RealityStudio.org

i came across the south bank's show on j.g. ballard. it's in three parts...has everyone seen this? youtube. i thought it was superb. here's part one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E55vUH_P ... re=related

some new ballard vids up at youtube. esp nice interview 2001 (imprint, writer in profile)
and this Superego http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oaka0958uo

'Ballard encountered Burroughs, whom he greatly admires as a writer, on a number of occasions. "A very strange chap." Sinclair feels that "the two men, respectful and appreciative, never quite understood each other when they met. Both were set so deep in their visions. Other figures are aliens or rivals."'

From a new interview with Ballard in todays Guardian:

http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments ... 66,00.html

Thanks for that link. Not much new stuff in that interview though.

G.

Given that Ballard has given us two works of autobiographical fiction, a memoir, and countless interviews, I don't think we can expect much new from him at this point. Here's a thought experiment. What question do you think he's never answered? What question would you pose him that you've never seen posed before?

that's the problem with living in an over documented world. everything has been asked! how i would approach an interview with him is simply to have some marker notes, like: surrealism, kinky sex, air travel, and so on, and let him riff, and see where it went.
here's something i came across that i'm sure i read years ago, but i've put it aside for a reread:
http://www.rickmcgrath.com/jgballard/pa ... d_jgb.html

Good question, Studio, and good point made. What question would I ask him? I think I'd be inclined to ask him more human, family questions, but who knows. As you said it's probably already all been said, pretty much. But that interview just rehashed the same stuff about the condition of his house, etc (though I did think the comment about him leaving it in the same condition as it was when his wife died was interesting, though who knows the veracity of that statement? It's just as likely he doesn't care much about housework after being in a camp for years where such stuff was pointless) and seemed like lazy journalism. Miracles of Life certainly answered some questions about his mother and father I'd been interested to know about. Apart from that though...

Shrug.

I know. Ask him if he's ever been to Scotland, what his impressions of the place are and who he rates art-wise from the country. It's an idea.

Thanks for the other link. I'll get to that soon enough.

G.

new ballard book!
http://www.ballardian.com/the-meaning-i ... llard-book

i'm sure this interview is posted somewhere over at ballardian.com, but somehow i missed it.
for anyone else who hasn't seen it, enjoy.
http://www.authorslounge.tv/44/j_g_ballard/

I think the book is an awesome read.

And the audiobook version is extremely well read by someone other than Ballard, but I find it very enjoyable to listen to, especially on the road, driving around, doing errands, etc.

'...this genetically engineered symbol-shifting is in line with a proposal made by JG Ballard sixty years later in an article in Re/search magazine. Ballard notes that "an updating, however modest, of the signs of the zodiac seems much overdue. The houses of our psychological sky are no longer tenanted by rams, goats and crabs but by helicopters, cruise missiles and intra-uterine coils". He proposes twelve substitute signs: the Polaroid, the Computer, the Radar Bowl, the Clones, the Stripper, the Psychiatrist, the Psychopath, the Hypodermic, the Vibrator, the Calculator, the Cruise Missile and the Astronaut.'
http://www.earthlydelights.co.uk/netnews/map2.html

just finished this. liked. concise and informative (to a point) unlike the blue nile book i read preceding this. didnt necessarily agree with everything he says, but its his life so...
loved the genesis of Crash bit, and at least ive a fair idea what he and WSB talked about now....he's not that scathing about KA, or am i reading it wrong? to my mind, it's the most level portrayal of Amis ive read! ho hum. and whilst passing a local charity shop, spotted a Bukowski book in the window (some photo journal) and inside was a load of "Beatish" literature, so dug a bit further and found High Rise! which was nice.