Friends,
Received two notes from Eric Andersen in the past two days, both requesting
that this correspondence be sent to Fluxlist. I gather that he has also
posted some kind of note or forwarded private correspondence to a large
list of people. I don't know who is on this list.
I'm leaving for a week in North America. Perhaps Eric will be content with
this year's round of nonsense, or perhaps he will once again fabricate a
series of falsehoods that can be readily demonstrated as lies.
Since Eric writes me now that he is launching this debate in public, I feel
obliged to respond.
Ken Friedman
Eric,
Two letters from you in two days. My goodness.
It is no secret that I don't like you. Saying as much in a private letter
to Tamas St. Jauby doesn't seem strange. It's no indication of bad
character to state that I don't like you. It's a public fact. And it is a
public fact that you've broadcast a lot of nonsense about me.
As it is, I didn't know that Tamas broadcasts private notes. In a note this
morning, he explained that this is his view of how the Internet should be
used. I disagree with his view. I will be careful of what I send Tamas.
You seem to insist on involving me in a public debate. Your note today is
reprinted below as a reminder. In today's mail, you state that you will
forward both private notes to all our friends. You also propose the
correspondence be posted on Fluxlist. Since you think it is shows bad
character to send a private note even to one person, I'm sure you'll want
to send me the list of people to whom you forwarded my letter so that I can
also send them this note. Just send me the list of people to whom you wish
copies sent. I will be glad to oblige.
In the meantime, I post herewith answers concerning the four exercises you
sent yesterday. At your request, I am sending a copy to Fluxlist.
Eric Andersen writes:
>Dear Ken,
>
>First of all I would like to inform you that Tamas St.Auby is a notorious
>liar, he is not an artist., not even a non-art-artist., but a monomaniac,
>boring bureaucrat, who thinks he is the only expert of Fluxus and all,
>who is an uncurable solipsist.
>
>Secondly I think it would be healthy for you to do the following four
>simple excersices:
>
>a)
>
>Gino di Maggio told me that when he first met you, you completely seriously
>handed him over your businesscard. The card stated that you were Ken
>Friedman (probably a lie) and President of Fluxus.
>Why not reprint this wonderful document and send it to all your friends?
>
You must have heard Gino wrong. I met Gino in the early 1980s. In those
days, I used a business card for a publishing and consulting company. I was
president of the company.
I never had a Fluxus business card and I never labeled myself as
"president" of Fluxus.
In the 1960s, George Maciunas made some Fluxus stationery. It had my name
with the rubric of Fluxus. (Milan Knizak was listed as Fluxus East and Ben
Vautier as Fluxus South.) There were no titles on the stationery, just
names. I used that stationery in the 1960s. We used no cards. For a year or
two in the early 1970s, I used a card for Fluxus West.
Since the card you've asked for never existed, it can't be reprinted.
Eric Andersen writes:
>b)
>
>Unfortunately there have only been very few occassions where we joined the
>same panel. I don't recall that you ever had the courage to disagree with
>any of us in these fora. I do recall however: at one of these rare
>occassion (in Vienna) we got so pissed off with your whole attitude that we
>took you by your legs and arms and threw you into Geoff's rubber boat
>filled with cold water. I am sure that you still keep your watered pans as
>a relic. I will suggest that you put them up for an auction on the
>Fluxlist. They will probably bring you a fortune.
>
We have appeared on panels and in festivals together. When I have an
opinion different from you or anyone else, I say so. Most of what I say is
documented. I have often stated my views in public, disagreements included.
It's silly to suggest that I offer one set of views in print while failing
to stand up for what I believe in public fora.
We have disagreed on the Internet and in print. I put my views forward in
clear terms. Documents are available for those who wish to read them.
To say I lack the courage to state my views is nonsense. The published
record states my views.
It is true that I got a bath in Geoff's boat. Al Hansen arranged it as a
friendly prank. You never knew why, but that is beside the point. You had
nothing to do with it except to join in throwing me in once the action was
under way. (And if you don't believe Al and I were on good terms, you can
check the catalogue of his last show, the one where he had arranged notes
and comments from his friends just before he died.)
I didn't save the pants. I gave them to Francesco for his collection.
Eric Andersen writes:
>c)
>
>We know you can only see in black and white. I will propose that you use
>some of the fortune from the auction to go to Sao Paulo to see some more
>shades. They have plenty.
>
It was George Maciunas who was color blind.
Eric Andersen writes:
>d)
>
>Since I only tell true stories about how you always annoy us when you try
>to push yourself into situations with us, I will add this one for the
>repertoire. The festival Excellent was organized in Copenhagen in 1992.
>Allthough you tried to get invited, you were of course not. On the first
>day of the festival you suddenly appeared and asked me to be a part of this
>real important event with a very strong list of artists. Of course I told
>you that it was impossible. Everything had been planned for a long time.
>Program, posters and invitations were printed and had been send out etc.
>Then you begged me just to be included so you could appear on the
>photo/video documentation. You didn't need to have your name mentioned
>anywhere, you would cover all your own costs and you didn't need a fee.
>Since you are not an artist, I rejected this offer.
>Now the interesting thing is that you never bought a ticket or showed up
>for the opening evening. If you are really interested in Fluxus, why didn't
>you want to witness this extraordinary evening? You were in town anyway.
>Why?
True stories? I will demonstrate that your Copenhagen story is a lie.
It is true I asked to be invited to Copenhagen. It is true you did not
invite me. The rest of your story is false.
I didn't ask on the first day of the festival. I called several months earlier.
You made it clear you weren't going to invite me. It was your festival. I
had to accept your decision.
I never requested to take part after that.
I did, however, attend the festival.
I purchased tickets and came to all the events in Copenhagen and Malmo. On
the opening night, I sat with Francesco for a while, and then with Dick.
Later, I wandered around, visited the store and so on. I also spent part of
the evening talking with Ina Blom and later with Marianne Bech. You can ask
them if you're curious.
You said hello to me in Copenhagen and you tossed a few insults my way.
Your memory lapse is no major surprise. You remember the past in different
versions every time you tell it. (The last time you told the Copenhagen
story, you invented a fabulous tale of things you claimed I said and did
there. That story didn't work very well, so the new story has me not
showing up at all.)
As it is, we can rely on sources other than you memory. Ben Vautier
remembers that I was in Copenhagen. You can read his web site if you have
forgotten.
He wrote up some notes years ago in one of his newsletters. Now you can
read it on the web:
"Fluxus artists are coward in Copenhagen,
because of Eric's and Knud Petterson they
don't dare speak to Ken Friedman, it is just
as if he was contagious. On the other hand,
in Minneapolis, Ken was respected. Lots of
people then consider Ken Friedman as having
done a lot for Fluxus."
You will find this comment in the Fluxus section when you click on "art
bullshit."
It's at URL http://www.ben-vautier.com/
Although your memory seems to have holes, I bought tickets and attended the
festival.
The role you set up for me in your story is an invention. Even so, no one
can prove that I never said what you claim I said.
What I can demonstrate is that you are not stating the truth when you claim
I did not attend the festival.
I did not take part in the festival as an artist.
I did purchase tickets and I was present in the audience. Everyone but you
remembers it well enough.
Eric Andersen writes:
>
>e)
>
>I propose that you make a survey. Write to e.g. Ben Patterson, Larry
>Miller, Geoff Hendricks, Philip Corner, Jackson MacLow, La Monte Young,
>Emmett Williams, Willem de Ridder, Ben Vautier
>..............................
>and invite each of them for a joint performance. The 2 of you will share an
>evening at some prestigious location and a substantial catalogue in 4
>colours will be published to document it all. Just to make it a little more
>attractive, offer the performer you invite a fee of US$ 10.000 plus all
>costs covered, a first class airticket, a 5 star hotel and a generous per
>diem. Collect all the answers and publish them on the Fluxlist.
>BUT DON'T LIE !!!
I have performed with these people at concerts, festivals, or exhibitions.
The catalogues and documents exist. No need for new documents. We can read
the old ones - and it won't cost a penny.
If you want to undertake a survey, feel free.
Eric Andersen writes:
>
>
>Regards
>Eric
>
>
>P.S. Maybe it would be great thing to put these excersices on the Fluxlist?
Autumn is here, Eric.
Every autumn for the past ten years or so, you have started a campaign of
gossip, lies, and slander about me. In the pre-Internet era, you went to
people privately with nonsense I could not correct. I never knew you said
things until years later.
This bothered me when other people thought I had said something or done
something about them that never happened.
Your lies have caused many bad feelings for people, and not just for me.
Emmett Williams's book - My Life in Flux and Vice Versa - recounts one such
incident on page 170. He writes about how you damaged his friendship with
George Maciunas by inventing a false history of things that you claimed he
had done. He describes your "imaginary, if not very imaginative, accounts."
He concludes, "A cruel joke? It was certainly no laughing matter to George,
who regarded it as Gospel truth; and it [Eric Andersen's letter campaign]
cost me, through no fault of my own, his friendship and trust for many
years to come."
Others tell similar tales.
In the Internet age, you can use the new technology to spread your
imaginary accounts farther.
Last year, a whole round of lies went by. I answered each one with publicly
available facts to rebut the claims you made.
What I can't answer are the notes you circulate about me. I also can't do
much about the way that email technology can be used to forge, edit or
modify my emails so that they seem to say something other than what I
originally wrote. (People are usually smart enough to write me direct to
ask if I have really written the post they've seen.) Most of our friends
don't care. Everyone knows about your weird obsession with me, and everyone
knows that I have come to dislike you. We have mutual friends nevertheless.
I don't ask anyone to take sides in this annual battle. I do hope that no
one is taken in by the clever little tricks you pull by saying "Ken said
this," "did this" or "wrote that."
Most people can see that what you write about me or say about me is false.
Your "imaginary, if not very imaginative, accounts" may entertain a few
people. I will leave you to them.
Regards indeed,
Ken
Copy of your post dated 2000 August 3:
>Dear Ken,
>
>Your E-mails to IPUT of July, 27th and August, 2nd demonstrate completely
>clearly what a lousy character you have. Consequently I will forward both
>mails to all our friends, who haven't realized that yet.
>
>Some day the entire correspondance will end up on the Fluxlist. That might
>even be one of the purposes of the list.
>
>Regards
>Eric
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