Archive

Creative Resistance: The Role of the Artist

Today, in this coun­try, we are suf­fer­ing from a mass con­trac­tion of the heart. And I firm­ly believe that it is artists that can reopen the heart of America. It is our duty and our respon­si­bil­i­ty to do this. The day after the elec­tion I was ter­ri­fied. I did­n’t want to get out of my bed. I sat in my bed­room cry­ing. But I remem­bered the young women that I had told just the night before that it was going to be okay. So I did the only thing that I could do. I got up and I got to work.

Brooklyn Talks: Iggy Pop and Jeremy Deller with Tom Healy

I use my body, as a lot of peo­ple do that work in pub­lic, as a kind object of com­merce, frankly. When I go out and do a gig, some­body has to pay for the pres­ence. And that’s a cer­tain gig. When you’re still push­ing a hype like that, you lack cul­tur­al weight until you get to the end of that sto­ry where every­body knows you real­ly don’t have to any­more except for an inte­ri­or reason.