I originally wrote this as a set of Instagram stories, published on the same day as the Super Bowl, which I watched with a kind of detached amusement, as I cared about neither team. I did care about the silly “halftime show” battle between the NFL and some right wing dingus organization I will not name; originally it was meant to be ephemeral, but re-reading it, I liked it well enough to lightly edit and reproduce here. I have numbered the sections as they appeared. It should be noted, for a little context, that the band Nine Inch Nails had played in New Orleans (where I live) a couple of nights prior.
I
It is perhaps a symptom of our age that I am half paying attention to Bad Bunny’s set while simultaneously watching an internet nerd make fun of the “alternative” in real time. I hate myself.
II
Also, I hate both of these teams, but it would be funnier if the Patriots scored zero points at this juncture. I stopped paying attention a bit ago.
Did you know Gertrude Stein wrote a book called “Lucy Church Amiably”? That’s a fucking banger of a title. The book has been out of print for ages though. A lot of her work is; though Dalkey recently reissued “The Making of Americans” which she considered her masterpiece. I tried reading it once and maybe got through 200 pages. I should give it another try at some point.
III
Stein is one of the weirder figures in literature. She’s more talked about than actually read, with the possible exception of “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas” which is really not representative of her works. She enjoyed a brief spate of popularity, delivering lectures to enthusiastic audiences, writing the libtretto to an opera which was widely viewed in its day, and so on.
I see the score is still 12 zip. Geaux Saints.
IV
In any case, the book I am reading about her is called “Gertrude Stein : An Afterlife” and it is doing an excellent job of demystifying Stein and placing her into context. She was a complicated figure, and a bit of a pioneer. I highly recommend the book, even if you haven’t read any Stein, its a portrait of a time and place kind of lost to us, when a writer of dense, avant-garde writing could capture some part of the public imagination. I’d love to see that happen gain. Sadly, I don’t think it will.
Jesus, is that another Draftkings ad?
V
I heard a lot of booing so I thought something interesting might have happened but nope. This is a real snooze.
Oh, wait. Seattle just scored again, so it’s a snooze and probably a mortal lock at this point. I’m also reading a book by Roger Scruton about the history of Modern Philosophy. I find Scruton to be a bit of a toff, but he organized his thoughts well, in contrast to my own. He doesn’t talk down to the reader, and his biases are obvious enough so you can form your own thoughts if you disagree with his.
VI
Gertrude Stein was occasionally called upon to explain her work. She responded, “If you enjoy it, you understand it. If you do not enjoy it, why do you make a fuss about it?” This is, I think, a great answer.
What a wonderful sentiment about art. You don’t have to do anything but enjoy it.
New England have scored, thus making this game a lot less hilarious than it was.
VII
Somewhat legendarily, Gertrude Stein’s last words were spoken to her longtime business partner, secretary, and lover, Alice B Toklas. Stein asked, “What is the answer?” When Toklas was silent, she added “In that case, what was the question?”
Who gives a shit is that is true or not?
Fuck, there’s still ten minutes left; I’m going to give up on it and go to bed. I have a math test tomorrow, and need a good nights sleep.
It’s been lovely.
And indeed, I did go to bed and sleep at that point. I got a B+ on the test, and then, amused by what I had started, decided to finish it.
I
I see my prediction was correct.
The Super Bowl has become a kind of depressing spectacle of noise; if everyone’s trying to get your attention, nothing is. The overall effect is like a Merzbow record. There’s nothing to grab onto, but it’s somehow exhausting by the end.
II
A couple of people asked me what I thought of Bad Bunny’s show, and I don’t know. I didn’t pay close attention to it. I think it’s funny that someone who basically just produces club jams is somehow the focus of a “controversy”, however manufactured it may be. And it is manufactured.
If you want me to get all bent at someone for singing lyrics I can’t understand, I’m going to have to throw away a lot of records I enjoy. Here’s my thought : it was a halftime show. If you enjoyed it, then you understood it. If you didn’t, it wasn’t for you.
III
I’m not advocating everyone goes out and buys a copy of “Soliloquy for Lilith”, an album consisting entirely of electrical humming (though everyone should totally go out and buy a copy of “Soliloquy for Lilith”, an album consisting entirely of electrical humming), but these things absolutely should exist. Asking ourselves what writing, art, or music even are can lead to amazing things. For all of you at the NIN show earlier this week, there’s a very direct line between them and disaffected art weirdos making art music. The avant isn’t just some random exercise. It has a purpose, a lineage, and a real influence, if you step back and take a look.
IV
Stephen King, one of the most popular writers all the time uses little avant touches in his writing all the time that enhance his descriptions of fear. The disorientation from the text matches the disorientation we feel when things slip out of our control or comprehension.
Maybe go back a step or two from something you like and see where it came from.
V
What I am saying is this : we have allowed ourselves to be distracted by loudmouth boneheads who yell because the halftime show isn’t in English. This distracts us from what is truly subversive, or truly innovative (there’s a thread to be unpacked here about how subversion and innovation are often bedfellows). Fuck them. Fuck their petty distractions. If you’re moved, you’re moved.
If you enjoyed it, you understood it.
The Lithole 
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