______________
Anita Steckel Various, 1965 – 1974
‘In her work of the early 1960s, Steckel overpainted vintage photographs to summon wildly unexpected associations and narrative possibilities. In 1973, Steckel founded the Fight Censorship group in her New York apartment. Members included Louise Bourgeois, Martha Edelheit, Joan Semmel, and Hannah Wilke. Steckel read a “statement on censorship” she’d written that laid out the group’s mission. “We demand that sexual subject matter—as it is part of life—no longer be prevented from being part of art.” She concluded with this unforgettable argument: “If the erect penis is not wholesome enough to go into museums—it should not be considered wholesome enough to go into women. And if the erect penis is wholesome enough to go into women, then it is more than wholesome enough to go into the greatest art museums.”’

 

______________
Curt McDowell Short films, 1971 – 1974
‘Curt McDowell’s films have been called both experimental and explicit. But apparently, and most confusingly, they’ve also been said to have a great sense of humor. Evidence suggests a rare and perceptive openness, a kind of ribaldry that goes beyond mere camp because it seems less defensive. He really is a key figure in Bay Area film history, fondly described as “weird, anarchic, messy and often sex-driven”. His short films celebrate sex as well as genre riffing and autobiographical narratives (McDowell’s insatiable desire for seducing straight men is explicitly documented in his 16-mm works), and bear the influences of Jack Smith’s lush, DIY camp aesthetic, Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s explosive melodrama, and Nan Goldin’s glimpses of countercultural bohemia.’

 

______________
Inside Flesh Various, 2014 -2017
‘Inside Flesh is a project founded in 2007 by artistic collective called SUKA OFF. Its members are Piotr Wegrzynski, the founder, visual artist, performer, and Sylvia Lajbig, classical philologist and performer. This collective presented artwork in many art festivals, theaters and galleries all over Europe, in the US, Japan, Brazil, and so on. In 2007, they launched the Inside Flesh project that ”has always been focused on human carnality in all its aspects.” These experiments in the field of art, theater and the possibilities of the human body eventually led them into pornography of its own kind.’

 

______________
Unknown Untitled, ?
Erotic Relief found at Pompeji.

 

______________
Paul P & Joel Gibbs Gay Goth Scene, 1997 – 2016
‘The Gay Goth Scene zine was a collaboration between painter Paul P and musician Joel Gibb, created when they held jobs at Coles Books and Sam the Record Man, under the pseudonyms Bones and Raven. Paul P (Bones) has subsequently exhibited in the 2014 Whitney Biennial, as well as in group shows at MoMA, and the Freud Museum, London. Joel Gibb (Raven) is the songwriter and leader of The Hidden Cameras, who signed to Rough Trade in 2002, have since released 5 studio records.’

 

______________
Kira Zeldin Various, 2018
‘One of the first questions I had to ask myself in order to breakdown this project is “What’s the difference between pornography and naked art?”. Defining the term Porn is a good place to start. Porn is defined as “sexually explicit content intended to sexually arouse.” According to this definition it makes sense why the nudes depicted in the Sistine Chapel are not pornographic. They aren’t sexually explicit, as they were not intended to sexually arouse and do not have that effect. If art never had the intention to sexually arouse, is it possible to blur the lines between art and porn? Through a feminist lens I try to literally and figuratively take on this challenge. By taking subjects from the media and the internet I want to tackle issues such as censorship and objectification. I use modern art and contemporary issues to create a linear progression. Influenced by old nude paintings I take digital pornographic images and appropriate them into an abstract painting that begs the question, is it porn or is it art?’

 

______________
Otto Muehl Two films, 1969 – 1970
‘These films combine cruelty, sexuality, defilement and visual shock for the purposes of purification and ab-reaction of sado-masochistic impulses’.’

‘Koeck Scheiss’: watch it here

‘Sodoma’: watch it here

 

_______________
Leonardo da Vinci Untitled, ?
‘Casual reminder that in one of Leonardo da Vinci’s many notebooks containing innumerable artistic and scientific sketches and notes of incomprehensible important, there is a sketch of two penises with legs and tails walking towards a crudely drawn anus. The sketch was most likely done by Leonardo’s apprentice Salai, who was not only very likely one of Leonardo’s lovers, but who was also infamously mischievous. Better yet, the anus is literally labeled “Salai.” So either Salai drew these while Leonardo wasn’t looking just to annoy his boyfriend, or Leonardo himself put actual time and energy into drawing these. Either way, the human race is truly blessed to have made such a discovery. There are dick drawings like the ones you see on desks in school in Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks. Please cherish this information.’

 

______________
Leiya Arata Various Sex Doll Funerals, 2020
‘Leiya Arata, who is in her thirties, holds funerals for sex dolls. The photographer, who set up the fantasy studio at the start of the year in Osaka in western Japan, charges up to £630 for the funerals. She says her customers at Love Doll Funeral are all looking for a place where they are loved, accepted and approved. Among the services she provides are elaborate funerals for sex dolls which are directed by a transgender porn actress turned Buddhist monk, Lay Kato. Leiya said of her assistant: ‘I don’t know anyone who understands sex, dolls and their owners, and offers an appropriate ceremony better than her.’ The ceremonies see the life-like figurines placed in coffins, wrapped in burial clothing and decorated with garlands. Other ‘mourning’ sex dolls watch on during the bizarre service which also has undertakers, candles and prayers.’

 

______________
Vivienne Maricevic Various, 1975 – 1993
‘Since 1975, as a fine-art photographer, my specialization is exploring different aspects of erotica, sexuality and gender. I am interested in photographing subject matter that offers many challenges, obstacles and difficulties dealing with the pathology of our times with references to sociology. All series are photographed for two years or more and all subsequent series evolve from the previous one.’

 

______________
Elisabet Stienstra Virgin of Light, 2011
Oak and Brass 95x70x120

 

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Mike Bouchet Untitled Video, 2011
‘A four channel projection with a running time of 10 minutes. The video was created by compositing 10,000 separate adult videos into a mosaic. Each individual video runs for 10 minutes. The original artwork can be projected up to 60ft in diameter.’

 

______________
Zanele Muholi Being (T)here, 2009
‘Documentation of intervention, red light district, Amsterdam.’

 

______________
Matt Crabe Castrate & Destroy, 2016

 

______________
Alfred Kubin The Death Jump, 1902
‘Two of Kubin’s most frequent themes are death and the eternal wanderer. Paul Klee once remarked that Kubin interpreted the world as ‘poison’. Kubin’s style reflects a distorted world, unsure of its bearings and stupefied by reality. His lines are quick and seemingly frantic, signs of impending violence.’

 

______________
Elke Krystufek The Best Sex I Ever Had, 1998
acrylic on canvas

 

______________
Movement of Porno Art Pornograms, 1981 – 1982
‘The attempt here is to literally use the body itself as a writing medium. In some cases that is literal. For example, when I perform upside down and naked, repeating the letter “U”, the letter U is the phonetic unit for the sound of booing. So when you see that repetition and you see that face laughing back at you, the form of the body and what it’s doing, it produces a tension, an apparent contradiction, but in reality it is expanding, multiplying meanings. So the intent of the “Pornograms” was to use the body as language, as a writing medium to use space as the environment in which the text is inscribed, and to use the photograph as the medium for publication. So, in analogy with the book, you have a situation in which the body is the text, the space is the page, and the photo is the publishing equivalent to a book. It’s a way to allow the “Pornograms” to circulate, to materialize a different linguistic economy than that of the book, a way to effectively use the body as a writing instrument. My ultimate goal, then as now, was to embody liberating alternatives to received practices that are passed on as inevitable.’

 

______________
Jean-Xavier Renaud Le Pontet, 2010
aquarelle, 70 x 10 cm

 

______________
Anna Uddenberg Various, 2018 – 2020
‘Through the feedback loop of consumerist culture, Anna Uddenberg investigates how body culture, spirituality, and self-staging are intertwined with the mediation and production of subjectivity by new technologies and circulation forms. Her practice integrates approaches to gender theory while acting as a space for reflecting on taste and class, appropriation and sexuality, pushing these questions into new material territories. Based on Judith Butler’s idea of performing gender as a rehearsed act, Uddenberg’s work continues to confront feminine identity in consumer culture and to explore performativity, by using sculpture and performance as visual platforms.’

 

______________
Daniel Edwards Signed, SEALed, and Delivered: The Porn King of Pakistan, 2011
‘Titled “Signed, SEALed, and Delivered: The Porn King of Pakistan,” the sculpture features a naked Bin Laden with a bullet hole in the center of his forehead and a pair of crabs crawling through his beard – his wrists and ankles are manacled and chained to a cement block embossed with the U.S. Navy SEALs emblem. “As soon as it was announced that Washington would not release actual death photos of Osama Bin Laden, I went to work, motivated by patriotism,” said Daniel Edwards about the sculpture, which started out as a Facebook friend request. “I was sure some of the general public still needed the closure those photos could bring, so I felt that providing a carefully rendered image of a dead Osama Bin Laden could be a meaningful supplement for those having difficulty creating their own mental picture.” The Bin Laden representation also displays crustaceans mating on his pelvic region and hanging from his nipples in reference to the discovery of his secret stash of pornography, according to the artist’s representative.’

 

_______________
Suzzan Blac Various, 2013 – 2016
‘As a victim of many abuses, and as a survivor who never had a voice ~ My Art Is War. Please visit my blog in which I expose the porn industry.’

‘Madonna and Child’

‘She Likes It’

‘The Domestic’

‘The Stiletto Shoe’

‘I’ve Killed Bitches Before’

 

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Unknown The Warren Cup, c. 5 – 15 AD
‘An example of a work not radical in its time but seen as too explicit for later audiences, The Warren Cup was most likely proudly displayed in a Roman home, but then was considered too deviant for audiences right until the 1980s. Depicting a Greco-Roman practice called pederasty, where young men would take older men as mentors and sexual partners, the what would later be considered homosexual acts depicted on the cup were hidden from public display for centuries before their exhibition, after which they inspired countless gay artists and writers into more radical artworks.’

 

______________
Peter Bismuth Collages for Men, 2002
‘In Collages for Men, Bismuth has re-clothed pictures of naked women from pornographic magazines. By cutting white paper in the shape of clothes to fit over their bodies, the transformation is so misleading that it is hard to imagine these women were once naked. It is as if Bismuth misunderstands the purpose of pornography, suppressing any sense of lust that these pictures may have originally communicated.’

 

_________________
Julius Poncelet Manapul Cabinet of Queeriosities, 2014
‘Butterfly Animation, Queer pornography, Digital Collage animated from Photoshop.’

 

________________
Jimmy De Sana Various, 1982 – 1987
‘The bodies in Jimmy DeSana’s photographs are posed with objects. These objects are not simply props for human eroticism: rather, it seems as if the object is using the body for its own satisfaction, as if the bodies are not there for the sake of our enjoyment as viewers but rather for the things that are the agents of their poses.’

 

_________________
Ingrid Berthon-Moine i Touch, 2011
‘i Touch questions the evolution of the dissemination of pornography and its consequences on the representation of sexuality. i Touch raises questions of accessibility and the way this is shaping our sexual behaviour, it also engages in issues surrounding gender representation, the real, culture and commerce.’

 

_________________
ねこねこさん Various, 2016 – 2019
‘一応トランプなのでタイトル“ハートのＡ”とかにしようかと思ったけど、
マークを描き入れる予定もないので、ただの連作ってことに。’

 

_______________
Casual Teen Sex Art as a ground for sex, 2020
‘It seems contemporary Art has a magic depraved influence on hot teenage girls’ minds. This guy invited a cute chick he met right on the street to come check out his paintings and photos and before she even managed to look through half of his Art collection she was all wet down below and hungry for fuck. Watch this curious sex-addicted teeny as she sucks and rides big creamy cock, gets fucked to orgasm and takes a messy cumshot on her lovely titties from a guy she barely knows.’

Watch it here

______________
‘A Chinese artist has been sentenced to 12 months’ re-education in a labour camp after he performed a live sex show as part of an exhibition. Sources in China revealed that 57-year-old Cheng Li was detained after his lewd public show in Songzhuang, in eastern Beijing. The artist’s show, which featured Mr Cheng having sexual intercourse with a female in front of a carefully selected small gathering, reportedly caused ‘chaos’ and a ‘public disturbance’ and he was arrested four days later. Officials deemed that the exhibition was a flagrant attempt to cause a disturbance in the capital.’

 

______________
Monica Majoli Rubbermen, 2001 – 2007
‘In her ongoing Rubbermen series, begun in 1999, Majoli loosely renders men donning multilayered rubber fetish suits. These garments function as a kind of second skin, a prosthesis that both envelops and redoubles the countours of the bodies they contain, implying at once protection and suffocation, restriction and pleasurable abandon.’

 

 

*

p.s. Hey. ** Ian, Hi. Um, okay weekend. Not shabby, not remarkable. Summer? Long, long awaited trip to the States/LA, work on new Gisele Vienne theater piece and Zac Farley’s and my upcoming film, praying for not insanely hot weather, and things like that. What about you, i.e,. where are you vacationing? You got the second vax shot doldrums too. Weird effect, right? I hope your last carpentry learning week goes well, better than well. So, you have a work place set to go upon your return? Something you’re at least a little excited about? You take care too and doubly. ** Misanthrope, But you always read my big blog posts start to finish, right? Ha ha. That can’t be a real list. Or maybe. I was trying to figure out what age one would be to have those five as your fave bands in that order, and I couldn’t untangle an answer. ** _Black_Acrylic, I was very happy to find it. And save it. And it was a hit, even! Well, it’s good that people are looking after you, And at least it’s the summertime if you have to lay low on your body’s behalf. Spoken obviously as the summer hater I am. ** Bill, I think I’m going to have to catch the Sparks doc in States, although it’ll probably be long post-theaters by the time I get settled in. Alas. I can totally imagine, re: seeing Caja’s work optimally. ** Dominik, Hi to you!!! Wasps are scary. I never thought they especially were, but I read something recently about what hot headed little monsters they are relative to bees and other stinging types. So, that’s some love right there. Love as long as an early 1970’s street prostitute’s head hair and as messy as his eyes, G. ** David Ehrenstein, It’s been so long since I saw that Hitchcock film that saying I’m familiar with it would be really pushing it. ** Jeff J, Hi. Thanks much about the recent postage. I think the Sparks doc shows up in theaters just after I split, so it’s a Stateside screening or nothing, I guess. Sure, about Zooming. I’ll go find your email and answer. Thank you, man! ** T, Hi. I know, _B_A’s post was a kind of gotcha thing. Clever. I don’t mind being grossed out. It’s interesting. On occasion. I can imagine. I forget, have you seen that documentary about the ‘world’s most dangerous water park’? ‘Class Action Park’. You might really dig it, if not. I think I’ll try to devirginize myself water park-wise when I’m in LA. Fuck knows it’ll be hot enough to. Or maybe your Tuesday wish for me will take care of my virginity today, although Paris is not exactly full of water parks, and it’s raining. May your Tuesday turn you … presto change-o … into every form of pleasure’s locksmith. xo. ** Dom Lyne, Hi, Dom! Really nice to see you, buddy! Jesus, man, I’m rendered a bit speechless by the awfulness of your recent past. Good god. And during Covid’s shenanigan’s even. Well, wow, I hope somehow you get a righted as possible as quickly and painlessly as possible. That sounds facile in language, but I do mean it, as helpless as hopes and wishes are. Oh, shit, I need to get your book from Rebel Satori. How did that escape me? That’s great news at least. And I’ll soundtrack my life with the new Red Devil Incident album. Very cool and surprising to have them/you back. So, all is not lost. Good old artist identity. Hang in there, my friend, and much, much more. Love, me. ** adam r., Hi, Adam! Yeah, a friend Stateside found it, loved it, knew I would, and, hence … Word of mouth + passion is the key. I’ve always believed that because, well, most things I love seem to reach me that way. Anyway, yes, crazy and wonderful coincidence. I don’t have a cassette player. I always wish I did, but I never seem to make the leap. Awesome you’re doing that. I was going to ask you what you’re working on, but you answered. Great, I’m excited to hear the new release. I’ll watch out for it, or let me know when it’s ‘real’, or something. Rivette is great. If you feel like a marathon, ‘Out One’ is incredible. ‘Duelle’ and ‘Noirot’ are really great. Well, he’s pretty consistently fascinating. Great to interact. Thank you again, and see you soon, I hope. ** politekid, Hey, O! Everything you say about ‘It’s A Sin’ makes me shudder, so I will do the whole plague avoidance thing with it. Yes, RIP Lauren Berlant, ugh. Three months?! Sorry to spout predictable outrage, but that’s so bonkers. There’s a 6 week in-between wait here in France, and I thought that was absurd. I’m going — well, with Zac too — to Orlando for three days so we can blow out our mutual theme park obsessions after the year+ deprivation, and then to LA for a visit and to do early work own our next film. I’ll go to NYC and other US spots in September when my book comes out. I think it’s possible to be romantic about the US and have that romance consummated depending on the wheres and sheer luck or not. Very weird place. And never weirder than now. It does seem like Paris <-> London travel is in the immediate future, assuming … you know. Come visit. I think you’d like it. I could try to coax out its good side. I have heard of ‘Pepsi Cola Addict’ and its legendary and legendarily good status, and I keep forgetting about it. Okay, I wrote that down, and I’ll see if I can ferret it out. Seems like someone would have uploaded a pdf out there somewhere. Thank you, buddy. Enjoy the matinees and coffee. That’s basically my life by choice too. xo. ** Steve Erickson, I’ll be there for about three weeks. Brief time in Orlando then Southern California for the bulk. I’m going to give the blog a summer vacation while I’m away. First time I’ve done that since I went to Antarctica. ‘Fathom’ isn’t awful, it’s just kind of dull and doesn’t amount to very much. Eli Roth? Weird. ** alex beaumais, Hi, Alex! Well, I really loved your novel — well, and I  still do — so it being there was a no brainer. Thanks about my blog, and of course about my work. The whole mutual admiration thing is the best things get. So that’s so nice to hear. I don’t know ‘Crisis Actor’. I’ll find it. I like what’s on your nightstand. I don’t know those particular tracks you mention, and I too love that musical area, so thank you for giving me things to hunt. We have the same birthday? Wow. Mm, I think I’m okay with the 10th. I have a couple of friends whose birthdays are on December 24 and December 26, poor guys, so I’ve always mostly felt relief that there’s at least a couple of weeks between b’day and Xmas. You okay with yours? Ha ha, that’s a very good meme right there. Nice. Thanks a lot, and it goes without saying it’d be swell to get to interact with you anytime you want to hang out inside here. What are you working on? Take good care. ** Brian, Hi, Brian. _B_A was asking for it. Probably on purpose, knowing him. ‘Fathom’ is … dull. As well meaning as hell, but … dull. Ha ha, I remember thinking ‘Celluloid Closet’ was dated the day it was released. Obviously, its priorities are kind of general, I guess. ‘Snowtown’: news to me. I’ll find out what it is. I haven’t watched anything, but I have to try to watch some stuff on Criterion Channel that gets vacated in a couple of days, so I’ll be off to that race hopefully tonight or something. Figured I was overshooting with the Big Bang hopes, but, hey, better to have … err, whatever that old saying is about ambition’s upside. And now we both have today to contend with? Was yours suitable? ** Right. You get a sequel today. Go nuts. Or don’t. Or neither. Or all three simultaneously, if that’s possible. See you tomorrow

* (restored)

Too long didn’t read

A generic, and sometimes humorous, reply to someone who took way too much time describing something, while the description would’ve been sufficiently clear and complete with less words. The term is both used by impatient kids when they can’t concentrate long enough to read more then two sentences, and the more intelligent generation-X poster when the “long post” in question could’ve been described just as well, but much shorter, this comment can be taken either way.

Also a reply to long, attention-whorey spam topics.
Politically Involved Chap: (long rant about the state of affairs in the presidential houses of middle-west Europe)
Nooblet455: OMG TOO LOGN DIDNT READ!1

SpamClown69: (Long rant about rubber duckies and why he loves to rub his genitals with them)
MatureFolk: Too long, didn’t read. Idiot.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Too+long+didn%27t+read

tl;dr (abbreviation for too long; didn’t read) is an internet slang expression commonly used in discussion forums as a shorthand response to previous posts that are deemed unnecessarily long and extensive. Due to its indiscriminate usage by many, tl;dr is frequently considered as spam or meaningless replies by both those unaware of the term and those who are familiar with the meaning.

It’s not entirely clear where and when tl;dr first began, but the first Urban Dictionary entry was submitted on January 15th, 2003:
“Too long; didn’t read.”

“OMG LOOK AT ME I AM THE MASTAR OF TEH INTARNET!!! ONE TIME I WAS AT THIS PLACE ON THIS WEBSITE AND IT WAS PORNOS WITH GIRLS NAKED1!1! SO IN CONCLUSION I RULE!”

“TLDR.”

tl;dr has been adopted into common usage on discussion forums like General Mayhem, 4chan, SomethingAwful and FARK since at least 2003, with the earliest known instance dating back to a discussion thread posted by GenMay user “waptang” on June 19th, 2003.

Another Urban Dictionary entry submitted on November 20th, 2003 was later chosen as UD’s Word of the Day on May 16th, 2005. The Google Insights graph for the term indicates a noticeable spike in search interest circa 2006.

Most of the time, tl;dr is used to call out another user on the length of their post. However, in cases of more courteous exchanges and serious discussions, tl;dr can be self-invoked by the original poster as a disclaimer to the readers. It is then paired with a brief summary of the longer original text.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tldr

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Imagine living in a fast-moving kaleidoscope, where sounds, images, and thoughts are constantly shifting. Feeling easily bored, yet helpless to keep your mind on tasks you need to complete. Distracted by unimportant sights and sounds, your mind drives you from one thought or activity to the next. Perhaps you are so wrapped up in a collage of thoughts and images that you don’t notice when someone speaks to you.

For many people, this is what it’s like to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. They may be unable to sit still, plan ahead, finish tasks, or be fully aware of what’s going on around them. To their family, classmates or coworkers, they seem to exist in a whirlwind of disorganized or frenzied activity. Unexpectedly–on some days and in some situations–they seem fine, often leading others to think the person with ADHD can actually control these behaviors. As a result, the disorder can mar the person’s relationships with others in addition to disrupting their daily life, consuming energy, and diminishing self-esteem.

ADHD, once called hyperkinesis or minimal brain dysfunction, is one of the most common mental disorders among children. It affects 3 to 5 percent of all children, perhaps as many as 2 million American children. Two to three times more boys than girls are affected. On the average, at least one child in every classroom in the United States needs help for the disorder. ADHD often continues into adolescence and adulthood, and can cause a lifetime of frustrated dreams and emotional pain.

But there is help…and hope. In the last decade, scientists have learned much about the course of the disorder and are now able to identify and treat children, adolescents, and adults who have it. A variety of medications, behavior-changing therapies, and educational options are already available to help people with ADHD focus their attention, build self-esteem, and function in new ways.

http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/familyresources/l/bladd.htm

“Didn’t Read, LOL” is an expression commonly used in response to someone else’s post that is deemed too long or uninteresting, quite similar to the usage of the term TL;DR (too long; didn’t read). The phrase is usually iterated either in the form of reply comments or animated GIFs of people dancing in a carefree manner.

The earliest known mention of the phrase “didn’t read, LOL” can be found in a ColoradoFans forum thread posted on September 14th, 2006.[1] In the thread, the original poster (OP) shared photographs of his 2006 Silverado pickup truck with a verbose description of upgraded features, to which forum user Dillusion replied:

I didn’t read lol. I just looked at the pictures.

The first known GIF instance featuring the phrase surfaced some years later in July 2008, when IGN forum member Jaslar_Tha_Kidd_2 posted an animated GIF of dancing Sam Norman from the 2007 viral music video What What in response to the original poster’s lengthy post about his relationship issue.

Prior to the emergence of captioned GIFs in 2008, the phrase had been often used in an apologetic tone by forum commentators who hastily replied to a discussion thread without actually reading the original post. Throughout 2009 and 2010, the GIF collection continued to grow as they spread across other highly-trafficked discussion forums, most prominently in male and athlete-oriented communities such as BodyBuilding forum, Sherdog and InsideHoops forum. In most circumstances, “Didn’t Read LOL” GIFs are used deliberately to heckle others for posting something unworthy of one’s time.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/didnt-read-lol

Four years after Britney Spears’ breakdown, she’s again promoting a new album, Femme Fatale, out Tuesday, though it’s far from clear she’s fully recovered. But industry sources tell Jacob Bernstein that won’t hurt her career.
How do you market a pop star with a fragile connection to reality and a work ethic that appears to be somewhat diminished?
It’s a question record labels have faced over and over again, from the worst days of Stevie Nicks and Chaka Khan’s careers in the late 1970s and early ’80s, to Whitney Houston’s comeback attempt last year, and finally to Britney Spears.
On Tuesday her new album, Femme Fatale, is released, and Jive/Zomba is doing everything it can to keep her in the public eye, while at the same time avoiding the glare that comes with that.
But what else is Spears’ team to do? Four years ago, their golden goose had a meltdown of Charlie Sheen-like proportions, shaving her head and then attacking a car with an umbrella, as a slew of paparazzi went snap, snap, snap. From there, she spent the next few months checking in and out of rehab centers, failing to show up at custody hearings for her children, and being hospitalized, presumably for having a psychological break. Her money was placed in a conservatorship that her father, a notorious stage parent, controls to this day.

Since then, things have gotten quieter, but there have been conflicting indications that Spears has fully come out the other end, or that she even wants to be famous anymore. Touring in 2009 for another album, the appropriately titled Circus, the singer of mega-hits like “…Baby, One More Time” and “I’m a Slave 4 U” barely addressed her fans on the microphone in between songs. During an appearance on Ellen around that time, Spears did a skit where she went caroling with the chat host, but she hid the entire time beneath a pair of sunglasses, again saying little.

One source whose company makes money from Spears says, “The idea of a star having a breakdown and putting them back into place is near impossible,” before going on to liken her promotion process to putting “an alcoholic back in a bar and expecting them to be OK… So you end up putting in safety cushions and still, it seems weird.”

That it does. One after the other the interviews come, and one after the other, the elephant in the room just gets bigger.

“If you’re limited in what you can do [on the publicity trail], eventually the public figures it out,” says the last source. “She’s in a busy market with Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Ke$ha. There’s a lot of artists in that lane. It’s hard to keep putting Band-Aids on and hoping the problem goes away. Eventually, the public figures it out.”
Adz

This doesn’t even read like an article. It would be better if the points were constructed better. But for the most part the article doesn’t offer anything new. So it’s both boring, poorly structured, and blatantly repetitive, using the same quotes from the interviewer twice in two different sections. Mess.
Monroe

So people are refusing to read it because they can’t handle reading a few paragraphs? Or is it because they refuse to acknowledge any negative criticism in regards to their fave?
Tysen

http://atrl.net/forums/showthread.php?t=118519

Traditionally, the phrase too long; didn’t read (abbreviated tl;dr or simply tldr) has been used on the Internet as a reply to an excessively long statement. It indicates that the reader did not actually read the statement due to its undue length.

As a label, it is sometimes used as a tactic to thwart the kinds of discussion which are essential in collaborative editing. On the other hand, tl;dr may represent a shorthand acknowledgement of time saved by skimming over or skipping repetitive or poorly written material. Thus, the implication of the symbol can range from a brilliant and informative disquisition being given up due to a reader’s lack of endurance, interest, or intelligence, to a clustered composition of such utter failure to communicate that it has left the capable reader with a headache; judging this range is very subjective.

Writers often begin a project by writing long-winded drafts. As they go through the iterative process of revising their work, they (should) come to a better understanding of what they’re trying to communicate and be able to reduce the length of the work. If this process is stopped prematurely, the result is needlessly long. Writers may err towards wordiness out of concern that short prose which is not carefully edited (at high time cost) would oversimplify, to the point of distorting or omitting, or carry a higher risk of being misunderstood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Too_long;_didn%27t_read

I wonder what percentage of people who share articles or videos on social media sites are actually reading the whole thing. How often do we share something because we want others to think we are intelligent or cool? How often are we sharing, merely to garner attention or stir the pot. I never share things that I don’t read at least some of it, but it’s rare that I get to the end of the piece.

I was inspired to write about the subject of our lack of attention spans and increased “sharing” of things we didn’t read because I actually read an article in its entirety yesterday. It’s so rare that I can finish an article that didn’t have naked pictures, some Charedi scandal, or other pot stirring instances that I felt the need to give it such a lavish introduction.

Heshy Fried

http://www.frumsatire.net/2013/08/30/lack-of-attention-span/

Just like it killed pagers, travel agents, the Free-Ads and innocence, the internet has basically killed the Oxford Dictionary. In its Oxford English Dictionary form, it was the 20-volume, goatskin leather-bound king of bookshelf dictionaries, but now that Oxford Dictionaries Online exists, it’s just like any of the other boring databases of words you can find on the internet. Except that you have to pay to use it so no one does. The Oxford Dictionary won’t become obsolete, but it’s no longer the go-to for definitions. In fact, urbandictionary.com – a site that kinda lacks the gravitas of the OD brand – completely smashes it for hits. Hey, things change.

Except change can be a hard thing to embrace. I suppose it’s like when my relationship fell apart so I cut myself bangs, or when I moved into a ground floor flat and forgot to stop walking around nude with all the windows open. For the last few years, the Oxford Dictionary has been stumbling around naked, covered in tufts of its own split ends, desperately grasping at youth culture by incorporating an increasing number of irrelevant words. It’s not “LOL” and I don’t “heart” it. (Which, by the way, has been a grammatically correct sentence since 2011, according to the people who run the Oxford Dictionary.)

This week they added a bunch of kerazy new words, including: “vom”, “phablet” and “twerk”. First it was the faddish and “minging” Ali G-isms, now the OD is taking it upon itself to define the behaviour of Miley Cyrus’ butt. Is all this attention-seeking necessary, guys? I get that you’re trying to record the English language as it develops, but look me in the eye and tell me you’re not also revelling in the headlines, the endless mock-outrage, the publicity, the scandal. Check the back of your skirt because I’m pretty sure it’s tucked into your knickers and your PR department is showing.

Also, by your own definition, a dictionary is “a book or electronic resource that lists the words of a language”. Note that it doesn’t say “some words that were in the paper this week because of the VMAs the other night”. You’ll add “twerk” but not “yanking”? “Street food” but not “munch”? By selectively adding slang terms and refusing to acknowledge others, you’re betraying the very definition of what you are. Talk about an identity crisis.

Bertie Brandes

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/oxford-dictionary-new-words

 

 

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p.s. Hey. ** Zak Ferguson, Hi, Zak. Thanks a lot for your list! I noted the ones I don’t know, and I’ll get a search going. Hope you’re great. ** h (now j), Hi. This year has definitely been full of wonderful things, in the book realm especially. Great lists, thank you. Again, I’ll look into everything I don’t know. Big envy on you getting to see that Ray Johnson show. xo. ** Chris Kelso, Hi, Chris. Good to see you here, man. Well, of course, about ‘ItA’, and thanks for slipping it to me early. Dude, congrats on the impending dadhood. That’s intense. Well, based on the experiences of dudes-to-dads I know. Good intense, mind you. There’s a t-shirt with me on it? Wow, that’s trippy. I’ve never read Harlan Ellison, I don’t think, but I had a conversation with him once at a book festival we were both doing panels at. Lively guy. I’ll look for ‘A Lit Fuse’. I am curious. Thanks, sir, and happy week! ** Mike, Hi, Mike. Welcome! I think I would say that James Coleman show is the best thing I’ve seen all year. Totally blown away. So, yeah. Thanks for the input, and take care. ** _Black_Acrylic, Naturally, sir. And, hey, look (up above) what I found in my old blog’s ruins, eh? Ditto about the Poly Styrene doc.** Tosh Berman, Thank you, Tosh. Great stuff on your lists, a lot of which needs investigation by me. The Nitzsche singles collection and the Gene Clark especially jump out this morning. Excited to see/hear your upcoming Skelley+Berman double header. ** Ian, Hi Ian. Thanks, man. And thanks for ordering my stuff. I miss libraries. Or I mean libraries where the books are in a language I can read. If you don’t mind pdfs, that zLibrary link I had in the internet section is a great boon. ** Sypha, Hi. I read James Nulick’s book last year. 30 of my faves! You’re a pip. ** Bill, Right, hairdresser. I don’t know where perfumer came from. Hm, Isabel Yap, I’m on it. And ‘Young Diego’. There’s a shitload on your music list that I am thus far deprived of. I wrote them down. Lucky you to have seen the Jerome Caya show. I’ve still only seen a few of his pieces in person her and there. ** adam r., Hi, adam. Welcome to here, and thank you for the tips. Wonderful 2021 list, and thank for putting me and/or my stuff on it. ‘Celine and Julie Go Boating’: so, so good, right? Thanks a lot for the links to your friends’ stuff. I’ll cue them up today. Wait, you’re Marble Faun? That’s crazy. A friend hooked me up the track ‘the longest hallway’ recently, and I was/am so taken I’ve listened to your album a bunch and love it. Wow. Big respect and thanks to you! ** Dominik, Hi!!! Aw, thanks about ‘GONE’. That means a ton, pal. Is there anything more beautiful than a half sucked lollipop? Well, maybe, but not many things! I guess I should offer you (and me) love in the form of osmosis so we can sneak into Harry Styles’s brain and get him on that OF account and thereby save the world and of course make him share the proceeds with us, G. ** maggie siebert, Hi, Maggie! Ha ha, well, time to find a new life’s goal, I guess. Honored to have book there, of very course. And I got a new mom fan to boot! I’ll get that Elizabeth Aldritch book, and I just got the Dean Blunt, and, yeah, it’s terrific. Thank you. Major Monday to you! ** David Ehrenstein, Hi. James Whale, no disagreement there. ** Ferdinand, You still here or are you there or are you in between? Have a safe wherever, man. ** Dalton, Hey, Dalton. Just scribbled down the things on your lists that I haven’t seen or heard or read, and what you picked that I do know gets high fives from me. ‘About Endlessness’ should probably be streaming before too long. His films tend to get around. I saw ‘Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus’ and ‘Fat Chance’ at the Rotterdam Film Festival, which was a streaming on-line thing this year. I’m not sure where else they are. Thanks again, really appreciate it. ** Steve Erickson, Hi. Again, highly recommend zLibrary if you don’t mind reading pdfs. It’s an amazing resource. Thanks for your lists. I need to hear the  Arab Strap and Japanese Breakfast. And I haven’t seen a single one of your fave films. I’ll see what I can hunt down. I think someone here did say that, yes. Can’t remember who/when. Police brutality is a big problem here. But people are making a lot of noise about it, and, when the French makes noise, it usually makes a difference. ** Montse, Hi, Montse! I’m fine now, yeah. No big whoop ultimately. Because of the travel stuff, Protest Sonique is mostly French artists this year, and I haven’t heard of the vast majority of them. Neither has Stephen O even, he knows everything. The Cecilia Pavón book is really lovely. I haven’t read that Kate Zambreno book. I need to. The name Mariana Enriquez doesn’t ring a bell, but I had shitty sleep last night, so my memory might be napping. I’ll investigate. And ‘‘Destello bravío’ too. I need a mind blowing film, that’s for sure. Thank you, my dear friend. Happiest week to you! ** Louis Corax, Hi, Louis Corax. Welcome! I will absolutely for sure get ‘Palais d’Argile’ asap. Thank you so much for tipping us/me about it. And for coming in here. Obviously, feel more than free anytime. ** T, Hi, T. It was kind of a glut, I guess, yeah. A bunch of stuff you mentioned is not yet familiar to me. I’m writing down the unknowns, with a pen on a piece of paper and everything. Thank you. I have never been to a water park. Isn’t that weird, I mean for an amusement park obsessive like me? Don’t know why. Pure coincidence or bad coincidence or whatever. That makes sense about the oyster. Ugh, disgusting, Jesus. Sorry. That’s just so, so not vegetarian. Thanks for the wishy week. My favorite animal is the giraffe, but it doesn’t seem like I could get one of them to do very much. Well, eat with that scary tongue. Okay, that’ll do. I hope your week makes everything you want but can’t afford both affordable and edible. xo. ** polite kid, Hey, buddy! Great to see you! I was just thinking about you the other day and wondering how opening London was treating you, and you it. Your lists contain tons of things I don’t yet know. Which is very good. Thank you, I’m … scribbling … names. Oops, the TLS should have picked you. Obviously. No contest. I don’t know what ‘ It’s a Sin’ is. Something to do with the Pet Shop Boys song? I’ll avoid it. I’m so sorry about your grandma. I hate the length of lifespans, and the falling apart part. I’m sorry. You don’t get your second jab until September? That’s insane? Wtf?! Surely you can get jabbed hugely sooner. That’s ridiculous. Your Placecloud podcasts! Yay! I’m there. sir. Everyone, polite kid aka Oscar Nearly is a brilliant fella in general and one thing he’s done that you can partake of is his ‘weird history podcasts’, which are yours for the clicking on Placecloud. Here. Join the Oscar Nearly cult. I’m okay, didn’t sleep great last night, so a little ‘eh’ this morning, but good otherwise. Weekend was lowkey. Great pleasure had in that Marine LePen’s far right party got completely trounced in the regional elections yesterday. That was very good. I’m gonna split from France for the first time since 2019 and take a visit to the US next week, so I’m stressing and getting ready for that, and working on stuff. Fond wave to you across the shining sea in betwixt us. ** Jeff J, I was very surprised to realise it was mid-year faves time again too. Time is at its weirdest these days. M’s non-fiction is much more interested in communicating clearly with the reader and is much more directly analytical and opinionated than his fiction. No, ‘Melancholy Lens’ is not too academic, no. I don’t think I’ve done a post on N.H. Pritchard. Maybe his stuff was in a group post? It’s an excellent book. Yes, I would start with that Fini book. I haven’t seen the Sparks doc yet. I’m looking and looking for it. Hm, I don’t remember how I found Leyden Jars. I’ve known their stuff for quite a while. Thanks a lot for your lists. Consider me all over everything. ** Misanthrope, I’m a list fetishist who totally gets why some people aren’t. I always knew Rigby was a toughie. And very happy to know I was right. ** Brian, Hi, Brian. Yeah, there’s so much old stuff to catch up on. I’m just old enough to have had a long time to get at least a decent portion of old stuff under my belt and to get freed up for the newbies. I would have figured about Hardy’s prose. Cool you got to Pride. We had ours this weekend too, but I didn’t go. I saw it on TV. It looked healthy. I’m glad you also liked ‘Equation to an Unknown’. Special, right? My weekend wasn’t wildly exciting. As I told polite kid, the Far Rightgot trounced in the elections here yesterday, which was very heartening. I watched a not very interesting documentary, ‘Fathom’, about decoding humpback whale songs. This week should be better. Lots to do. I hope yours starts with a bang or even The Big Bang! ** Right. I found this excellent and informative old post made by Mr. _Black_Acrylic amidst the mess of my murdered blog and thought I would resuscitate it for y’all. Dig? See you tomorrow.