And now for something completely different…
Can you guess what the following quote was used for?
DECEMBER 7, 1941, BRENDA’S NUT FARM NEAR THE HOUSE OF THE FATHER…RICHARD’S (THRICE-FAILED ?) BAR MITZVAH
NAUGHTY BETTY’S DECISION TO HAVE JIMMY CATER RICHARD’S BAR MITZVAH HAD PROVEN DISASTROUS AT BEST! IN LIEU OF A LOVELY ASSORTED ARRAY, JIMMY HAD PRODUCED ONE PICNIC HAM AND ONE BOTTLE OF POP, INTENDED AS A GANG-SUCK…
AND, WELL, HERE THEY WERE…ALL HAVING BEEN ASCRIBED THEIR IMPLIED AND SINGULARLY UNIQUE, HOMINAL IDIOSYNCRASIES – THEN CLOTHED BY AN UNSEEN HAND…FROM THE LEFT – LEOMODGE, NAUGHTY BETTY, RICHARD, JIMMY, JACK, JUDY, AND BEVERLY (WITH BIG OLE BEVERLY BEING SEEN AS HER MENOPAUSAL, CRANKY OTHER-SELF, MRS. ROGERS)…
LINKS OF A CHAIN…INNOCENT CHILDREN OF GOD…SOMETIMES NAUGHTY, SOMETIMES NICE…SOME IN FRONT OF A GATELESS FENCE, SOME ON IT, SOME BEHIND…HEAD BONES CONNECTED TO HEAD BONES, ACCORDING TO THE WORDS OF THE LORD…THE LIMITED BOUNDARIES OF ONE MIND EXTENDING TO THE NEXT…
A CONGREGATION OF LUNACY SUFFICIENT TO INCAPACITATE ANY REASONABLE DENOUEMENT FOR A CIVIL TRANSACTION…AN UNABASHED AND RAUCOUS CONFUSION OF SCREECHING, HOWLING, MEOWING, SMOKING, STIRRING, BUT WELL-MEANING DESCENDANTS FROM THE ARC OF NOAH…(ALL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF LEOMODGE WASHINTUN)…LEOMODGE’S PRESENCE RESULTING FROM A MYSTERIOUS, UNDOCUMENTED OR UNEXPLAINED, (PERHAPS EVEN UNSEEN) CIRCA NINETEEN FORTY-ONE TEXAS BACKWOODS TRANSMIGRATION INTO THE “PRESENT”…LEOMODGE HEARING THE REPETITIVE RECITATION, TORAH TORAH TORAH, AND MISINTERPRETING THE CHANT AS AN OVERTURE TO AN IMPENDING JAPANESE ATTACK…
ALL OF THIS ? YEP, IN THE STATE OF ARKINSAW – A STATE OF MIND – AND UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITIES OF ANY OF IT – AT ALL – WOULD HAVE REQUIRED THAT ONE BE EITHER HALF NUTS HIM-HER-SELF, OR AT LEAST HALFWAY BEEN THERE (TO BOOT)…
IT WAS STRAWBERRY…
Those familiar with Donald Roller Wilson‘s work probably got it right away. Naughty Betty, a chain smoking chimpanzee, regularly appears in his work. Guess it yet? This is the title of one of his latest paintings.
In his email announcing the availability of this painting he also added the following “disclaimer (of sorts)”
CIRCA 1941…OR SO…I “GREW UP” IN A DIFFERENT GENERATION THAN THIS present one. AS A VERY YOUNG PRIVILEGED CHILD, I LIVED IN A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE BY A LAKE OUTSIDE PALESTINE, TEXAS. OUR FAMILY HAD HELP…AN OLD WONDERFUL, WEATHERED, SLIGHTLY SCARY COLORED WOMAN NAMED BABY RUTH WASHINTUN (SPELLING, CORRECT) WHO WOULD BRING HER CHILD, LEOMODGE, WITH HER TO WORK . LEOMODGE AND I WOULD SHAKE STICKS AT COWS AND CHASE THEM OUT IN THE WOODS. LEOMODGE WAS “EXOTIC”. I WAS CRAZY ABOUT HIM. SO, THERE YA GO…IN ADDITION, I DO KNOW HOW TO SPELL TORA TORA TORA…
Ya gotta love this guy! His work is great. We have several of his posters. His web site has not one, but two, introductions from no less than Robin Williams and Carrie Fisher. Take a look.
Be happy.