emancipations
evil’s event horizon
I. To Hell With It Coming from a religious background largely influenced by Buddhism in recent years, the concept of an eternal hell has been, for me, one of the most difficult to swallow during my recent return to my childhood Christian faith (albeit via the Eastern Orthodox Church, rather than the Catholic Church I... »
popop\/\/i shall be released
This is going to seem like too great a stretch, but there is a very real connection between the New Orleans Saints, the Stoics of Ancient Greece, and Nina Simone. What brings them together? Compassion. Nina Simone’s short hymnal “Compassion” is actually Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “Compensation” set to music. Dunbar also wrote a vaudeville song... »
the desultory results of theavantguardian logo competition\/\/the candidates
We have results! For the logo competition we’ve been blathering about for the last month or so. Please admire. What follows is a list IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER of the logos we received. We would like you to admire them, comment on them, hold them, love them, and decide amongst yourselves. We will be... »
the revolutionary spirit\/\/fast cheap and out of control
The only thing that performance studies scholars can agree on when they talk about performance seems to be that “performance” is an essentially contested concept. The fact that we can call just about any action a performance can lead to some pretty stupid conversations. Are you performing when you’re asleep? Who gives a flying... »
iconostasis
“It is impossible to spend the coming day in faith if we do not think of it as the last day of our life.” ~ St John Climacus I. A small blob of light in the distance bounces delicately back and forth. It comes slowly into focus, as though you’re just coming to after having... »
salt lick \/\/ branding wounds
The German literary critic Walter Benjamin, as much an avant guardian as anyone yet mentioned in these pages, once saw the revolution in an advertisement for this salt. Bullrich’s. He tells the story in his unfinished Arcades Project, his massive collage of historical ephemera drawn from nineteenth century Parisian street life. Benjamin left his... »
a word from our silence
“The Logos became man, so that man might become Logos.” ~ The Philokalia, Vol. I, p. 156. I. We humans are creatures of comfort, and that applies no less to our purchasing choices than to our desire for warmth, food, and a roof over our heads. Enter the brand: the staple of a commercial and high-tech civilization.... »
pink kitten\/\/xoxo andy z
There once was a man named kitten. His cute name belied his usually negative disposition while his usually negative disposition belied his sincerity, friendship, and general amiability. It has been years since kitten and I last spoke, and though we will never speak again, at least not in person, kitten has left an indelible... »
popop\/\/talkin loud and sayin nothin
Like a dull knife: just ain’t cuttin Just talkin’ loud and sayin’ nothin’ James Brown Never mind what’s been selling It’s what you’re buying Fugazi “Blueprint“ Aw Anonymous. Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous For the uninitiated (that blessed populace), 4chan’s /b/ is, at a minimum, two things: the source of most of the memes that have dominated social media sites over the previous several... »
the set up
What you got? You think this is a hustle? I’m pretty sure you don’t know me or the Don Kix I rode in on. That shit talkin’ is straight bullshit. Fresh Kid Icing around the block. Oi. Please. (QUICK ASIDE: The Pharcyde’s “Ya Mama”. Possibly the best diss track of all time.) Personally, I prefer constant... »
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