Art Simon - Dangerous Knowledge: The JFK Assassination in Art and Film (Culture and the Moving Image Series)

Cover

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In the series Culture and the Moving Image,
edited by Robert Sklar

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Dangerous Knowledge

The JFK Assassination in Art and Film

Art Simon

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Disclaimer
Some images in the original version of this book are not available for inclusion in the netLibrary eBook.

Temple University Press, Philadelphia 19122 Copyright 1996 by Temple University All rights reserved Published 1996 Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.481984.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Simon, Art. Dangerous knowledge: the JFK assassination in art and film / Art Simon. p. cm. (Culture and the moving image) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-56639-378-7 (cloth). ISBN 1-56639-379-5 (paper) 1. Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917 1963 Assassination Pictorial works. 2. Arts, American. 3. Arts, Modern20th century United States. I. Title. II. Series. NX652.K45856 1996 700dc20 9524784

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for Barbara and my father

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any people have played important roles over the course of my work on this project. My greatest debt is to Robert Sklar. I have benefited immeasurably from his teaching and counsel, and my approach to history and film has been profoundly influenced by our friendship and dialogue over the years. I am grateful to Paul Arthur, my colleague at Montclair State University, not only for his input into this project, but for what he has taught me about the avant-garde cinema. Paul's casual remarks about film are generally more insightful than most people's concentrated efforts at critique. Teresa Podlesney has made an extraordinary contribution to my thinking about the cinema and, in fact, about anything worth having a passion for politics, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, good scotch, Dean Martin. Ann Harris provided constant support, both intellectual and emotional, throughout the entire writing process. For their generous concern for my work and assistance with this project I want to thank William Simon, Peggy Phelan, Richard Allen, Melinda Barlow, and Fay Plant. Amber Hewins and Kevin Walter provided crucial help during the final stages. I am especially grateful for the support and consideration of Janet Cutler and Jim Nash. My thanks go to Janet Francendese at Temple University Press. I want to also acknowledge the editors of Motion Picture, Women and Performance, and Cineaste, who granted me space in their journals to work out some of the ideas in this book. For their assistance in providing illustrations or permissions I want to thank Bruce Conner, Chip Lord, Michael McClure, Beth Savage at the Warhol Foundation, and David Russick at the Phyllis Kind Gallery in Chicago.

Friends and family outside the university have been incredibly helpful and supportive. There is no way to adequately thank Neal Karlen. Since the days of Metropolitan Stadium, whether via short or long distance, he has provided me with nothing but encouragement and great humor. My work has been sustained by the camaraderie and patience of Jody Abramson, Jeff Cohen, Steve Burnham, Ed Markovitz, Craig Hunegs and Daniela Roveda, Carolyn Hunegs and Stuart Bloom, Harlan Berger, Sheila Berger, and Michael Rips.

Tom Simon first introduced me to the literature of the assassination; he and Vicki Simon have been as enthusiastic and supportive as any brother and sister could be. Melinda Peterson, Glen MacWilliams, Carrie Simon

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MacWilliams, and Saul Simon-MacWilliams all endured many hours of conversation about the Kennedy assassination.

I am most grateful for the love and loyalty of my father, Stan Simon, who taught me to keep my eye on the ball, take a level swing, and guard the plate when there are two strikes. I ask him to share the dedication with Barbara Berger. Barbara's patience and understanding never wavered, especially during those periods when I grew impatient and unsure. Without her extraordinary personal commitment, generosity, and love, this book would never have been written.

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Dangerous Knowledge The JFK Assassination in Art and Film

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n March of 1992, underground rock poster artist Frank Kozik created a dazzling and outrageous advertisement for the punk bands Helmet and L7. Silkscreened in fluorescent blue, green, and gold is a blown-up, grainy image of Lee Harvey Oswald, a closeup of the alleged presidential assassin at just the moment Jack Ruby pumped the deadly slugs into his stomach. Oswald's mouth open in anguish, his eyes closed tightly from the pain we have seen this image countless times before. Yet in Kozik's poster, Oswald's face has been photomontaged with a hand holding a microphone so that now the open mouth appears to be screaming out a song, now the closed eyes appear to be lost in the rhythmic fury of punk rage.