I just want to punch Marcus Westbury in the face

In a simple walking "This is Modern Art" kind of a way Marcus Westbury eloquently turns my whirling thoughts into sentences. This is not the first time he has done this. Once in Newcastle at TINA I was chairing a panel and I was starting to run into trouble, one of my panelists didn't show up, another turned out to be shy. It was looking like trouble until Marcus popped in and started asking wonderful discussion generating questions. That time I wanted to hug him, not punch him in the face.

Tonight was a different story. There was Marcus on the telly with his very own show "Not Quite Art', walking around making sense of things. I am intensely interested in this show and where it is leading. He started where I had my own personal cultural revolution, Newcastle city of dreams and disasters. In the one day I sat on a step across the from the Town Hall and realised it was ok to want to be a writer, three hours later some locals were throwing eggs at me from a speeding car. One egg hit the footpath next to my foot and splatted, the runny egg went inside my shoe and soaked into my sock. I spent my last five dollars on a new pair of socks.

Marcus then travelled to Glasgow and showed the tremendous success artists are having in disused spaces across the city. He has a way of funneling complex ideas into a still moment. He said "Culture should be exciting, it should be something that you are part of." He's right. He reminded me of all the things I have run away from when Artboy when mental and fucked off. I have turned my back on what's under my nose and once again because of Marcus Westbury my life is about to take another left turn. It shouldn't be up to Marcus Westbury to direct my life. I shouldn't need some man I've spoken to on the phone once or twice, exchanged a few emails with and occasionally bumped into to remind me of the beautiful vibrating soul of this city. I want to be The Captain of my creative self. Sometimes I just want to punch Marcus Westbury in the face.

Comments

Gemnastics said…
Shmarcus has a way of doing this. Funny you quoted that bit about culture being something you should feel part of - I found that the most striking bit too. I told him the next stop would be Dancing with the Stars. He suggested, perplexingly, that that was not ideal.

Shmarcus is a giant in human shoes.
DS said…
Yes. He is. That is why I want to punch him in the face, its a complex and metaphorical punching you understand.

I am beginning to not be surprised when we are struck by the same things.
DS said…
Oh no. Gemma just sent a link to this post to Marcus. I really have to stop writing about people. What if he thinks that I really want to punch him in the head?
Unknown said…
Marcus ducks... Just in case.
DS said…
Don't worry Marcus, my aim is poor.
Unknown said…
You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses would you?

Seriously thanks for the nice(ish) words. I love the description of Newcastle as a "city of dreams and disasters" - i'm glad that's not just for me.
DS said…
It was my televisual pleasure. I will be watching again next week.
TimT said…
My mum told me to watch this show. Maybe she wants to punch him in the face too.