Saturday, November 08, 2003

Imaginary Interview with James Pierson Beckwourth

8 November 2003



TIB: So...whaddup?

BECKWOURTH: Are you speaking English?

TIB: Sorry, I forget that you are educated.

BECKWOURTH: Well, educated is an intriguing word. What kids go through these days might not best be confused with education. Marking dots on paper and gobbling banal entertainments does not an educated soul make.

Interview with Anonymoses

8 November 2003

Anonymoses chose to remain both anonymous and Moses, which, I suppose, accounts for his name. We shall see...

TIB: How did you come up with the name, Anonymoses?

ANONYMOSES: I stumbled upon it while leafy-ing through Finnegans Wake and saw it...and nearly fell out of bed with laughter. Joyce's wordplay is an endless source of delight. Skandiknavery...another good one. And Rembrandts. So many good ones there.

TIB: Yes I know. Joyce had a double digit IQ. At least. Are you really a monk?

ANONYMOSES: No. Not really. Well, sort of.

TIB: Are you trying to be cute?

ANONYMOSES: Yes.

TIB: And why?

ANONYMOSES: I see no reason why not. I am into Kawai. You know kawai? The Japanese term for terminal cuteness?

TIB: Terminal cuteness?

ANONYMOSES: Well, not really terminal cuteness, rather...um...let me put it this way. One tries to maintain their youthful cuteness throughout their lives. A sort of neoteny, like Ashley Montagu used to write about. He's actually written me a letter, but not on the subject. Just a thank you note for the nice verbal exchange with my then wife and me.

TIB: So youthful cuteness?

ANONYMOSES: Could it be that we are spending too much time on this? I mean, you just asked me if I was being cute for some other comment, and now we have spent two years on an aside...

TIB: If you recognized your stool in a field or, say, a moor...would you recognize it?

ANONYMOSES: (Laughing) You know DeLillo's work too huh...I love that play. Strangely I believe I have one of his early drafts. It was homework. A.R.T. put it on. I think DeLillo may have been on hand. So long ago...

TIB: I remember you mentioning that somewhere. Had to throw it in...

ANONYMOSES: It is a damn shame how far I have strayed from the theatre.
Time was when I was always going to see Sankai Juku, Dai Rakuda Kan, Brustein, Brook, Robert Wilson, Andre...ah what whas his name?

TIB: Gregory?

ANONYMOSES: Well, I wasn't actually thinking about Andre Gregory, but I am a great fan of "My Dinner", although I have never actually seen any of his directorial work. Great actor though...and "My Dinner" had so many great allusions. Grotowsky, Buber, Findhorn...and I would imagine it would even create a stir were it re-released today. I'd have to think about that a while...
but the Andre, Andre...not Serkin, not Sorkin, not Breton...what was his freaking name? Starts with an "S" I'm, sure. It don't matter. I just miss the theatre, even writing for it...which is not nearly so much fun. Probably why I never did squat with it.

TIB: What did you write?

ANONYMOSES: Nothing you've heard of. "Prick in the Balloon", "A Play for One", "Broke Cigar", and a few other inclumpete, as it were, verks.