Friday, June 03, 2011

Billy Childish at the ICA

I slept in; seven hours looking through student work in Scotland and the seven hour journey back had taken its toll.
This afternoon, I slipped out of the hot sunshine and into the cool environs of the ICA, settling into an ample red velvet seat to listen to Billy Childish.
He was interviewed by an artist called Neil Brown, who at first seemed too obsequious but later appeared more as a man happy to be passive and bask in Billyness, which seemed rather sweet.
Billy self-interviews anyway:
(at the beginning, to the audience)" Carry on talking- we're just here to watch".
"If you are high up in an organisation you should take the piss out of yourself".
"I was surprised that I sold lots of paintings, but previously I was surprised that I didn't".
"Art schools don't like the way I teach. I'm not into bullying students or deriding their work. (pretending to be a tutor) If you're doing something big I'll tell you to do something small, and if you're doing something small I'll tell you to do something big, then I'll go to the pub."
"I've got a strong moral sense and I deal with honour".
"The thing about painting pictures is: painting pictures. The end result is a nuisance"
"Good manners is very under-rated".
"Once I get to know people I can be a bit rude sometimes, can't I, Neil?". "Yeth, Billy".
Ha ha, I enjoyed it. I drew some sketches but couldn't get him right. My iPhone won't zoom so the photos weren't good.
Billy is an excellent entertainer. He's talked to my students in the past, baffling the arrogant ones and cheering up the ones with low self-esteem, which is exactly what the Doctor ordered.
Afterwards everyone trooped upstairs to watch Billy draw a volcano to make prints on a Gestetner machine (those machines that used to print illegible handouts at school). Buying a print for £50.00 was mentioned so I sidled out to avoid embarrassment and now I am at home throughly enjoying watching Batman and Robin.
POW! SOCK! 
Blissful restful Friday!

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