A Phony Writer and His Dopey, Insulting Column: an open letter to Neil Steinberg
This is my response to a slanderous column written by New York Daily News/Chicago Sun-Times scribbler Neil Steinberg that pertains to Kerry Skarbakka's performance/photography piece he did in Chicago at the MCA on June 14th, 2005. Steinberg, along with a NY Daily News staff hack by the name of Adam Lisberg, said that Kerry was "Reenacting" 9/11 (like Civil War reenacting) and this of course got the villagers in a huff. Kerry has been doing this body of work which deals with falling and loss of control and suspended animation for four years now, to much acclaim and with a few misconstrued quotes, these two assholes have sought to tear him down. Fuck them both.
Oh, here is the link to Steinberg's column:
Steinberg's Rant
Dear Neil,
T'is a sad, sad day when a writer of promise, one that I previously enjoyed and one who showed so much potential, ends up as just another gassy windbag hack flinging a bag of alphabet feces around the gilded cage down at the fish wrap factory.
Just what am I talking about?
Well Neil, I'll tell you.
A few years back I stumbled across a fine little tome called Complete & Utter Failure, ever heard of it? My, how easy it would have been to read a few of it's intense, navel gazing passages and to have said to myself, "what a piece of shit, this poseur thinks himself an author? an artist ? What dumb-ass editor green-lit this narcissistic twaddle?"
I can hear it now: "It's called Compete & Utter Failure, it'll be a huge Success!" (481,697 on the Amazon.com sales ranking. Is that good or bad?)
Alas, it was not to be.
At first glance it seemed a rather sad book from what little I gathered from reading a few somewhat depressing lines from it. In fact, I guessed this Neil Steinberg fellow really was a complete & utter failure and I wondered how he holds his woeful little head up over there at the Sun-Times while he pens his lite & quirky little slice-o-lifers? It must be hard for him now that he's laid bare his sensitive soul. Newspaper folk can be notoriously mean-spirited and cold blooded. But, since the book was only a dollar at a used bookstore on Clark in Chicago, my girlfriend hurled the ringer and slapped down the buck, "what the hell, let's give Mr. Failure a chance."
You see, we're like that Neil, we give an artist a chance to be heard, their due as it were. Perhaps the book was a slow mover as they say in the lit-biz, eh? Chalk it up to experience and thank the furies for the cushy day job right?
Well, it is a good thing we didn't jump to that conclusion and judge the book by it's silly cover or it's rather small size (the hardback version) nor from a few skimmed passages, because after getting into the meat of it Neil, and actually listening to the voice of the writer (who just happens to be you), I saw there was actually some value to be found within it's pages, but perhaps, with hindsight, I jumped too quickly to my conclusion. Perhaps I misread your book? Maybe I read it too slowly, perhaps I need to read it faster, in disconnected chunks, like I'd read, say, a slanderous column in the New York Daily News. I mean, who has time to really read these days anyway?
Why? Because after reading your beef-witted rant concerning the artist Kerry Skarbakka, I couldn't help but to be amazed that the same thoughtful gent who penned the book Complete & Utter Failure (and seemed to have a handle on art and what motivates it) was responsible for this sort of myopic and bile laden screed directed at an artist. An artist you know practically nothing about. It is quite obvious from your column that you did absolutely ZERO preparation before jumping on your little bold print thunder-box to prod the villagers into a pitchfork wielding blood frenzy - you had your pre-arranged agenda and that agenda had nothing to do with understanding Kerry's work, but instead you sought to tear him down. Such a fine, fine use of your talents Neil, though it is obvious that you have found the perfect hearth to warm your frosty toes over there at West 33rd.
As for your sticking up for the victims of 9/11, well golly gee, aren't you a bold sort (That "job" has almost become a NYC media profession in its own right has it not? You, Pataki and Bloomberg - heroes all, each on constant vigilant watch for cultural "terrorists" who squirm amongst us getting grant money in which to despoil our national purity: "Avert your eyes good children! Here there be Dragons!").
Shit Neil, why not go all the way and just get the old blacklist going again while your at it?
Gee, whipping the Boroughs into a fit over "that day" sure takes a lot of concerted effort does it not? Anyone can step on the third rail Neil, but why would they? The Mayor (a noted commentator on the arts if there ever was one) was quoted as saying that Kerry Skarbakka was "nauseatingly offensive" and I beg to differ from hizzoner and I'll tell you why, because you know what is really "nauseatingly offensive" to me Neil?
It has nothing to do with art.
No, it is much more nefarious and sinister. Why I wonder, do you not to point your laser-like, steely-eyed columnist gaze towards the real creeps in this sad national story? Why not write about how "that day" has been endlessly mined and exploited by some less-than-honorable though very powerful elements in this country, and how this exploitation has resulted in the real maiming and deaths of thousands of young American men and women in our armed services (not to mention an unknown number of civilians)? What? You don't consider the relentless squeezing of young blood out of that horrible day to be exploitation? Mmm.
9/11 happened to ALL of us Neil and even if Kerry Skarbakka was initially "inspired" by the events of that day to get up and live his life and used that inspiration to create (because artists create Neil, that is what they do) he would not be alone in his efforts. Many people changed the way they went about their lives after that day of horror. Many were "inspired" by it to make art: films were made, songs written, t-shirts were silk-screened, tacky bumper stickers were printed, and yes, even performance pieces were created - whether you like them or not. Exploitation? How about some blow-hard, lint-head like Toby Keith who found a way to exploit all those dead office workers by whipping the "with-us-or-against-us" yellow-ribbon herd into a blind "kill-em-all" death frenzy and raking in piles of pocket cabbage while doing it. What's that if not exploitation? Kerry Skarbakka instead found a quiet solace in his art, creating a body of work that has nothing to do with 9/11 and everything to do with real expression and the real freedom that comes from that expression.
And you seek to crucify him?
If you cannot comprehend an art that seeks to travel beyond "painting a bowl of fruit" (as one of the Mensa candidate's was quoted as saying in your paper when asked what real art is) or a Thomas Kincaid paint-by-numbers moonscape that is purchased at at the mall solely because its soft, non-offensive colors match the gimcrackery in your home, then this only points to a level of low-watt ignorance. Do really you hate all the things you do not understand? History is sadly ripe with that sad story line. Why don't you write about that?
The person who wrote Complete & Utter Failure seemed to be in touch with something deeper, but now even that little book may require a quick (operative word) re-read in order to shuffle your words in a dyslexic dance and take them out of context, because really, what does it matter if anyone understands just what it is you are trying to say? Just another poseur hack, right? Unfortunately, at the moment, I do not have the platform of the New York Daily News to spew invective from (are you jockeying for a gig as a screamer on FOX because that is exactly what your column sounds like - perhaps that will work out for you, you'd fit in nicely over there) so all I can do is write you and post this letter on my blog for anyone who is interested in the real story behind Kerry Skarbakka's work.
So with no further ado, it obviously seems that I misread your work before and I'll pay more heed to the Neil Steinberg who has discovered that his comfort zone is in dragging the honest intentions of others through the low-com-denom cultural Cuisinart. Perhaps Neil you too are suffering from a deeply flawed "failure to communicate". Maybe your next book should be called Mediocre & Forgettable or how about Mendacity?
You know Neil, I'm in Chicago and New York City occasionally, so perhaps we can meet in front of the Sun-Times or the Daily News and you can show me that cat o'nine tails trick you seek to publicly perform on Kerry Skarbakka's back, I'd love to see you try. Perhaps I'll bring one too and give it whirl - on you. How thick is your skin? We'll all get medieval and call it art.
Cheers,
Rob Oldham
Patron of the Arts and Southern Gentleman
Oh, here is the link to Steinberg's column:
Steinberg's Rant
Dear Neil,
T'is a sad, sad day when a writer of promise, one that I previously enjoyed and one who showed so much potential, ends up as just another gassy windbag hack flinging a bag of alphabet feces around the gilded cage down at the fish wrap factory.
Just what am I talking about?
Well Neil, I'll tell you.
A few years back I stumbled across a fine little tome called Complete & Utter Failure, ever heard of it? My, how easy it would have been to read a few of it's intense, navel gazing passages and to have said to myself, "what a piece of shit, this poseur thinks himself an author? an artist ? What dumb-ass editor green-lit this narcissistic twaddle?"
I can hear it now: "It's called Compete & Utter Failure, it'll be a huge Success!" (481,697 on the Amazon.com sales ranking. Is that good or bad?)
Alas, it was not to be.
At first glance it seemed a rather sad book from what little I gathered from reading a few somewhat depressing lines from it. In fact, I guessed this Neil Steinberg fellow really was a complete & utter failure and I wondered how he holds his woeful little head up over there at the Sun-Times while he pens his lite & quirky little slice-o-lifers? It must be hard for him now that he's laid bare his sensitive soul. Newspaper folk can be notoriously mean-spirited and cold blooded. But, since the book was only a dollar at a used bookstore on Clark in Chicago, my girlfriend hurled the ringer and slapped down the buck, "what the hell, let's give Mr. Failure a chance."
You see, we're like that Neil, we give an artist a chance to be heard, their due as it were. Perhaps the book was a slow mover as they say in the lit-biz, eh? Chalk it up to experience and thank the furies for the cushy day job right?
Well, it is a good thing we didn't jump to that conclusion and judge the book by it's silly cover or it's rather small size (the hardback version) nor from a few skimmed passages, because after getting into the meat of it Neil, and actually listening to the voice of the writer (who just happens to be you), I saw there was actually some value to be found within it's pages, but perhaps, with hindsight, I jumped too quickly to my conclusion. Perhaps I misread your book? Maybe I read it too slowly, perhaps I need to read it faster, in disconnected chunks, like I'd read, say, a slanderous column in the New York Daily News. I mean, who has time to really read these days anyway?
Why? Because after reading your beef-witted rant concerning the artist Kerry Skarbakka, I couldn't help but to be amazed that the same thoughtful gent who penned the book Complete & Utter Failure (and seemed to have a handle on art and what motivates it) was responsible for this sort of myopic and bile laden screed directed at an artist. An artist you know practically nothing about. It is quite obvious from your column that you did absolutely ZERO preparation before jumping on your little bold print thunder-box to prod the villagers into a pitchfork wielding blood frenzy - you had your pre-arranged agenda and that agenda had nothing to do with understanding Kerry's work, but instead you sought to tear him down. Such a fine, fine use of your talents Neil, though it is obvious that you have found the perfect hearth to warm your frosty toes over there at West 33rd.
As for your sticking up for the victims of 9/11, well golly gee, aren't you a bold sort (That "job" has almost become a NYC media profession in its own right has it not? You, Pataki and Bloomberg - heroes all, each on constant vigilant watch for cultural "terrorists" who squirm amongst us getting grant money in which to despoil our national purity: "Avert your eyes good children! Here there be Dragons!").
Shit Neil, why not go all the way and just get the old blacklist going again while your at it?
Gee, whipping the Boroughs into a fit over "that day" sure takes a lot of concerted effort does it not? Anyone can step on the third rail Neil, but why would they? The Mayor (a noted commentator on the arts if there ever was one) was quoted as saying that Kerry Skarbakka was "nauseatingly offensive" and I beg to differ from hizzoner and I'll tell you why, because you know what is really "nauseatingly offensive" to me Neil?
It has nothing to do with art.
No, it is much more nefarious and sinister. Why I wonder, do you not to point your laser-like, steely-eyed columnist gaze towards the real creeps in this sad national story? Why not write about how "that day" has been endlessly mined and exploited by some less-than-honorable though very powerful elements in this country, and how this exploitation has resulted in the real maiming and deaths of thousands of young American men and women in our armed services (not to mention an unknown number of civilians)? What? You don't consider the relentless squeezing of young blood out of that horrible day to be exploitation? Mmm.
9/11 happened to ALL of us Neil and even if Kerry Skarbakka was initially "inspired" by the events of that day to get up and live his life and used that inspiration to create (because artists create Neil, that is what they do) he would not be alone in his efforts. Many people changed the way they went about their lives after that day of horror. Many were "inspired" by it to make art: films were made, songs written, t-shirts were silk-screened, tacky bumper stickers were printed, and yes, even performance pieces were created - whether you like them or not. Exploitation? How about some blow-hard, lint-head like Toby Keith who found a way to exploit all those dead office workers by whipping the "with-us-or-against-us" yellow-ribbon herd into a blind "kill-em-all" death frenzy and raking in piles of pocket cabbage while doing it. What's that if not exploitation? Kerry Skarbakka instead found a quiet solace in his art, creating a body of work that has nothing to do with 9/11 and everything to do with real expression and the real freedom that comes from that expression.
And you seek to crucify him?
If you cannot comprehend an art that seeks to travel beyond "painting a bowl of fruit" (as one of the Mensa candidate's was quoted as saying in your paper when asked what real art is) or a Thomas Kincaid paint-by-numbers moonscape that is purchased at at the mall solely because its soft, non-offensive colors match the gimcrackery in your home, then this only points to a level of low-watt ignorance. Do really you hate all the things you do not understand? History is sadly ripe with that sad story line. Why don't you write about that?
The person who wrote Complete & Utter Failure seemed to be in touch with something deeper, but now even that little book may require a quick (operative word) re-read in order to shuffle your words in a dyslexic dance and take them out of context, because really, what does it matter if anyone understands just what it is you are trying to say? Just another poseur hack, right? Unfortunately, at the moment, I do not have the platform of the New York Daily News to spew invective from (are you jockeying for a gig as a screamer on FOX because that is exactly what your column sounds like - perhaps that will work out for you, you'd fit in nicely over there) so all I can do is write you and post this letter on my blog for anyone who is interested in the real story behind Kerry Skarbakka's work.
So with no further ado, it obviously seems that I misread your work before and I'll pay more heed to the Neil Steinberg who has discovered that his comfort zone is in dragging the honest intentions of others through the low-com-denom cultural Cuisinart. Perhaps Neil you too are suffering from a deeply flawed "failure to communicate". Maybe your next book should be called Mediocre & Forgettable or how about Mendacity?
You know Neil, I'm in Chicago and New York City occasionally, so perhaps we can meet in front of the Sun-Times or the Daily News and you can show me that cat o'nine tails trick you seek to publicly perform on Kerry Skarbakka's back, I'd love to see you try. Perhaps I'll bring one too and give it whirl - on you. How thick is your skin? We'll all get medieval and call it art.
Cheers,
Rob Oldham
Patron of the Arts and Southern Gentleman
posted by Unknown at 6/19/2005 01:52:00 PM
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