SO I went podcasting today....
Last night I watched the most recent remake of "A Star is Born" directed by Bradley Cooper & starring Lady Gaga with Bradley Cooper in the main roles. Excellent (first half). I watched the '70s version with Kris Kristofferson & Barbara Streisand as a kid. Anyway, while watching this version I thought of Dave Hickey's essay 'Romancing the Looky-Loos' from his essay collection Air Guitar, a collection that persuaded the MacArthur Foundation to award Hickey the Genius Award in 2001 at the age of 62. In the essay he critiques and analyses the tension between those who participate and those that merely look which plays out tragically in “A Star is Born” in the figure played by Bradley Cooper. The “Looky-Loos” is an essay I give to my students every year in an effort to instill in them a participatory rather than spectatorship model of being an artist. This is more difficult than it ever was in an Instagram culture that fosters Looky-loos above real participation; real participation involving putting yourself on the line – critically, emotionally, financially – for the sake of the community (Instagram likes or reposts, empty protests or slogans are not real participation!) Anyway… what follows is a rambling 15-minutes intro contextualising Hickey, his essay and 'A Star is Born' before reading essay in full. You are welcome!
Last night I watched the most recent remake of "A Star is Born" directed by Bradley Cooper & starring Lady Gaga with Bradley Cooper in the main roles. Excellent (first half). I watched the '70s version with Kris Kristofferson & Barbara Streisand as a kid. Anyway, while watching this version I thought of Dave Hickey's essay 'Romancing the Looky-Loos' from his essay collection Air Guitar, a collection that persuaded the MacArthur Foundation to award Hickey the Genius Award in 2001 at the age of 62. In the essay he critiques and analyses the tension between those who participate and those that merely look which plays out tragically in “A Star is Born” in the figure played by Bradley Cooper. The “Looky-Loos” is an essay I give to my students every year in an effort to instill in them a participatory rather than spectatorship model of being an artist. This is more difficult than it ever was in an Instagram culture that fosters Looky-loos above real participation; real participation involving putting yourself on the line – critically, emotionally, financially – for the sake of the community (Instagram likes or reposts, empty protests or slogans are not real participation!) Anyway… what follows is a rambling 15-minutes intro contextualising Hickey, his essay and 'A Star is Born' before reading essay in full. You are welcome!
- Category
- Kris Kristofferson
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