Friday, January 16, 2009

New Wave Redux

At the end of 2005 (was it really so long ago?) there was a bit of flameup about whether certain people (one of them was me) were qualified to have an opinion about Flarf. At around this post (sadly, Gary was forced to delete the post I linked to, for now hazy reasons), doubts were raised about "I Am Not the Pilot" qua Flarf. I.e., it was suggested that it was not, finally, very flarfy at all.

It was a very complicated discussion, which hooked into the old Punk vs. New Wave conflict, and it seemed to me at the time to be easiest just to grant that Tony's poem isn't "flarfy". What's wrong with New Wave anyway, right? But I just read Sharon Mesmer's "I Am Apparently Unable to Subscribe" (Annoying Diabetic Bitch, p. 56). Certifiable flarf, yes? But, if anything, it seems derivative of Tony's poem. The last line even involves a kind of "epiphany", which (if I recall) was Gary's main objection.

6 comments:

Kirby Olson said...

I don't qualify to comment on a comment about flarf. Flarf, the ultimate populism run amok, is in fact the ultimate elitism.

Thus, it is a perfect vehicle for communism.

If I were qualified to comment, that's what I'd comment, but I'd qualify by saying that I'm not qualified to comment.

Thomas said...

I think "vehicle" is a bit of a clunky metaphor here, given the fluidity of its object. Perhaps: the perfect lubricant.

Thomas said...

Also, it is better understood as elitism run amok into populism (not vice versa).

Thomas said...

Billy Collins is populism's ultimate elitism, I'd say.

Kirby Olson said...

Billy Collins is elitism's ultimate populism, is everything reversible with flarf? If so, flarf should be flalf.

Thomas said...

Reversible AND you can zip out the lining and wear it as a vest.