Can’t We All Just Get Along?
There seems to be a recent, and somewhat late discovery, of Marfa by much of the glossy-mag type media. Possibly sensing their tardiness onto the “scene”, they tend to over-exaggerate the size of the arts community and the growth potential of the town as if Marfa is going to be the next Santa Fe (it’s not, see here.) For those of us that appreciate both sides of Marfa’s personality, the rural serenity and the arts as well, these fashion-forward articles come off as pompous and stuffy. They wouldn’t so much in Houston or Dallas, but against the quiet backdrop of the Marfa landscape, it’s enough to make you feel icky.
On the other hand, all the railings against artists (and the left in general) at the Marfa Times seem equally misplaced. Texas Monthly and Flaunt just don’t get Marfa, but you can’t hold everyone that comes to town for art, design, and architecture responsible for their misdirected stories. Artists, gallery owners, and book peddlers haven’t harmed the town, but closed-minded isolationists just may.
Click on the "comments" link below to see some reponses submited to us that were originally intended to be posted at Marfa Times.
On the other hand, all the railings against artists (and the left in general) at the Marfa Times seem equally misplaced. Texas Monthly and Flaunt just don’t get Marfa, but you can’t hold everyone that comes to town for art, design, and architecture responsible for their misdirected stories. Artists, gallery owners, and book peddlers haven’t harmed the town, but closed-minded isolationists just may.
Click on the "comments" link below to see some reponses submited to us that were originally intended to be posted at Marfa Times.
posted by Mark permanent link
2 Comments:
Re “Marfa Times” of Feb. 2, 2005.
Damn! I am afraid now! The arrivistes have amongst them some “pseudo angst ridden” types. How do I know a pseudo angst ridden person if I should run across one…say, maybe at one of my favorite places, the Marfa Bookco? No Jack Daniels or Miller Lite there but they have a mighty sassy little blush I am particularly fond of.
Being of a liberal arts leaning, I had to look this angst thing up. I am so old that I thought angst was of the Beat generation, Jack Kerouac and that bunch. Maybe teen age angst, Rebel without a Cause or East of Eden (see how I sequed into the James Dean connection?).
Angst: anxiety, disquiet, fear, malaise
Pseudo: not genuine but having the appearance of, false or counterfeit, fake.
What do I look for? How is pseudo angst manifested? Does one brood over the latte but not really, stare at the panoramic vistas ostensibly communing with nature but not really?
Dabble in water colors? Huddle in intense groups? Engage in theatrical pursuits in a sly and furtive manner? Lurk in the shrubbery?
What if we locals are subject to this pseudo angst? I gotta tell you all, I’m worried about my sister….she writes fiction and takes artistic photographs. She lives in Shafter, which just smacks of angst. Do we need to have an exorcism?
Here’s something really significant that I came across regarding “pseudo”…
Pseudonym: An electronic-mail persona adopted by a human for amusement value or as a means of avoiding negative repercussions of one’s net.behavior; a ‘nom de Usenet,’ often associated with forged postings designed to conceal message origins.
Marge Hughes
I just noticed that the MarfaTimes was (finally) updated. A small change that stuck out is that the editor's name swithced from "BEN C. FORD" to "B. FORD" everywhere. This made me start to wonder if the previous pseudonym was somehow too much of a hint as to who it is... hmmm. Also I happened to notice an old post on the opinion.marfa newsgroup by a "Ford Prefect". Are these two people one in the same? Someone set me straight.
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