I'll hate to see it go.

When FIMP's resident philosopher Paul Moriarty was visiting the other day, he looked at our Phrenology head and said "I wonder who will break it first, the dog or the baby?". Ever since then I've been a bit wistful looking at it, as Paul seemed pretty certain about its fate, and his prediction seemed pretty reasonable. But it's an ill cloud that blows no silver linings (or something), and in this case my pre-loss nostalgia has got me thinking about what an odd and wonderful thing the Phrenology head is, this relic of discarded science, and you can probably look for it in some sort of role in an upcoming Book of the Month.

John Cage, Stand-Up Comic

FIMP Book of the Month Club subscribers will be receiving "John Cage: Stand-Up Comic" in their mailboxes soon. FIMP has uncovered previously unknown footage of John Cage's very brief career in comedy, and we're bringing it to you, because that's what we do.

Here's your Art Quiz. . .

While spending an entertaining afternoon at the Andy Warhol Museum the other day I encountered this object in The Downtown Show: The New York Art Scene 1974 - 84. Anyone recognize it? It's sort of a leftover bit from a well known performance piece. This particular artifact points to the challenge that performance art poses to collectors - what do you buy after the performance? What's there to collect?

The whole show seemed to swing somewhere between art and documentation of the "scene", so this seems like a nice piece to highlight. Should the mystery object not be identified in the comments I'll fill you in somewhere down the road. . .

Joseph Beuys killed the radio star

FIMP Book of the Month Club subscribers will remember that a few months ago I attempted to explain Joseph Beuys' "How To Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare" to my dog.



Fortunately, I didn't try to explain this:

Joseph Beuys: Sonne Statt Reagan

Old pillow case

A lady came into my office and said, "I'm like an old pillow case . . . you can iron it, and it looks all pretty, but when you look inside it, you will see all the frayed fibers hanging down."

Welcome to the Fiji Island Mermaid Press blog

The FIMP blog will post all things fimpish - bits of news related to the goings-on of the artists at the Fiji Island Mermaid Press, and items that might be of interest to that type of intelligent, inquisitive, art-loving and discerning person who subscribes to the FIMP Book of the Month Club.

Be sure to visit the homepage of the Fiji Island Mermaid Press!