Today I’m off to Los Angeles. Since this has become Schjeldahl Week, I’ll share a story from his 1981 essay, L.A. Demystified! Art and Life in the Eternal Present:
Rusha dates starlets, always has. Once when I went to lunch with him at a restaurant near the Paramount lot, various angelic forms seemed to throw themselves at him out of the air. “Oh, Ed!” Bashful, smiling, folksy (from Oklahoma), Ruscha wears soft casual, terrific clothes and, always, terrific shoes. (Once, seated between two of the town’s top veteran artists at a dinner party, I heard absolutely nothing all evening but cars and shoes. Were they trying to drive me crazy?)
The reason I’m going to LA is to give a lecture (more info here). Like Schjeldahl, I hail from Minnesota. (Oklahoma natives are much more sophisticated). I don’t have soft casual clothes. I don’t date starlets. Please come to the lecture, but don’t laugh at my shoes.
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I’ll definitely be at the lecture and will wear ugly shoes so that you can feel comfortable ;-P
Comment by Raoul — January 18, 2007 @ 1:46 pm
Were you in any way responsible for the snow in Malibu?
Comment by N — January 18, 2007 @ 6:13 pm
Actually, Peter Schjeldahl was born in North Dakota, although he grew up in Minnesota and went to Carlton College.
Not that it makes that much difference…
Comment by Lux Iconic — January 20, 2007 @ 12:40 pm
btw, what was this bad crowd you got in with at niagara? think you’ll ever show those photos?
Comment by aizan — January 23, 2007 @ 3:45 am