Gary Panter’s ROZZ-TOX Manifesto
An artefact from the 1980s LA punk-art scene. When I found this I thought it would be a fun frippery to post here, but of course it’s very chewy and not a little complex, finding me both nodding and frowning. There’s some of that Wharholian “art is commerce” stuff, of course, which feels a little dated, maybe?
Item 10: In a capitalistic society such as the in which we live, aesthetics as an endeavor flows thorough a body which is built of free enterprise and various illnesses. In boom times art may be supported by wildcat speculation or my excess funds in form of grants from the state or patronship as a tax write-off. Currently we are suffering from a lean economy. By necessity we must infiltrate popular mediums. We are building a business-based art movement. This is not new. Admitting it is.
But there’s plenty here that feels timeless, or simply shows that despite our so-called digital revolution nothing has really changed.
Item 5: Close the bars! We require well lit media centers that serve soft drinks and milk. We require that top-40 radio stop it. And this for extant executive entertainers: We know when to laugh. Machines don’t, and it is irritation to hear them laugh at the wrong time. They laugh at nothing and nothing isn’t funny.
If you’re not aware, Panter is a good friend of Matt Groening, meaning this is the ur-text for The Simpsons.
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