Recent Advice
My Gasbag of a Girlfriend
Dear Mik and Mike: I am not sure if this is politically correct or not to talk about, but I have an Asian girlfriend who farts a lot. I thought they were usually demure and shy, but she is actually proud and tells me whenever she farts, and it is a … Read More
I May Have Disrespected a Dwarf
Dear Mik and Mike: Recently I was shopping in my local food store. There was a dwarf working there. When I put my goods up on the table she said, "Can you push them to me, I can’t reach them". I felt like an idiot! Was I politically incorrect? Or … Read More
My Father Thinks I’m a Lesbian
Dear Mik and Mike: I’m a 25 five year old woman who has lived with my mother all my life. My father left when I was a baby and although I see him on occasion I can’t say that we’re close. He’s also kind of an idiot. I just had lunch with him … Read More
I Hate the Plumber!
Dear Mik and Mike: I have terrible karma or luck or whatever you want to call it with helpers and workers at my house. Last week our contractor of many years sent over a plumber who not only didn’t finish the work we requested, but left a mess, … Read More
My Boyfriend is Hidden Sexually
Dear Mik and Mike: My boyfriend is very hidden sexually. I know he is thinking about something else or not all the way there when we are having sex. He is not the excitable type to begin with, except for when he watches sports on TV. I decided to … Read More
Drugging Shoppers at the Mall
Dear Mik and Mike: Yesterday I was at the mall with my very good male friend. Although this was supposed to be a very quick trip to find him sandals for a trip, we ended up being tricked into going inside a new tea shop. They had a woman out front … Read More
Fred Rinne, Artist
FRED RINNE, ARTIST
“As an American I feel that I have grown up bathed in pop schlock against my will. It was always the background noise of my culture… Instead of a real culture where songs actually mean something, we have this junk culture of entertainment working on the principle of planned obsolescence. We don’t have to eat the same hamburgers, listen to the same music, or see the same images. I struggle for a world where every man can be his own Manilow.”
San Francisco visual and performance artist Fred Rinne has exhibited solo and collaborative works since 1984. Fred is co-founder of sound performance groups National Disgrace and the Bringdownzz. Painting and sculpture by Fred Rinne has shown internationally.
Did you feel “different” as a kid?
Yeah- I was a total nerd. I was really into fossils…my partner and I discovered a few fossilized fish. I was into oldies music and used to listen to Wolfman Jack and Art LeBoe late at night. Whenever me and the other kids would play Army, I’d always pick the enemy and play some sort of Viet Cong or Soviet Bloc troop. My folks were pretty much Beatniks and we found it hard to relate to any of the adults on the street.
Who was your childhood role model?
There were lots of them. I always liked the Indians – there were many in Crescent City where we lived until we moved to Canoga Park in So CA. Famous historical figures like Geronimo of the Apaches, or Captain Jack of the Modocs… also the guy who built the Watts Towers, Simon Rodia. He said, “I just wanted to do something nice for people.” And just did it. They’re still there today.
How do you find your art and inspiration?
Like the fossils I sought as a kid, I am attracted to the detritus of our culture – there’s so much of it! Old movie ads, expired videos, used records all speak to a bogus thrown-out reality. The “news” is equally bad theater as is most politics. By blending or smashing them together, a new truth can emerge.
Is there a theme maintained throughout your work?
I wrote in a story one character saying, “Goddamn Future’s a FLOP!” which could be one unifying theme. I’m actually glad for the Failure of Order and the Triumph of Funk. Disobedient, unorganizable rabble are the hope of humanity not the problem. Like many Americans, I had long chafed under the tyranny of the commercial Pop world of music and television that had warped our brains beyond recognition. Through art I believe I can heal the wounds inflicted upon us all by Pop. Read More
