The High and the Heavy
Notes on art, comedy, and feeling everything, all at once
PROFESSIONAL UPDATES & “LIVE LAUGH LUBE” NEWS
Read my review of Who Is Government?—a new anthology edited by Michael Lewis—for the LA Review of Books.
“Live Laugh Lube” collaborator & The Simpsons writer Dan Greaney has a video predicting Trump’s downfall that has gone viral on Tiktok. Watch here. #hopecore
Last chance to see “Live Laugh Lube” collaborator
’s one woman show this Wednesday June 25th at the Elysian Vault.“Live Laugh Lube” collaborators Reshma Meister and Camirin Farmer have solo shows that are part of the Hollywood Fringe festival happening now in LA.
I just watched Reshma Meister’s solo show “None of your business,” during which she attempted to eat a Funyun with a taped-up face and elongated tape hand, and talked about movies with strangers all night. I left feeling immensely grateful. Grateful for her weirdness. Grateful for being in a theater full of guffawing people. Grateful for my own art, which brought me in contact with Reshma and an increasing number of comedic talents. (See Reshma’s “Live Laugh Lube” video here.)
The past two weeks have not been easy for Angelenos, or the world. Even though I do not fear being abducted or bombed, I fear these consequences for loved ones and the loved ones of loved ones. I fear these consequences for strangers.
Terror permeates the air, here and elsewhere. From my home in sheltered Silverlake, I hear the soft cannonball bursts of distant tear gassing or non-lethal guns or retaliatory fireworks. The number of helicopters, already a common LA feature, have tripled at least. They rip through the neighborhood soundscape with a steady violence. On the drive to work last Friday, I saw a black National Guard tank pull onto the 101 Freeway. My mom group chats are full of stories about nannies kidnapped in parks, the children in their care left behind—stories that, as far as I know, have not been substantiated but it hardly matters because they seem plausible. Not only plausible, but likely. It’s no secret that ICE cares little about inflicting irredeemable human trauma.
To say nothing of the war raging in the Middle East, one that has been raging for almost a year and has escalated to include Iran and now the United States. How does one reconcile the heaviness of such suffering, near and far, with the joy of experiencing art in community? Or art in general? Waymos were lit on fire in downtown LA the day after my Open Studio Party. The high I experienced from that party—sharing the beginnings of a new ambitious art project with friends and acquaintances—dovetailed into the horror of what was happening in my city. My beloved city, still so raw and tender from the infernos that ravaged it months earlier, that Mutual Aid WhatsApp groups created in January simply redirected their focus from fire to ICE.
But, after driving home from Reshma’s show, elated, perhaps a better question—I realized—is how does one reconcile the heaviness of such suffering without the joy of art? It’s not merely that joy makes grief (or fear, or anxiety) more bearable. It’s that life is here to be felt and felt deeply. The good, the bad, and the deplorable of it.
In that spirit, I share some installation images (by Aldo Chacon) and event images (by Paulina) from my Open Studio Party two weeks ago. Thanks to those of you who came and participated. It feels like the beginning of something much bigger.
xo
Mieke
So beautifully and powerfully written! I’ve been thinking so much about how our city has endured so much this year and how fucked up that is and also how divine it is that we keep coming together and showing up for each other. 😭💕🙏And YES we need the joy the art the weirdness in the midst of all of this. Your words are so powerful and NEEDED and it’s such a gift to see photos from the open studio! So sad to miss it but looking forward to future connections and collaborations!
Joy and hope is something to hold onto.