Broadsheet, The Blog

Two Lady Artists with Bees in Their Bonnets

16 June 2006

It Really Gets My Goat!


A friend of mine used to insist that all visual artists really want to be rock stars. Maybe so, but then how do you explain all the rock stars who want to be “taken seriously” as visual artists? I guess it just proves that a BFA really is a good investment, if you want to be in a band. When musicians hit middle age and they start worrying about looking silly up on stage they can trade in on their celebrity status and devote themselves to a whole new dignified means of creative expression… (hello, MICK?!) But where does this leave the struggling artist who didn’t have the good sense to get into a band when she was in art school? I mean sure, we’ve all had the fantasy where some professional jackass at a party smugly asks “so, you’re an artist, do you make a living doing THAT?” and you say “no, but I make money playing in A BAND, asshole.” But who ever thought that could be a reality? I hate to name names, but I think the Davids Byrne and Johansen, Tony Bennett, Don Van Vliet (hey you’re not foolin’ us by using your REAL name!) and even Martin Mull (an actor no less, who has two degrees from RISD -- now he was really thinking ahead!) need to step aside and give back a little wall space. (Ok, so I’ve warmed up on the John Lurie issue after hearing Leonard interview him Wednesday on WNYC.) But, just like movies stars who want to be rock stars… it really gets my goat!

Sincerely Annoyed,
That Broad

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

You missed Viggo on that list. And Winston Churchill was a painter too. Celebrities, bah humbug. Most of us artists have to be hyphens to survive but when folks already have money and fame they should have the decency to become famous COLLECTORS!! Then museums will name wings after them.

12:42 PM  
Blogger Broad*Sheet said...

you beat me to it, I was thinking of viggo too. Because being hot is no excuse for bad art!!

I have to admit david byrne's powerpoint art is pretty cool tho.

1:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

John Mellencamp just bought himself a show (I believe the inaugural show) at the shiny new art school gallery here in Indianapolis. The gallery had no time space available for the school's senior show,which was then split between two other ventures, one a bar, the other a retiring art facility.

4:21 PM  
Blogger Broad*Sheet said...

anonymous- egads, that's awful!!

so, what's his art look like? I'm gonna go searching now...

4:47 PM  

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