual likeness of the movie star for a “pop-up Church of Scientology” near the religion’s headquarters in Clearwater. The shroud features Cruise with gigantic testicles and an equally impressive penis with very intricate pubic hair detailing. The artists definitely wanted to paint Cruise’s manhood in a favorable light. In addition to the impressive penis and testicles, the shroud also shows a backside of Cruise that highlights off his butt.’
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Philip Guston Untitled (Nixon Drawings), 1971 – 1975
ink on paper
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Francesco Vezzoli The Return of Bruce Nauman’s Bouncing Balls, 2006
‘Conceived as an ironic tribute, in The Return of Bruce Nauman’s Bouncing Balls, Vezzoli abandons the conceptual coldness of the original work to present a slick video based on the canons of pornographic filmography starring Brad Rock and his the infamous American gay-porn testicles.’
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Senga Nengudi R.S.V.P. Reverie – “B” Suite, 1977
Nylon mesh, sand, and pole
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Joel-Peter Witkin Testicle Stretch with the Possibility of a Crushed Face, 1982
Gelatin silver print
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Dove Soap Real Beauty Sketches, 2013
‘In a faux documentary short (that turns out to be an ad for one of the world’s biggest soap manufacturers), forensic artist Nancy Smith of the Encino Police Department drew men’s testicles based on the men’s own descriptions and those of others, and the side-by-side comparisons provoke heartfelt and empowering tears from the men who had alternately described their testicles as being “like a bag of old rags,” and “like a frog that died and has been baking in the sun for two or three days.” As one of the men concludes, weeping: “Those balls are angry, and have no friends; and these are alive and have hope.”’
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Paul McCarthy Captain Dick Hat, 2003
silicone rubber
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Dale Frank Undescended Testicle, 2019
tinted varnish, epoxyglass on Perspex
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Pyotr Pavlensky Untitled, 2013
‘Pavlensky walked on to Red Square on Sunday lunchtime, stripped off and nailed his scrotum to the cobblestones of Russia’s most famous public space. Pyotr Pavlensky said the protest was his response to Russia’s descent into a “police state” and was timed to coincide with Police Day. He was taken to hospital an hour later and given basic treatment for his injuries but declined to be admitted. He was later taken to a police station.’
_________________
Peter Saul Testicles of a Billionaire, 2009
ink, acrylic and colored pencil on paper
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Pipilotti Rist Another Body from the Lobe of the Lung Family, 2009
‘At the far end of the space, the perpendicular walls form a screening space for Another Body from the Lobe of the Lung Family (2009). The segment I view involves a very cute piglet gambolling in a meadow in extreme close-up on one screen and a naked, nubile young woman doing the same on the other, I witness a toddler, around 18 months old, run screaming with joy towards the enormous piglet. At that moment the screens swap. He stops for a minute, looking at the enormous woman, and then resumes his joyous squealing — it’s all the same to him. A little later I notice what I think is a curious sea slug, and then realise it is in fact a bobbing penis and testicles.’
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Zhao Zhenhua Testicle-Weightlifting, 2014
‘Chinese master Zhao Zhenhua is seen lifting 80kg of bricks with his testicles during a demonstration in Zhengzhou city, central China’s Henan province. He also swung the weight forth and back about 320 times in 10 minutes. Zhao believes that testicle-weightlifting can improve quality of life.’
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Mike Kelley Big ol’farm balls, almos’ bigger than the butt cheeks, 1991
Acrylic on Paper
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Unknown Balls Kicks, 2004 – 2018
animated gifs
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Flaka Haliti My Balls, 2007-2008
‘“We don’t have successful internationally-known women artists from Kosovo. This shows that they don’t have the balls to become artists and to use the art spaces.” Back in 2007, this was the message told to Flaka Haliti by a person in a position of power in Kosovo’s cultural community. The provoking statement became an invitation to act for the Pristina-born artist. Soon after, she arrived at the opening of a prize exhibition at the National Gallery of Kosovo with a bag of cow testicles, a collection of balls which she proceeded to arrange in a corner of the gallery and present as a gift to exhibition-goers and museum authorities. Haliti’s testicular response, aptly titled “My Balls” (2007-2008), is documented in a short two-channel video.
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Yishay Garbasz Becoming, 2010
‘With Becoming, artist Yishay Garbasz courageously explores one of society’s most taboo subjects – the unmaking of a gendered body and the creation of another. Garbasz courageously documents two years of the physical changes she underwent to change from male to female. With unprecedented honesty and directness, the artist photographed her body every week, chronicling its gradual transformation. Becoming’s flip book format makes visible and immediate time and its integral role throughout this process.’
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Josiah M. Hesse I Had a Giant Testicle for Two Years and Didn’t Tell Anyone, 2015
‘From the ages of 17 to 19, I believed that God had cursed me with a swollen left testicle that was the size and shape of a large pear. I was suffering from a condition known as hydrocele, which basically meant there was an exceptionally large collection of fluid around my testicle that made it look like I’d put a 100-watt lightbulb down my pants. It was the result of blunt-force trauma—my loving sister thought it was hilarious to kick me in the crotch whenever I was napping. As traumatic as it might seem to be cursed with a grapefruit-sized sperm-machine, hydrocele isn’t life-threatening and can be corrected with a pretty simple surgical procedure. Unfortunately, I told no one about my condition and lived with it for about two years.’
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Ingrid Berthon-Moine Marbles, 2013
‘Berthon-Moine takes twelve close-up photographs of testicles belonging to Ancient Greek sculptures. Typically, women’s bodies are exploited and looked at in art while men are not. Here, Berthon-Moine wanted “to look at men…the way they look at women.” A very conscious role reversal takes place. Berthon-Moine makes comparisons of testicles to breasts. She comments that they function the same way under gravity in that they hung to the left side. This challenges male as the ideal. The focus on Ancient Greek relates to its highly masculinist culture. It is an appropriate reference point for Berthon-Moine to draw connections to more recent representations. For male viewers, there is a strong “sense of vulnerability” when perceiving Marbles. It is a feeling typically reserved for the female body. This change in experience is something Berthon-Moine deliberately sets out to achieve. Berthon-Moine questions the system of representation through subversion. She asks what gives men the authority to determine subject matter and representation when they are fundamentally the same.’
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Anatomical Travelogue Testis Shower Curtain, 2018
100% polyester fabric
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Delain The Gathering, 2014
‘It’s tradition for Delain to launch confetti cannons during their song “The Gathering”. Typically they’ve done this without any incident, but during a show in Birmingham, England last week, bassist Otto Schimmelpenninck found himself taking a shot straight to the groin. Despite the pain and bleeding, Schimmelpenninck finished out the show. In a subsequent Facebook status, Schimmelpenninck revealed that after the show his scrotum had ballooned up to the size of a grapefruit. He was quickly rushed to a hospital where they removed 500 ML of blood from his scrotum and had his ruptured testicle stitched up. He described the event as “one of the most unpleasant adventures I’ve ever had to endure.”’
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Imaginarte Niceballs, 2018
‘Imaginarte presents Niceballs: a dangling prosthetic accessory that sticks easily, discreetly and efficiently to your desk. Its suspension rate creates a Euclidean curve that encourages relaxation and provides the few moments of escapism that we all need once in a while. So, after playing for a while with your balls you can change back your mode to “bust your balls”.’
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Norman Leto Testicles of a Man Digging with a Spade, 2006
‘Testicles of a Man Digging with a Spade is a short 3D animation. Confronting the image of male sex organs and the action of digging (most likely, a grave), the film becomes a metaphor of life and death, embedding existential content in a simple form.’
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Mao Sugiyama Untitled, 2012
‘Meet Mao Sugiyama, a 24-year old illustrator from Tokyo, Japan, who surgically removed his genitals and auctioned them off for people to munch on. Sugiyama exploded on the twittersphere in 2012 when he tweeted “[Please retweet] I am offering my male genitals (full penis, testes, scrotum) as a meal for 100,000 yen …Will prepare and cook as the buyer requests, at his chosen location.”
‘For this procedure, Sugiyama, who’s known under the guise of HC, or Ham Cybele, underwent genital-removal surgery to receive a bag full of his 6 inch shlong, testicles, and scrotum skin, rendering him asexual. Sugiyama screened himself before undergoing the procedure to ensure he was disease-free. With no intention of implanting female sexual organs or undergoing female hormone therapy, Sugiyama plans to remain asexual so as to rebel against the gender inequality he finds in today’s society.
‘Unsurprisingly, Sugiyama’s tweet got enough international attention for him to host a public banquet for 70 people. The severed genitals were cooked by Sugiyama for five guests who paid $250 for the outrageous meal. Sugiyama, who donned a chef’s hat, prepared the meal in front of curious onlookers and feasters. The meal comprised of his sautéed genitals with button mushrooms and Italian parsley. The meal was served following the Japanese food safety and medical waste regulations. The rest of the 70 attendees were served a comparatively less-captivating meal of crocodile or beef meat.’
*
p.s. Hey. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi. So happy you like her work. She’s amazing. Play Therapy to the rescue in the nick of time! Mega-yum. Everyone, here’s a brand spanking new episode of Ben ‘_Black_Acrylic’ Robinson’s upper- and lower body liberating force of a podcast Play Therapy ready to dave your weekend from its doldrums ands ills. This week: ‘Ukrainian experimentalism, Russian Dungeon Synth and for his beloved late father Pete, some Avant-Garde Jazz freakout too.’ Go here post-haste! Thanks, Ben! ** David, Interesting. I always thought LOL was ‘lick out labia’. Boy, was I surprised. I know the name Ruby Wax, but I’m blanking. Easy enough to fix that. Have a legendary weekend. ** RY / ANGUSRAZE, Now I want to legally change my first name to D3nni5, but I think I’m too lazy to do the necessary paperwork. Right, I remember that air pressure eye test thing. That was weird and kind of exhilarating. Round glasses. I love them in theory and in practice too. They don’t work on my face sadly,. My reading glasses are just the usual boring sort of oval shape with kind of flattened out tops. I kind of wish granny glasses would make a comeback, the kind that, like, Arthur Lee and that guy in The Byrds wore in the mid/late-60s with one blue lens and one red lens or whatever. Lucky you on the clothes reinvention. I’m allergic to fabric and dye and have to wearing boring organic clothes. I’m not a Kanye West fan, I have to say, sorry. Not even really the early good stuff. To me he’s a savvy producer and arranger but his content, i.e. his ego catharting and his meh use of language, just kills it for me. But I know I’m fairly alone in not digging his early stuff, so fuck me. Anyway, if you’re excited by it and getting things for your own work, that’s the best and all that matters. I’m hoping to drink in your EP this weekend. Psyched. xo, me. ** Tosh Berman, Mm, I’m not sure if I’ve seen the Menil stuff. You know, I’m sure, that he has big two-part retrospective here in Paris right now at the Pompidou and Pinault Collection that is heaven on earth. He’s my favorite artist. He and I are really good friends, and we used to hang out all the time, and he and his ideas about sculpture were a gigantic influence on me and my writing. We started hanging out when I was working on my novel ‘Guide’, and I think that’s the point where my fiction took a huge leap forward due in large part to my starting to think fiction as a kind of 360 degree sculptural material thanks to his ideas. I think I’ll try to watch the ‘Mishima’ film this weekend. I think it’s on my go-to free/illegal site. I think it must have been my {NSFW] designation that set off the Facebook filter. I would normally put that designation on today’s post, but I’m going to skip it to be safe. ** Dominik, Hi!!! I’ve seen her work in the States, but I don’t think she’s ever shown here in France, which is criminal or something. Even meek would be a windfall here, but I think springs already sprung here, so … *sad face*. I am going to try together the bottom of the milk thing. My assumption is that they must inject milk with horrible chemicals here to keep it from decaying, but I’ll find out and let you know. I haven’t heard the new Iceage song yet, so thank you love for his prescience.Sticking to the theme, love making Vår reform and hiring Zac and me to shoot all of their music videos, G. ** Bill, Hi, B. I have read some of AL Snijders’ stories and liked them a lot, and that new book translated by Lydia Davis is on my must-buy list, now bumped to the top thanks to you. So, yeah, thanks! Have a weekend that necessitates no finickiness on your part. ** Misanthrope, Hm, not sure why that FB thing happened. 12 to 14 per day sounds all right. I’m a just-under-a-pack-a-day smoker. Sometimes a whole pack, but never more. Seems reasonable to me. Bon Saturday and Sunday! ** Conrad, Hey, Conrad! Excellent to see you, man! I’m very happy you liked the Liz Larner work. I wish her work was shown here. I want to see Yves Tumor. Has that grift already happened? If not, I need to get my tickets. Yikes. Thank you about the haunted house event. We’re just about the start finishing the ‘game’ itself, making it into an actual playable video game and making it more complicated inside. I very highly recommend the big Charles Ray shows at Pinault and the Pompidou if you haven’t seen them. I do want to see some of the Sonic Protest shows. Puce Mary’s for absolute sure but there are others too. I need to sort that out. I think you’ve seen ‘Permanent Green Light;’, but, if not, it’s showing in Paris at a little film festival next Saturday afternoon. Info. Yes, let’s coordinate re: SP. Great about the Théo Casciani interview. I don’t think I know his work. I’ll do google translate on the interview if nothing else. You have a truly excellent weekend too, my friend! ** Maria, Isabella, Camila, Malaria, Gabriela, Oh, it’s just this silly device that supposedly can pump your cock bigger, but it’s obviously just a scam. Did you have a marvelous weekend? ** Shane, Thanks, Shane. ** Verity Pawloski, Thanks, Verity. ** Steve Erickson, Hi. Yoga helped me, but I don’t know how universal its goods are. Obviously, finding a way to zone out and relax your body can only help if not even do wonders. Oh, interesting question. I would suggest Grandrieux’s ‘While Epilepsy’ as far as his ‘dance’ short films go. ** Brian, Hey, Brian. Suspense, eh? Mm, so I guess they want to test your skill in taut editing and tension-building music choices our something? I’m allergic to suspense, but, yeah, people sure do want films to work that angle. Anyway, interesting challenge, I guess. Seeing friends is ultimately the best, no? In the grand scheme of things. So, enjoy. I’m going to try to do that too. Yeah, as I said to Tosh, I think I’ll try to finally watch ‘Mishima’ this weekend assuming I can find it. My weekend looks pretty lowkey. Have to work on the script faux-revising. I have my Zoom book club tonight. We read Borges and watched a Fritz Lang movie. Not sure what else. Should be okay. I hope you are utterly and repletely non-exhausted for the art 48 hours. ** Right. I feel pretty certain that this weekend’s post is self-explanatory, so I’ll just leave you to it and see you on Monday.
Now available in North America 
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Ha! and cheers… I’ve done my stint on your blog, and have really enjoyed chatting with you sharing my poetry, stories, anecdotes etc…. I initially only intended to come on for a month or so… think it’s been 6 months now… I enjoyed listening to what you had to say…. and great to have the man that wrote those books that causes such a stir back in the day, ‘conversing’ with little old I…
I’m gonna try and buckle down and get some writing done, now that I have a decent laptop, with word that works…
here is a link to a few more pics from my porn model days…
https://triffidpictures.blogspot.com/2022/03/balls-for-dennis-pics-of-me-from-my.html
(I’ll leave em on for several days and then delete the post)
all the best Mr cooper and thanks x
Maria, Isabella, Camila, Malaria, Gabriela once had snake in apartment
As I screamed it slithered at speed
This caused me much upset and sweats
Then one day I am doing the washing up
and I feel this strange…… OH MY GOD, it was the snake!!!!!!
Drowned amongst the crockery
Thankfully dead
If ever I see this again I will hit it with stick
David this is the worse kind
Of snake
and I am here with the big stick
so be ready!
Thanks for the balls Coops
I go
Hi!!
So… according to Reader’s Digest, here’s the solution to the milk mystery: “The U.S. and Canada use a pasteurizing technique called high-temperature short-time pasteurization, or HTST. HTST is cheaper and more efficient because it processes milk in larger batches, but as a result, milk has a shorter shelf life – around seven to ten days – and must be refrigerated. […] Meanwhile, the rest of the world uses ultra-high-temperature or ultra-heat-treated pasteurization (UHT), which heats the milk to an even higher temperature than HTST. The result: Milk that stays fresh outside of the fridge for about three months.” Now we know, haha.
Uh, fuck, it’d be amazing if Vår reformed, and you’d be shooting all of their music videos! My mind just started running with the possibilities. Thank you for this love! For a while, I thought love would give you a Scrote n’ Tote Backpack but no, he changed his mind and gives you an even more mesmerizing Testis Shower Curtain instead. Happy weekend, Od.
Anh speaking of Baks —
Good Golly Miss Molly!
There’s a classic Viz comic strip called Buster Gonad and his Unfeasibly Large Testicles. Buster is an iconic UK cultural figure and a sample of his adventures can be found here.
The first game of the post-Bielsa era brought another defeat for Leeds United, although the 1-0 was harsh and we did play well. I still think we’ve got enough about us to avoid relegation, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Dennis!
Yeee the Kanye stuff is understandable, I tend to try and listen to the songs separate from his PR issues haha, the other artist I love and have been listening to lately is PJ Harvey, her album Rid Of Me is incredibly like stark and sort of raw but also sort of sensual in a semi perverted way, I guess it’s the most substantial artistic influence on my sex album thing, alongside your work and other stuff. This week I am getting a facial treatment! I’ve never had any sort of fancy skincare treatment in my life, my mum has had microdermabrasion before which is when they use a little skin buffer thing to remove loads of flakes of dead skin off the surface layer of the skin on the face and then like intensely moisturise it, my mums friend has like Botox and stuff but I dont think that’s her thing hahaha, I’m getting a Male Defence Facial which sounds hilarious to me, but, it’s basically coz man skin is more oily and ! HARD ! so it needs more intensity so we will see how we go, I guess it’s a part of my radical physical adjusting, well not radical physically but more mentally, I feel since the start of this year I have very much brought my emotive and mental landscape in synergy with my physical state with fitness, aesthetics (body and I guess appearance), what’s kind of wild is how it just sort of appeared out of nowhere, I sort of just woke up and I was like ‘let’s change like, from tomorrow’ hahaha but yesss, I dont know, I’m probably talking shite.
Also I have started writing the lyrics for my album which I hope to record the vocals for sporadically this month and next, just gonna take my time and such, then I might shoot a video and pitch it round to labels, if you know any like, musicians or idk labels or anything you can pass it onto feel free lol
Thank uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
ry’n
Dennis, A lot of italics today. Fancy. Though I’m sure unintentional.
Yeah, I’d say it’s reasonable too. I do feel a bit better too. And really, if I ever get to where I’m not smoking, so be it.
I was talking to someone yesterday about masochism, and it’s just something I can never get my head around. Like, I do everything to avoid as much pain as possible, and I’m a guy that has a high tolerance for pain. I just will never get intentionally subjecting oneself to physical pain (or mental/emotional pain). Just really weird to me.
I mean, I understand the psychological part of it and all that, and I guess I’m just fortunate not to have experienced anything in my life where I’m like, yeah, let me experience some pain for pleasure/to make me feel better.
Thanks. I plan on having a pretty good weekend. Just jinxed myself, haha. But yeah, I’m a try. Hope your Sat and Sun are great.
I have to look at Balls with one-eye closed. Some of the images are really painful and cause me anxiety. But don’t worry, I’ll get over it. Charles Ray’s lectures are incredible. Your commentary above about how his work influenced your writing is really something. His intensity plus his being articulate in describing his passion for sculptures is amazing. I have always been impressed with his work, and both Lun*na and I are fans of his art. But yeah, what an amazing artist. Thanks, Dennis for sharing your views on Ray.
A (umm) ballsy post for the weekend, Dennis. Love the Guston drawings, and the backpack. And Bob Flanagan, whew as usual.
What Borges are. you reading with the book club?
My weekend plans keep shifting. There’s work to do, but it might be too cold for the non-work stuff I was hoping to get to. Ah well.
Bill
Hi Dennis – thanks so much for your response re: Brenda Frazer and everything else. I loved these two posts also – the Liz Larner (her work reminds me a little of Suzanne Jackson who there is currently a show of here), and today the balls. I went to see the new Jackass film I don’t know why ha ha. It’s so ball-obsessed. Oh that’s so nice to think of that Kevin post. Miss him so much! Muay Thai is really fun – it’s like kickboxing with elbows and knees and clinching. I started just for fitness but became pretty addicted to it. I haven’t done any actual fights and don’t know if I will but we do sparring which I actually weirdly enjoy and get quite into. We also went to see some fights last weekend – the tickets were like a treat from the trainer – over 8 hours standing watching about 20 bouts was intense but really interesting. I don’t know why I like it but I do. I would love to come to Paris soon – I’ll be on the lookout for excuses / opportunities to do that! Thanks so much again.
Hey Dennis, Love love loving Your Blues, I especially have The Music Lovers on a constant cycle in my head. Also thanks for introducing me to Ian Mozdzen, I’ll have to look into his stuff more. I lost my jacket that had a nearly full pack of cigarettes at the bar last night, I’m more bummed about the cigarettes than the jacket honestly, but it was a fun time. I went out with some friends after seeing the new Batman, it’s just another “dark and gritty” batman but I find the majority of the cast attractive and talented, so it was fine I guess. Anything planned for tomorrow? Either if so or not, I hope the rest of your weekend is breezy and cool.
-Brandon
Yes, the Yves Tumor concert was on Thursday at the Trabendo. The crowd knew the songs from the last EP by heart, which was not my case. But, well, I knew some of the lyrics from HFTM and Safe in the hands of Love, which remains my favorite among his albums.
Oh, yes, I really want to see these Charles Ray shows at Pinault and Pompidou.
I’ve seen the “Poésie noire” event. Well I’ve seen PGL two times already, but, maybe, maybe, I’ll get tempted to see it a third time. The first time was at L’entrepôt with this really cute event with your French translators.
I have my ticket for the Puce Mary / Yeah Youh concert already. I was also thinking of going to the Shit & Shine concert, and maybe the great fiesta on the 2nd of April with Elvin Brandhi, Container etc.
Reading some Antoine Volodine right now. He’s good. I read some of his books a while ago, and I loved them. Théo Casciani told me liked him a lot too. So I’m reading one of his most recent books, Radiant Terminus. Have you ever read him ?
The testicle backpack would be perfect for condom distribution.
I’d like to add the testicles of the Wall Street Charging Bull sculpture, which have been rubbed shiny by legions of tourists:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/tourists-love-to-rub-the-bronze-balls-of-wall-streets-charging-bull-statue-why
@Misanthrope I think masochism can be about putting meaning to some suffering in a world full of lots of meaningless suffering.
Dennis how was your weekend? I hope that bookstore was fun that you went to during a previous weekend. I’ve been setting up my new apartment and went to the tiny underground movie theater for ‘200 Motels’ on Friday night and ‘Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One’ on Saturday night. That place is a gem.
I’m feeling much better now. It helped that we got a 70-degree (Farenheit) day this afternoon and I was able to go for a long walk.
I’m working on a new song based on samples from the Casio “rapman” – basically, a children’s toy keyboard with a very cheap digital sound. The electric piano and vibraphone presets actually sound quite good through distortion, which brings them closer to a slightly out-of-tune old piano. I’ve been thinking a lot of about the current vogue for ’80s nostalgia and my experiences in shopping malls as a child and teen. I never owned this keyboard but would go to Radio Shack to play around with it.
I watched the first part of the new Netflix doc about Kanye and found much of it worth seeing, especially the years it took for him to get signed, but I decided not to continue to the end, especially the section shot in the last 4 year. The “he made several albums I love” vs. “he’s an annoying dipshit whom I don’t really care about these days” scales have tipped. over in the wrong direction.
Thanks for the WHITE EPILEPSY recommendation. I thought that might be the best starting place for his more experimental films.
Hey Dennis,
Well-spotted in “Burial of the Sacred Wood”. Adore Sue Williams’ scrotal lines. The Mozden sounds quite intense, Sugiyama even moreso. The Witkin is as haunting as all the work I’ve seen from him. Hesse’s is fascinating. Such are my banal observations on this anything but banal post. We’re not beholden to the suspense concept, that’s just the idea of the script. We’re allowed to make it slapstick or serious or whatever we want. The idea is “oh wow, look what different groups can do with the same script,” that sort of thing. Seeing friends is absolutely the best, both on a grand scale and a day-to-day scale. Hope your potential friend meet-up went as well as mine did. Did you get around to “Mishima”? Hope so, and that you liked it, although I’d be equally interested in your thoughts on it if you hated it. I was, it turns out, exhausted this weekend, because I’ve been overcome with a sudden, unbidden school-prompted stress. Honestly it’s mostly centered around the next film, which requires an utterly nightmarish commute to my director’s apartment that fills me with gnawing anxiety every time I even contemplate it. But the whole in-person-four-days-a-week thing is exhausting me too. Terrible as this is to say, I definitely preferred the patchier sometimes on Zoom, sometimes on person model of the last semester than I do the full in-person one. It’s really wearing me down psychologically. But mainly it’s that film thing! Anyway, I plan to get as much work done as possible this week, and clean my brain with some Bresson movies. That’s my resolution. Do you have any for yours?