hi paik is or not a fluxus artist?
pez ---------- > From: purple <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: "MCLUHAN-L : Marshall McLuhan Discussion List" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2006 00:02:23 -0500 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [MCLUHAN-L] Paik Wake > > It was an astounding event. Apparently he's bigger than McLuhan. South Korea > is building a big museum dedicated to his oeuvre. The Smithsonian has a lot > of his work on display. > > All the avant-garde luminaries were there. Speeches were given by Yoko Ono, > Christo and his wife, Jeanne-Claude, Bill Viola, and yours truly (I told > some MM/Paik stories). Telegrams from the President of Korea, the German > culture czar, the Smithsonian, etc. His nephew was the best. Here's how he > ended his talk: > > "This is an interesting story I'll tell you. Aside > from trying to keep him liquid, this is one of the > most interesting things I did with him. In 1998, > Nam June was invited to a state dinner at the > Clinton White House, June of '98. If some of you > remember, it's not that long ago, that was the > height of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which > had broken out earlier, in January or February. > Nam June was going, and he asked if I would go > with him. So I said, sure. I went with him. I > wheeled him into the White House, and these gigantic > Marines took over from there. Nam June > was very amused, I think. He was having a great > time, talking to all the people there. > Then we got to the receiving line. Nam June decided > to show respect, I think, to the president, > Mrs. Clinton, and the other dignitaries there. He > decided to get up from his wheelchair, get on his > walker, and try to walk across the receiving line. > Across the receiving line at the state dinner is the > World's press. They're all there; I don't know how > many, tens of cameras and video cameras, everything. > So as Nam June is talking to President Clinton, > and I'm standing right behind him as he's > making some small talk to President Clinton, > Nam June turns around and says to me: Ken, > I think my pants are falling. True story here. And > I said, What? My pants are falling! he says. I > look down, and his pants are falling! They are > completely down on the floor. And he has no underwear on! > So I pick up his pants. I pull them up and I just hold them there. > Now, Bill Clinton is such a cool president he > still continued to have small talk with my uncle. I > think they were talking about Chelsea, maybe, I > don't know. A little bit down the line, I could see > that Hillary was really not amused at all. She was > ticked. But Bill Clinton was saying nothing. It was really > quite amazing. > > After that interesting dinner, Nam June was inundated > with phone calls, faxes, everything. All his > friends around the world thought that was the > best Fluxus performance in the world. Everybody > wanted to know, including the press, whether it > was an accident or whether it was, because you > have to remember, my uncle is in a wheelchair > now but he has a reputation for being a cultural > terrorist. So I asked Nam June, did you drop > your pants on purpose? Was it an act? Was it an > artistic statement? A political statement? And so > he said, My pants dropped. That's all. He told > me, and this is very Nam June, he said, It really > doesn't matter. It was a great event. > He's just like that, totally unfazed. Was he > embarrassed? No, of course not! And I think > Bill Clinton was very cool about that, too. The > press was so excited that somebody else's pants, > not the president's, had dropped in the White > House. They were so excited by that. It was the > ultimate Fluxus event. > > About two hours ago, I called Nam June and I > told him I was going to receive this Medal for him, > and I asked him, What advice do you have for > the artists in the Colony? I'll pass on to you what > he said. He said, Work hard. Be lazy - which is a > very Nam June Paik thing to say. And he wished > you all well. Thank you very much." > > At the end of the memorial today, the nephew handed out about fifty scissors > and asked everyone to cut off the tie of the man next to you or you wouldn't > be allowed in the reception. Everyone cut off their neighbor's tie and then > Yoko suggested everyone put the pieces in Nam's open casket. Everyone did. > > More amazing things happened at the reception. > > > Bob Dobbs > > > P.S. Since he was a "global artist", Paik asked to be buried in 10 > countries.
