LIFE MAGAZINE-DECEMBER 1969





Got my hands on this slice of Americana. Well, why not?

ADEL ABDESSEMED





Went to David Zwirner gallery on Saturday to check out the ADEL ABDESSEMED show entitled, RIO. The highlight was the gigantic installation of several airplanes entangled like fighting earthworms. Pretty hard to fully get the entire piece in one picture, but I tried to capture the magic. Other works included a soccer ball made of razor wire, and an amazing video which featured fighting pitbulls, cockfighting, snakes fighting scorpions and frogs, and everything fighting everything, in one "arena." NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH. Interesting show.

JEFF KOONS AT STRAND




I decided to skip the Mets home opener on t.v. and head to the Strand Bookstore to try to meet Jeff Koons and get his new book, Celebration, signed. He was being interviewed by Glenn O'Brien at 7:00 with a Q&A and signing afterward. Well, I walked out of the Strand at around 11:00 after a really long and boring wait. The event was great, but the 3 hour wait for the signing sucked. At first he was signing and doodling on every book a person presented, but by the time I got to him, it was "one book only," which pissed everybody off. I didn't like the Celebration book, but grabbed it anyway, only to have to choose between it and my other one, a catalogue from a Chicago show which had better pics and was more "pop." The lady who was running the event told me to leave my Celebration book at the desk with my info, because she was going to try to get him to sign more later. I'm not holding my breath. BUT, I am happy to get a real JK signed book with a flower doodle and some pics. When I was having my book signed, his "handlers" were just standing there repeating "Jeff, we gotta go, Jeff. We gotta go." Overall it was a good night with a good score, but I'm really hating on the douchebags that got like 10 books each signed, when he was fresh and enthusiastic.

SHE

Great new book pickup featuring two of my favorite artists, Wallace Berman and Richard Prince. From a show in Los Angeles, this book showcases some old Berman works and some newer Prince work, which combines old paperback covers with real porn, cars, and his new mailboxes. So far, one of the top books I've purchased this year.




JOHN WATERS-REAR PROJECTION

Hit up the new JOHN WATERS show at Marianne Boesky Gallery, entitled REAR PROJECTION. As usual Mr. Waters delivers the goods, and proves once again his artistic abilities go much further than film. Ike Turner statue, Giant RUSH bottle, The Process Church; the usual subversive shit John Waters specializes in. Excellent show that should be put on the must-see list if you are in NYC.