60: James Allister Sprang

60: James Allister Sprang

Author: Sean J Patrick Carney May 3, 2018 Duration: 58:09
Artist James Allister Sprang is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world. On a recent weekend trip down to Philadelphia, I had the privilege of catching up with James on the very day that he completed his MFA at the University of Pennsylvania. Moments after his final critique, we popped into a small room on campus and recorded this interview. James and I discussed the birth and evolution of his performance persona GAZR, the politics of sampling and appropriation, his interest in language as material, tricksters, the exploitable failings of voice recognition technology, concrete in the literal and metaphorical senses, his history with poetry, and hot take music jokes that might be a decade late. The outro music is “Midnight Service at the Mütter Museum” by Murder City Devils.

Sean J Patrick Carney hosts Humor and the Abject Podcast, a series that finds the funny in the often challenging and unsettling world of contemporary art. This isn't a dry lecture or a fawning interview show; instead, Carney digs into the messy, the awkward, and the deliberately provocative corners of the art scene to see what makes us laugh, even when we might feel we shouldn't. Each episode feels like a conversation that could only happen here, one that acknowledges how discomfort and comedy are frequently intertwined in the work being made today. You'll hear discussions that grapple with ideas that are both intellectually rigorous and genuinely amusing, exploring why artists so often use humor to tackle difficult subjects. The podcast provides a unique, accessible entry point into contemporary practices, suggesting that laughter can be a powerful tool for understanding. Tuning in, you get the sense of being let in on a series of inside jokes that, once explained, reveal something much deeper about culture and creativity. It’s for anyone curious about art but tired of overly serious commentary, offering a fresh and engaging perspective that only this particular blend of host and subject matter can deliver.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Humor and the Abject Podcast
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