Tosh Berman's Blog, page 146

TOSH BERMAN DISCUSSES HIS MEMOIR "TOSH" WITH JASON SCHWAR...

TOSH BERMAN DISCUSSES HIS MEMOIR "TOSH" WITH JASON SCHWARTZMAN at the fantastic, wonderful, and one of my second-homes, Skylight Books in my (I do own) Los Angeles. Bookstores mean a lot to me. I like going to the store, and hanging out, and just noticing not only the books on the shelves but also the people who come in and out like a wave hitting a beach. Like being in a record store, I never ever had a bad time in a bookstore. Skylight Books is (sort of ) walkable from my headquarters, and a delight in every visit. Also, they have a killer Graphic Comic section. Do support your local book store. For one, you can preorder my book, signed, and they will even mail it to you, wherever you leave your hat (or wig). For those who will go, here's the info:
Event date:Tosh & Jason at Skylight Books Thursday, January 24, 2019 - 7:30pmEvent address: 1818 N Vermont AveLos Angeles, CA 90027

Tosh Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World Promo 04

Tosh's 4th promotion video for his "Tosh: Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World" (City Lights) with an introduction by Amber Tamblyn

Episode 1, Tosh Berman by A.G. Geiger Presents, Tales from the L.A. Art Underworld

Tosh Berman interviewed by A. G. Geiger Presents (Michael Delgado)

Joseph Nechvatal of Hyperallergic.com reviews "Tosh: Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World" (City Lights)

Read the review by Joseph Nechvatal here: Growing Up in the Avant-Garde Circles of Wallace Berman

Dennis Hopper - Interview Retrospective 2008 | part 1 (Wallace Berman)

Dennis Hopper was an old friend of my dad, Wallace Berman.  Here's an interview he gave for Arte.tv regarding knowing and hanging out with my dad. I wrote about this in my book "Tosh: Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World" (City Lights)   Thanks to Kevin Bradford for bringing this footage to my attention.

Tosh Growing Up Wallcce Berman's World Promo 03

"What it Means to Write about Art" by Jarrett Earnest (David Zwirner Books)

ISBN: 9781941701898As a writer, I try to do these little exercises by writing a description of my office or other rooms in the house. It's difficult, but once you start thinking about a room or space, that has stuff in it, it becomes a self-portrait or a statement in itself. I can be abstract in my method, but I want the reader to know what it is like to be in my office. Also, I try to focus on every object that is placed in the room, and what it represents or how space is used around its surroundings. I can imagine writing about film or music, but the idea of writing criticism or observation on 'art,' is a mystery to me. For instance, how does one put in words about a Jackson Pollack painting? I can write about the process of making such a painting, but what it means to me as a viewer of that work? How does one put words or vocabulary together describing artworks? It is with great interest that I read Jarrett Earnest's collection of interviews with art critics on their craft and talent in describing, writing, and commenting on the visual art world. "What It Means to Write about Art" is a stunning collection, that makes me think of art criticism as a form in itself. For me, I find art criticism or writing tedious. I can never figure out why I find something so exciting as seeing an exhibition can be a chore to read, done by an art critic. I now realize that it's not the critics' fault, but more of me going into a foreign world, writing about something that is unexplainable and mysterious. On the other hand, when I look at an article written by a professor or sometimes a curator, I tend to think it's not as well written or enjoyable if a poet wrote it. Then some poets write art criticism, and that, I find fascinating. Eight out of thirty art critics are well-known poets in this collection. All thirty, are interesting people, with strong opinions, and the vocabulary and writing skills to back up their stance about an artist and their artwork. The poets especially are good, because I suspect that they look at writing as another form of sculpture, and therefore one medium or style works with the other quite well. Jarrett Earnest is a fantastic interviewer, and I can't imagine a better set of questions to these specific writers, regarding their origins as a critic as well as how they see their profession in the bigger landscape of the arts. All of them I believe are into the big discussion of art aesthetics and politics, and it's a very individual path that some of these writers take in their work. For instance, for some, politics is a big part of their writing, some it's the issue of queer studies and how it mixes in the culture that they write about. Or how race and the power structure plays in the world of the arts. Others are looking at art as a stand-alone object or piece that expresses an inner-world or expression of how to see things. Earnest doesn't seem to leave anyone out, and this is a fantastic volume of interviews, that not only focuses on the writing of the arts but also what makes a writer tick. Not everyone in this book I find utterly fascinating due to their writing or stance. But reading all the interviews, I find myself entertained, informed, and also admire that each one in their method can describe or make commentary on the visual arts, in such a manner that is a dialog as well as a pointed expression of opinion and passion. Earnest knows how to communicate with the subject matters here, and he comes off charming, and never dwells into 'art-speak' or art-talk' language. Some of the writers here write for specific art journals (like "October") while others write for massive publications like The New Yorker, The New York Times, WSJ, and so forth. As a writer, I find their advice and thoughts profound and having them comment on the nature of art criticism; it's an exciting relationship between observer and art object. I recommend "What it Means to Write About Art" to anyone who is interested in writing art criticism, but even more important for anyone who cares about writing as a medium to express themselves or thoughts on another medium such as art. A great book published by David Zwirner Books, who do excellent titles on and by art writers who write criticism. - Tosh Berman

Tosh Berman Introducing "Tosh Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World" (City Lights Publishers)

Tosh Berman giving an introduction to his memoir "Tosh: Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World" (City Lights Publishers)

Banners for "Tosh: Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World" by Tosh Berman (City Lights)

"Tosh: Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World" / Promo 2

Promotional video No. 2 - edited by Kimley Maretzo.  For "Tosh: Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World' (City Lights)