Prologue · Portishead’s “DUMMY”: The British band’s critically acclaimed first album, despite their aversion to press/mainstream success. Described as “music noir for a film not yet made” as well as “Gothic hip hop”
Day One · Exterminator!: Book of short stories by William S. Borroughs · Victor Bockris: biographer of artists writers and musicians, primarily the bohemians of the 1950s and the Beats of the 1970s · Andy Warhol: Artist and preeminent figure in the pop art movement, explored the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture, and advertisement "becoming wolf" The second short story in Exterminator!, "The Lemon Kid," is about an eight-year-old boy named Audrey who writes an autobiography of a wolf. · Napalm: a flammable liquid used in warfare to stick to skin and cause extreme burns · Gregory Peck: One of the most famous movie stars from the 1940s-1960s, most famous for his role as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird · Spellbound: Alfred Hitchcock film about the new head of a mental asylum (Peck), who suffers from amnesia · “Knock-out herbal sleep bombs:” Kathy was known to take an herbal approach to medicine throughout her life. When she traveled she brought with her “powdered herbal supplements (which she lugged around, along with vitamins, in a full-sized suitcase).” "the checks I got in Australia for work all can't be cashed:" "Cashing an Australian check in the United States is a process that can potentially take weeks and cost you a considerable amount in processing fees. While there are several ways to handle this dilemma, American banks recommend avoiding foreign checks written in foreign denominations. If you are expecting to receive money from Australia, ask the Australian bank to make a direct wire transfer to your bank or write you a cashier's check directly from the bank. Both of these options will significantly lessen the wait time for you to receive American cash from your Australian check." -USA Today article · George Gurdjieff: mythic, philosopher, spiritual teacher, and composer, who taught that humans do not possess a unified mind-body consciousness and live their lives in a state of hypnotic walking sleep · Virtual Geography: Ken’s book on global media events, providing insight on what it means to live in a world where infinite information is available at the speed of light
Day Two · Prime minister: The prime minister of Australia at the time was Paul Keating, leader of the Labor Party, Australia’s democratic socialist political group Asynchronous conversation: Asynchronous conversation occurs when the two parties communicating aren't necessarily communicating or available to communicate at the same time, such as emailing, writing letters, or voicemail. Synchronous conversation would refer to in-person communication, phone calls, or texting/chatrooms where both parties are participating. · “I opened one of your books at random:” Ken reads an excerpt from Empire of the Senseless, an exploration of a world where society as we know it is dying. To read more excerpts from Empire of the Senseless, visit the tab on Kathy Acker. · Todd Haynes: Indie film director, screenwriter, and producer, pioneer in New Queer Cinema, first gained attention for his 1987 short film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story. Most recently, he directed Carol. · Safe: 1995 film starring Julianne Moore as a suburban housewife who falls ill and seeks New Age practices for a cure
Day Three · Joe Dallesandro: actor from Warhol’s films who crossed over into mainstream success- considered to be the most successful male sex symbol of the underground/gay subculture of the 20th century · Paul Morrissey: avant-garde film director best known for his collaboration with Andy Warhol and for discovering and promoting The Velvet Underground · “my early twenties:” The New York City of Kathy’s twenties was NY of the late 60s/early 70s, a time marked by the gay rights movement and the defining riot at the Stonewall Inn, high crime rates, and a notoriously corrupt city government · dualism: The division of something conceptually into two opposed or contrasted aspects, the state of being so divided · Alphonso Lingis: philosopher, writer, and translator specializing in phenomenology and existentialism, (Phenomenology: philosophical study of the structures and experiences of consciousness, Existentialism: the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject, not the thinking subject, but the acting, living, feeling, individual)
Day Four · Maurice Blanchot: French writer, philosopher, and literary theorist known for his strong influence on post-structuralism
Day Five · Pussycat Fever: One of Kathy’s novels, published in 1995 and described as a “hallucinatory amalgam of emotion and desire” · Aphasia: inability to communicate or formulate language due to dysfunction in a particular brain region · Ovid: Roman poet known for his Metamorphoses (a 15-book long metered epic poem) and his various collections of love poetry
Day Six RU/Richard: RU Sirius (born Kevin Goffman) is a writer, editor, talkshow host, musician, and a cyberculture celebrity. He was the cofounder and first editor-in-cheif of the magazine Mondo 2000. He's written for or been a regular contributor for many top publications, including Wired, Time, Esquire and the San Francisco Examiner. · Perfunctorily: Perfunctory refers to an action or gesture carried out with little effort or reflection
Day Seven · “Lived too many years in England:” Kathy spent a good chunk of the 80s in England, and upon reflection of her experience there she said: “In England it was absolutely horrible… the media image is so much this kind of sexual image. I’m very well-known there and I get tons of work, but to say that they like what I do, not, I wouldn’t say that. They fetishise what I do.” · Matias Viegener: writer, artist, and critic whose works span writing, visual art, and social practice. He was one of Kathy’s best friends and is the executor of her estate. He edited the book I’m Very Into You and has been instrumental in this project.
Day Eight dialectic: holding two opposite truths at the same time "His love for me wasn't legal" - Ken's relationship with Glen (Aboriginal guy) was not legal because in 1995 gay marriage had not been legalized in Australia, however same-sex partners were granted de facto rights similar to a civil union or domestic partnership. However, historically many Aboriginal groups have opposed same-sex marriages, often citing respect for a traditional family structures.
Day Nine · Charles Baudeliare: French poet known for his essays and art criticism as well as being a pioneer in translating the works of Edgar Allen Poe
Day Ten · SOLO MIO Festival: A festival of solo work produced by San Francisco’s Climate Theatre · Eric Bogosian: Pulitzer Prize nominated Armenian American actor, playwright, novelist, historian, and major Off-Broadway solo shows · Greil Marcus: Music journalist and cultural critic whose scholarship placed rock music within the broader framework of culture and politics- something that was not customary of popular music
Day Fourteen · Theorem: 1968 Italian film in which an ethereal stranger leaves an indelible spiritual effect on a bourgeoisie family · Pier Paolo Pasolini: Italian film director, poet, and writer, who also distinguished himself as an actor, journalist, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, painter, and political figure
Day Fifteen shrooms: mushrooms are one of the oldest continually used psychedlic drugs and are known for being one of the most direct routes to a spiritual experience for human beings. Michel Foucalt: French philosopher, historian, literary critic, and social theorist whose work addressed the relationship between power and knowledge. He was considered highly influential by both academic and activist groups.
Day Seventeen · Immanence: philosophical and metaphysical theories of divine presence in which the divine encompasses or is manifested in the material world · Michael Hardt: Literary theorist and political philosopher, his book Empire has been praised as “a Communist Manifesto for the 21st Century) · Virtual Futures: An interdisciplinary event that examined the role of cybernetics and non-linear models in the arts, sciences, and philosophy