Ira Cohen passed away after a long illness earlier this week. Cohen is the very definition of a cult figure, which is somewhat appropriate given his interest in the occult and magical. Yet his cult status is unfortunate and, sadly, reflects an underappreciation and misunderstanding. Like his friend Brion Gysin, Cohen spread his energy and his talents across a wide and diverse spectrum of activities and subjects. Like Gysin, Cohen never reached a large audience or achieved mainstream success and many feel Cohen would have been better served by focusing or narrowing. As Ian Macfadyen details in his essays on Gysin on RealityStudio, this diversity is crucial to Gysin's and Cohen's conception of creativity and artistic process.Not surprisingly, Cohen was also an accomplished editor. Gnaoua is a little mag classic that like all the great ones captures a special place and time. In this case, Tangier in the mid-1960s. Cohen also edited the second issue of Great Society assuming co-editor duties with Bobby Richkin, who published the first issue as a mimeo (BTW a tough issue to get a hold of). The Cohen touch is readily apparent in the second issue. Tangerinos, like Alfred Chester, Paul Bowles and William Burroughs as well as Cohen favorites like Jack Smith, Conrad Rooks and Piero Heliczer appear in the issue. The second issue is a step up in terms of printing and construction. This issue is readily available on the rare book market. Get yourself a copy and celebrate the life and this lesser known side of Cohen.
JB
MIMEO MIMEO #8: CURATORS' CHOICE features 16 bibliophiles on 6 highlights from their personal or institutional collections. Contributors include Steve Clay, Wendy Burk, Tony White, Brian Cassidy, Thurston Moore, J.A. Lee, Michelle Strizever, Adam Davis, Michael Basinski, Joseph Newland, Alastair Johnston, Tate Shaw, Michael Kasper, Steve Woodall, Molly Schwartzberg, Nancy Kuhl, James Maynard, and the Utah posse (Becky Thomas, Marnie Powers-Torrey, Craig Dworkin, Emily Tipps, Luise Poulton, & David Wolske)
MIMEO MIMEO #7: THE LEWIS WARSH ISSUE is the first magazine ever devoted in its entirety to poet, novelist, publisher, teacher, and collage artist Lewis Warsh. Warsh was born in 1944 in the Bronx, co-founded Angel Hair Magazine and Books with Anne Waldman in 1966, and went on to co-found United Artists Magazine and Books with Bernadette Mayer in 1977. He is the author of over thirty books of poetry, fiction and autobiography, the Director of the MFA program in Creative Writing at Long Island University in Brooklyn, and as you’ll soon discover, so much more. Includes an introduction by Daniel Kane, an interview conducted by Steve Clay, 10 new stories, 5 new poems, dozens of photographs and collages, and an anecdotal bibliography.
OUT OF PRINT
MIMEO MIMEO #6: THE POETRY ISSUE is devoted to new work by eight poets who have consistently composed quality writing that has influenced and inspired generations since the golden era of the mimeo revolution. Contributors include Bill Berkson, John Godfrey, Ted Greenwald, Joanne Kyger, Kit Robinson, Rosmarie Waldrop, Lewis Warsh, and Geoffrey Young. Cover art by George Schneeman.
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MIMEO MIMEO #3: THE DANNY SNELSON ISSUE examines the relationship between structuralism and the poetries of the mimeo era by presenting a detailed analysis of Form (a Cambridge-UK magazine published in 1966) and Alcheringa (a journal published by Boston University in 1975), two exemplary gatherings that illuminate the historical, material and social circumstances under which theory informed art (and vice versa) in the early works of some of today's most celebrated experimental writers. Also includes a special insert, The Infernal Method, written, designed and printed by Aaron Cohick (NewLights Press).
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MIMEO MIMEO #2: features Emily McVarish on her artist's book Flicker; James Maynard on poet Robert Duncan's early experiences as an editor and typesetter; Derek Beaulieu on the relationship between the influential Canadian poetry journal Tish and Black Mountain College; and an extensive interview with Australian poet and typographer Alan Loney conducted by Kyle Schlesinger. Cover is by Emily McVarish.
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2 comments:
Jed,
Many thanks for remembering and posting the piece on Ira Cohen with the images of GNAOUA and The Great Society. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there was just the one issue of GNAOUA? I've never seen The Great Society though I'll look around for the second issue co-edited by Ira as you suggested.
Somewhere I have a couple of old issues of Avant Garde magazine that include some of his Mylar photography. On Feet of Gold from Synergistic Press (1986) is a great collection of his poetry that I believe can still be found fairly easily. His other books: 7 Marvels, Poems from the Cosmic Crypt, Gilded Splinters, The Stauffenberg Cycle & Other Poems, etc are likely more difficult to find.
All best,
John
Jadecar,
Yes, just one issue of Gnaoua, but there is a little known offprint created from that issue which featured just William Burroughs's contributions. I only seen it up for sale once, back in the late 1990s at the legendary Nelson Lyon sale.
Check up on RealityStudio in the next few weeks for more on Ira Cohen.
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