NOSTALGIC INFLUENTZA OR THE BLUE GLASS FISH

PSYCHOLOGY TREATIES

• Another guy – a psychoanalyst – has billionaire only clients. And what was their big problem? It was mainly the wives who went to his office. He would tell them: “You’ve got a schizophrenic!”; 90% of the cases… “What can I do for you? And they… the bankers’ wives… “Unhappiness!” And this guy had to write a treaty about unhappiness.

• “We have everything but we’re unhappy!” “It doesn’t matter how happy you really are, but how pretty you look in the family pictures you show your friends!” That’s their life, family album life.

• Another one a fraud… and if he has a goatee and speaks bad English… everyone’s saying: “He’s a great philosopher, a Marxist!” Actually he doesn’t know many things. He says common things. He has a beard this long and the young like him. An ex communist who trashes capitalism. What better for the students in Paris?

• I stumbled upon a psychology book, very trendy now in the States, it’s called “Abnormal Psychology”, written by this chick, obviously a feminist, that’s fine with me, I love feminists…and at some point there’s this chapter where you can tell many, many diseases of the psyche according to how well or how ill a metaphor is used.

THE GLASS FISH

• Did you have a glass fish on your TV set ? Do you know the legend of the glass fish ? It wasn’t officially produced in Romania. There is no glass fish production plan. You couldn’t find them in stores. We tried to find the guy who invented the glass fish. The inventor. The idea came from somewhere in Slovakia or Slovenia, we don’t know for sure, but all the glass makers I talked to remember that it was something that was being made during breaks, as extra money, out of the remaining glass shards. It was either offered as a present or sold. It had become a social landmark. The fact of having a glass fish in your house – the glass fish symbolized the gift – meant that you were appreciated. You were someone. If you had two or three of them….or if you could offer one as a present, if you had the possibility of making presents, you were even higher on the social ladder. On the one hand, it was an equalizing thing, everyone had a glass fish, but it was also social hierarchy. Who had the bigger glass fish, who could offer them as presents…Name a home object that can now be associated with the idea of gift!

EXPELLED FROM ROMANIA

• In April, when there were the protests in Moldova, Alexandru Vakulovsky was expelled from Romania. In Moldova, at his place, he has a wine production, a pond behind the garden and he’s 60 km away from Odessa. And I wanted to go visit him. And I called him and his mom answered : ‘Sandu’s in Chisinau, he’s off to take care of some paperwork…’ His mom had no idea about what was going on in Chisinau. What was I to tell her ? That there was a revolution and people were getting fists in their faces ? The same story as in the University Square. I looked for the movie and I saw it again because an image had remained in my memory. There was this guy…you can see him both in the films from Moldova and in the University Square among the people putting fire on. There is this guy…not the same, but the same type, so this teenager showing up in his short pants carrying a backpack from which he’s taking out Molotov cocktails. And I say : Wait a minute! Who is it that gets in the square with his small backpack, short pants and with his bottles ready ? Because in the ‘90’s you could still say that the guy took the gasoline out of his car’s tank ….but now it’s no longer possible. That guy had his ammunition prepared in advance. And then I saw the connection. It was the exact same guy. The short pants included. The same agitators’ school.

ETHICS

• Do you want me to start on Baron Spinoza? With… the people who wrote ethics? My great obsession is that art should be ethical. Why that? You have to feel comfortable. During communism or socialist nazism or fascism, art had to become state-related…everything was triumphalist, patriotic, what have you… art has to be implicitly ethical, that is to support the weak voice of the citizen and not the gigantic voice of the state ; the ones who say they care for the many, they aren’t into ethics ; they’re into propaganda ; ethics is the voice of the weak person caring for the weak. That’s all ! And that’s something you feel in your gut ? How do you feel it ? You have your readings. Like… those concatenations in organic chemistry; you’re concatenated in certain things; and you know : Sabato did that, Borges didn’t, Mahatma did, LevT did, Dostoievski didn’t, he was a swine. Look she’s my favorite one. She’s the only waitress who smiles. Could you come here a little? Will you please bring me a pack of marlborough ligts? Another unicum, pall mall light?; Do you have Luckys? No. I’ll have a pall mall like this, she’ll have a pall mall like that… And a Becks. And a Becks for me too. … and these are the people who went with him in the desert then, for five years? Yes. His children. And the youngest, whom he loved the most… And why did he love the little one? Sabato would say: I have no ear for music but the little one can sing anything, can direct anything…. He becomes the conductor of the Buenos Aires Philarmonic and one night he disappears from home. And things were in such a way that… dictatorship… well, it was the military punta, 10 generals were leading Argentina and if you opposed them, you disapppeared. And that’s how Sabato’s kids died. Never again. He wrote a book Nunca Mas. And he was dictating… and every hour they needed to change the women typists who started to cry when they heard the number of crimes these people had committed. And this is the nation that invented 20 methods of torture with poetic names: the Maradona method, the SnowWhite method, the Hellen method… I can’t remember all the names.

NO 10. TRATAT LA PSIHOLOGIE

• UN tip – psihanalist - si-a facut o clientela numai din miliardari. Si care era marea problema de rezolvat? In special sotiile lor veneau la cabinetul lui. Asta le spunea: “Aveti o micuta schizofrenie!”; 90% din cazuri… “De ce va pot trata? Si elE, neveste de bancheri… “Nefericire!” Si asta a trebuit sa scrie un tratat cum e cu nefericirea.

• “ Nu conteaza cat de fericit esti cu adevarat, ci cat de frumos dai in fotografiile de familie pe care le prezinti prietenilor!” Asta era viata lor, viata de album de familie.

• Altul, un farseor… si daca el are barbuta si vorbeste stricat engleza… toti zic: “ E mare filosof, marxist!” De fapt el nu prea stie nimic. Spune chestii commune. Are o barba pana aici si prinde la tineri. Un fost communist care injura capitalismul. Ce poate fi mai frumos pentru studentii din Paris?

• Am dat peste un tratat de psihologie, la moda acum in SUA, se numeste “Abnormal Psychology”, scris de o tipa, evident feminista. Asta nu ma doare, iubesc feministele! Si are tipa… la un moment un capitol unde iti poti da seama de foarte, foarte multe boli ale psihicului, prin cat de bine sau de prost se foloseste metafora. Ea are o teorie… ca fiecare bolnav mintal – ei nici macar asta nu-si mai permit sa spuna, in fine… om cu disabilitati - fiecare foloseste figura de stil intr-un anumit fel.

NO 20. PESTELE DE STICLA

• Ai avut peste de sticla pe televizor? Stii legenda pestelui de sticla? Nu se producea oficial in Romania. Nu exista nici un plan de productie a pestelui de sticla. Nu se vindeau in comert. Am incercat sa-l gasim pe-ala care a inventat pestele de sticla. Inventatorul! Ideea pleaca de undeva de prin Slovacia sau Slovenia, nu se stie foarte exact, dar toti sticlarii cu care am vorbit isi amintesc ca era o chestie care se facea in pauze sau dupa program, ca si ciubuc, din resturile de sticla. Se dadea cadou sau se vindea. Ajunsese un reper social. Faptul ca aveai un peste de sticla in casa – pestele de sticla simboliza darul – insemna ca esti apreciat. Esti recunoscut. Daca aveai vreo doi sau trei pesti… sau daca puteai sa faci cadou un peste de sticla… daca aveai posibilitatea sa faci cadouri, erai si mai sus in scara sociala. Era pe de-o parte o chestie egalizatoare, toti aveau peste de sticla, dar era si o ierarhizare sociala. Cine avea pesti mai mari de sticla, cine putea sa faca cadouri pesti de sticla… Zi-mi acum un obiect din casa care mai poate fi asociat cu ideea de cadou!

NO 22. EXMATRICULAT DIN ROMANIA

• In aprilie cand au fost demonstratiile din Moldova, Alexandru Vakulovsky a fost exmatriculat din Romania. In Moldova, acolo la el, are o porductie de vin, un helesteu in spatele gradinii si Odessa la 60 km de unde sta. Si-am vrut sa merg la el. Si l-am sunat si a raspuns maica-sa: “Sandu e la Chisinau, sa-si resolve niste acte…” Maica-sa nu stia nimic din ce era in Chisinau. Ce era sa-i zic? Ca acolo e revolutie si ca-si dau aia pumni in gura? Era exact scenariul de la piata Universitatii. Am cautat filmul si l-am revazut ca tineam minte o imagine. Era un tip… se vede si-n filmuletele din Moldova, si si-n piata Universitatii - printre aia care dadeau foc. E un tip… nu acelasi, ci acelasi stil… deci un adolescent care vine in pantaloni trei sferturi si are in spate un rucsacel din care scoate cocteilurile Molotov. Zic: “Stai ma putin! Cine vine in piata cu rucsacelul, in pantaloni trei sferturi si are sticlele pregatite?” Ca daca in ’90 in Romania mai ziceai ca domne’ a scos benzina din rezervor… acuma nu mai poti face asta. Ala era venit cu arsenalul de-acasa. Si am facut conexiunea. Este exact acelasi. Inclusiv chestia cu pantalonii trei sferturi. Aceeasi scoala de agitatie.

NO 25. ETICA

• Vrei sa te iau cu Baron Spinoza? Cu… oamenii care au scris etica? Obsesia mea cea mare e ca arta trebuie sa fie etica. Asta de ce? Trebuie sa te simti confortabil. In communism si in nazismul socialist sau fascism, arta trebuia sa devina o chestie de stat… totul era triumfalist, patriotic, nu stiu ce… Arta trebuie sa fie etica implicit, adica sa tina cu vocea slaba a cetateanului, nu cu vocea uriasa a statului; aia care zic ca tin cu cei multi, aia nu fac etica; aia fac propaganda; etica e vocea celui slab care tine cu cei slabi. Atata! “Si asta o simti cu stomacul? Cum o simti?” Ai lecturi. Ca… catenele alea la chimia organica; esti incatenat in anumite chestii; si stii: ca Sabato a facut aia, ca Borhes n-a facut-o, Mahatma a facut-o, LevT a facut-o, Dostoievscki n-a facut-o, a fost un porc! Uite asta e pustoaica mea preferata! E singura dintre barmanite care zambeste. “Vii putin si-aici? Mi-aduci si mie un Marllboro lights? Inca un Unicum, pall mall?; Lucky aveti? Nu. Mie un pall Mall din asta, ei un Pall Mall din asta… Si un Becks. Si mie un Becks!” “… si astia au fost aia care au mers cu el in desert atunci, cinci ani?” Da. Copilasii lui. Si asta mic, pe care il iubea cel mai mult… Si de ce-l iubea pe micut? Zicea Sabato: Eu nu am ureche muzicala, ori asta mic canta orice, dirijeaza orice…. Devine dirijor al Filarmonicii din Buenos Aires si dispare si asta intr-o noapte de-acasa. Si era moda ca… dictatura… ma rog, era junta militarilor, 10 generali conduceau Argentina si daca te opuneai lor, dispareai de-acasa. Si lui Sabato asa i-au murit copiii. Sa nu se mai intample niciodata. A scris o carte: “Nunca Mas”. Si el dicta… si trebuiau din ora in ora schimbate dactilografele ca incepeau sa planga cand auzeau cate crime au facut astia. Si asta e natiunea care a brevetat 20 de metode de tortura cu nume poetice: “metoda Maradona”, “metoda Alba ca Zapada”, “metoda Hellen”… nu-mi mai amintesc toate numele!

WORKING FOR INstantSOMNIA

INSOMNIA

• What is Insomnia for you? My place of work. They sat on it, they thought about it, they didn’t sleep for a very long time and the result was Insomnia. Opera Somnia. (ianos)

• This is a strange place. The only pub in Cluj that changes its location; it used to be somewhere downtown now it’s here ; here I organized some translation activities several times ; people already know about it ; last year there was a door here and because more and more people are coming to the literary stuff, they enlarged this wall ; they still need to fix this piano, to tune it up, so that we can have some improvised sessions at our reading evenings ; good things keep happening here ; I wouldn’t have gone to Berlin if I’d known that the one I consider the best (Romanian) poet of the eighties was going to be here ; he’s a guy who lives in the country, somewhere in Salaj. Only the few refined know him. His name is Viorel Muresan. He went to live in the country; he isn’t interested in being well-known. I think he hasn’t even been to the West and he’s almost 60. On the other hand he’s the best writer. I’m gonna invite him too once.

THERE ARE NO PEOPLE IN TRANSIT!

• Consider these two images : Paris and Madrid! They have the largest subway networks in Western Europe and Southern Europe, respectively. That guy, the French or Spanish architect had the perspective of the future on his mind a hundred years ago and he based the city projects on it. We ? Are we still at the stage past, present, future? Two years ago they started the airport investment. They showed up and announced : ‘Mega investment ! It will be the biggest airport in Eastern Europe.’ And they started the construction. No impact study had been made. The airport is right in the city. There are two flight passageways above the city. The one coming from Oradea and the one going to Dej. One is for taking off, the other is for landing. And they kept bragging about their big investment. And they would say : ‘As of 2012, we’ ll have Boeing 897 here, that huge airbus…’ And I asked : ‘Do you know how many decibels that means for our city ? So you’ll understand: ‘It ‘s as if a train were passing ringing off the alarm 20 meter high above every five minutes.’ And these guys got a prize for the most dynamically developed airport. They made the departure terminal, they inaugurated it, then they made the arrival terminal, they inaugurated it too… ‘What a cool airport we’ve got!’ and as the traffic increased, they realized something….that they had no connection between the departure terminal and the arrival terminal. For these award receivers….apparently there are no people in transit!

NO 9. INSOMNIA

• Ce e pentru tine Insomnia? Locu’ de munca. Au stat, au cugetat, n-au dormit foarte multa vreme si a iesit insomnia. Opera Somnia. • Asta-i un loc ciudat. Singura carciuma din Cluj care-si schimba locul; a fost undeva in centru, acum a venit aici; aici am organizat de mai multe ori chestii de traduceri; déjà stie lumea; anul trecut era o usa aici si pentru ca vine din ce in ce mai mult public, au largit peretele asta; mai trebuie sa repare pianul ala, sa-l re-acordeze, sa avem si ceva improvizatii la serile astea de lectura; aici se tot intampla lucruri bune; nici n-as fi plecat din oras daca as fi stiut ca vine cel mai mare poet optzecist in opinia mea; este un tip care traieste la tara, undeva in judetul Salaj. Il stiu doar rafinatii. Il cheama Viorel Muresan. El s-a retras la tara; pe el nu-l intereseaza sa fie recunoscut. Cred ca nici n-a calatorit vreodata in Occident si are aproape 60 de ani. In schimb scrie cel mai bine. O sa-l invit si eu o data!

NO 24. NU EXISTA OAMENI IN TRANZIT!

• Priviti urmatoarele doua imagini: Paris si Madrid! In care sunt cele mai mari retele de metrou din Europa de Vest, respectiv Europa de Sud. Ala, arhitectul francez sau spaniol, de acum o suta de ani, avea in minte perspectiva viitorului si cu ea lucra cand facea planurile orasului. "Noi? Tot la stadiul trecut, present, viitor suntem?" Acum doi ani au inceput investitia in aeroport. Au venit si au anuntat: “Mega investitie! Va fi cel mai mare aeroport din Europa de Est.” Si-au inceput sa construiasca. Nu se facuse nici un studiu de impact. Aeroportul e taman in oras. Exista doua coloane de zbor deasupra orasului. Asta care vine dinspre Oradea si cel care merge spre Dej. Unul e de decolare, unul de aterizare. Si astia se tot laudau cu marea investitie. Si ziceau: “Din 2012 aici o sa vina Boeing 897, aici airbusul ala imens…” Si i-am intrebat: “Voi stiti ce inseamna chestia asta in decibeli pentru oras? Pe intelesul vostru: “E ca si cum ar trece o locomotiva care trage semnalul, 20 de metri distanta in sus, la fiecare 5 minute.” Iar astia au primit premiu pentru aeroportul care se dezvolta cel mai dinamic. Au facut terminalul de plecari, l-au inaugurat, apoi au facut terminalul de sosiri, l-au inaugurat si p-asta… “Ce super aeroport avem!” si crescand traficul si-au dat seama de un lucru… ca nu aveau legatura intre terminalul de plecari si cel de sosiri. Pentru premiantii astia… Nu exista oameni in tranzit!

CAHIER

THOREAU

ESSAY ABOUT LUCIDITY

• The whole story is utopic after all! In two week more people will give a blank vote. But without understanding the message. Practically the message was…’We no longer need you !’ Neither liberal, nor communist… Civic anarchism. And then, what will the authorities do ? ‘Let’s make them see that they need them !’ They leave the city and institute the blocade. Everything is deserted. Public services, police, everything… All of a sudden, there’s no more stealing in the city, no more garbage, practically society is reinvented. No authorities. No system.

ANARCHISM

• I’m an orthodox anarchist. The best identity. I identify myself with anarchism in everything I do. You are born an orthodox and then what can it be? There can also be this nuance of orthodox anarchist. This nuance is your pedigree. All the faiths in the world are ludicrous. Anarchism is the middle way. For instance… Thoreau’s grandson. This guy Thoreau was famous in the States because of two things: he was the ugliest male ever in the U.S, his features were like an endless explosion, the cheeks, a nose like that, protuberant eyes… oh yes! But he had a charming humanity! And these guys in the States go and pass the Constitution… and there are no rights for the black people. And then he announced he wanted to go to jail. His aunt came to bail him out. He got out, he hung around a while… he wouldn’t pay his taxes. “In a country where black people aren’t free » he says : « I’m not free either ! And so I’m not paying any taxes » and he wrote an essay which is the cornerstone of universal anarchism, “On civil disobedience”, in which he says that if the state is criminal, you are not to obey that state and he says: “My advice is not to use bullets, but not pay the taxes!” That’s what anarchism really is. And he went into jail. And his university professors went to take him out, all sorts of people… friends, Thomas Jefferson… and he would say from behind the bars that “I am freer than you! You’re stupid too… and the U.S. history will remember me!” Two Southern generals gave up their military status and said we want to share the same cell with Thoreau. One of them had fallen for a black slave girl… the other had his boots polished by a black man, he was so cool, that the guy told himself “it is impossible that he is not human!” Back then black people were not considered human beings. Thoreau was one of LevT’s favorite intellectuals and LevT wrote a bunch of books on anarchism. After Christianity and socialism he stopped at anarchism : Every man should be a God in his own family!; and I found out that LevT has a 18 vol. correspondence with Mahatma; see how anarchism propagates itself; and Mahatma was Mandela’s favorite philosopher. There are a few people who can change the world but in the sense of non-violence! Anarchism = Non-violence.

THE TANK AND SNOW WHITE

• The first urban guerilla I can remember. ‘93-‘94. They wanted to put up the statue of the anonymous soldier in our park. Now we’re calling it Snow White and the 7 dwarves, as there are 7 soldiers. They wanted to cut down the park for this statue. And all the students in the city gathered there. For a week or two they were drawing and playing hop-scotch in the park. It was our little park. This is where we came to play. There were several protest games. The girls would play the elastic game. On the trees there were appartment rental and colocation ads. The mayor gave up in then end. They put up the statue behind the cathedral, instead of an old Soviet tank which is now lying in the heroes’ cemetery and which is much better looking than Snow White anyway. This was the poetic guerilla. Now there’s anti-system movements paid with the money of the people who are in the system.

THE NEO-ANTI-POST-MODERNIST EPITAPH FORMULA

• On a great man’s cross there were the following words : ‘When you get here too, bring the nail clip with you!” The neo-anti-post-modernist epitaph formula. People would cry out : ‘We will never forget you ! We will never forget you ! We will never forget you !’ This is someone great. And you see ? People are still crying out : ‘We will never forget you ! We will never forget you !” What do you think they’ll be saying about me ? And he says : ‘ We have never loved you’. This is what I’d put on my cross!

NO 23. ESEU DESPRE LUCIDITATE

• E o utopie pana la urma toata povestea! Peste doua saptamani mai multi voteaza in alb. Dar fara sa se-nteleaga. Practic mesajul era… “Nu mai avem nevoie de voi!” Nici de liberali, nici de comunisti… Anarhism civic. Si atunci, ce fac autoritatile? “Hai sa le demonstram ca au nevoie!” Parasesc orasul si instituie blocada asupra lui. Parasesc cu totul. Cu servicii publice, cu politie, cu tot… Dintr-o data nu se mai fura in oras, nu mai exista gunoaie, practic se reinventeaza societatea. Fara autoritati. Fara sistem.

NO 21. ANARHISM

• Sunt un anarhist ortodox. Cea mai buna identitate. Ma revendic de la anarchism in tot ce fac. Te nasti ortodox si atunci ce poate fi? Poate fi si nuanta asta de anarchist ortodox. Nuanta asta e pedigree-ul tau. Am un haz nebun pentru orice credinta din lume. Anarhismul e clar calea de mijloc. De pilda… nepotul lui Thoreau; tipul asta Thoreau era celebru in SUA prin doua lucruri: cel mai urat mascul care a existat vreodata in SUA, avea niste trasaturi, ziceai ca e o explozie continua, cu pometi, un nas asa, cu ochi bulbucati… Da! Dar era de o umanitate fermecatoare! Si fac astia SUA, constitutia… si nu prevad drepturi pentru negri. Si atunci el a anuntat ca vrea sa intre in celula. A venit matusa-sa sa-i plateasca eliberarea. A iesit, a mai stat un pic… nu-si platea taxe si impozite. “Intr-o tara in care negri nu sunt liberi", zice: “nici eu nu sunt liber! Si atunci nu platesc taxe si impozite!" si a scris un eseu, asta e piatra de temelie a anarhismului universal “On civil disobedience” in care spune ca daca statul e asasin, nu trebuie sa respecti acel stat si zice: “Sfatul meu este sa nu consumi gloante , ci sa nu platesti taxe si impozite!” Asta e de fapt anarhism. Si a intrat in puscarie. Si-au venit profii lui universitari sa-l scoata, tot felul… prieteni, Thomas Jefferson… si le zicea de dupa gratii: “Eu sunt mai liber decat voi! Voi sunteti si prosti… si istoria SUA isi va aminti de mine!”. Doi generali din sudul SUA si-au depus armele si-au zis: "Vrem sa stam in celula cu Thoreau!" Unul ca se indragostise de o sclava negresa… altul caruia-i tot facea cismele un negru, asa de cool, c-a zis: “Asta e imposibil sa nu fie om!” Pe vremea aia negrii nu erau considerati oameni. Thoreau a fost unul din intelectualii preferati ai lui LevT si LevT are o groaza de carti despre anarhism. Dupa ce a trecut prin crestinism si socialsm s-a oprit la anarchism: "Fiecare om sa fie Dzeu in propria lui familie!"; "Statul vocatie zero!"; si am aflat ca LevT are o corespondenta de 18 volume cu Mahatma; ca sa vezi cum se raspandeste anarhismul; iar Mahatma a fost filosoful preferat al lui Mandela. Sunt cativa oameni care pot reface lumea dar in sensul de non-violenta! Anarhism = Non-violenta.

NO 8. TANCUL SI ALBA CA ZAPADA

• Prima gherila urbana de care mi-aduc aminte. 93-94. Vroiau sa puna in parcul nostru statuia eroului necunoscut. Acum ii spunem Alba ca Zapada si cei 7 pitici, ca sunt 7 soldati. Vroiau sa taie parcul pentru statuia asta. Si s-au adunat acolo toti studentii din oras. O saptamana sau doua au desenat si au jucat sotronul in parc. Era parculetul nostru. Aici veneam sa ne jucam. Erau diferite jocuri de protest. Fetele jucau elasticul. Pe copaci erau anunturi cu chirii si oferte de locuit impreuna. Primarul a renuntat pana la urma. Au pus statuia in spatele catedralei, unde inainte era un tanc sovietic care acum e in cimitirul eroilor si care oricum arata mai fain decat Alba ca Zapada. Asta a fost gherila poetica. Acum se fac miscari anti-sistem pe banii alora care sunt in sistem. • Sistemul e distrus!

NO 4. FORMULA DE EPITAF NEO-ANTI-POST-MODERNIST

• Pe crucea unui om mare scria: “Cand vii si tu, adu si unghera!” Formula de epitaph neo-anti-post-modernist. Oamenii scandau “Nu te vom uita niciodata!” ”Nu te vom uita niciodata!” ”Nu te vom uita niciodata!” Asta e un om mare. Si vezi? Oamenii scandeaza si astazi: ”Nu te vom uita niciodata!” Despre mine ce crezi ca o sa se scandeze? Si el zice: “Nu te-am iubit niciodata!” Eu asta mi-as pune pe cruce!

BLACK SWAN

DEPARTURES

• I kept teaching and after that I went abroad. I was a ballet director in Ljubljana, Zagreb, Maribor, Arieca, I was away for about 16-18 years. For 55 years I wake up with Battement Tendu and I go to sleep with Battement Tendu. I’m sick of it!

• It’s painful to come back home. Because you realize that foreigners appreciate you more than your own people. When I was abroad, they were all asking for my return. And when you’re back….fuck off ! We have this inclination of putting trashing everyone right away. He has to be like us!

• The friends who know you, who have a certain image about you, cannot accept the fact that you’ve changed and that you’re different, you’re now the one who’s doing and saying. No ! You’ re still the one they were hanging out drinking beer with. The one I was drinking beer with for ten hours, couldn’t possibly be the Director of the Academy.

THE BLACK SWAN

• I had to have some variation…The Black Swan you know… But what’s with the Black Swan ? An accident. I had no qualities. What does it mean to not have qualities ? This first critetion is physical. If it’s not for you, it’s not for you! My elbows are down, my shoulders are high, I have flat feet, no extension, I am en dedant, a bit of a Robo.

QUALITIES & FLAWS

• You have an inner image inside of you, you can see how that body should be and the first things you see are structure, proportion, if everything corresponds… after that, you start giving it movement, making it alive. You’re the sculptor. This body has the skeleton and the flesh. You start moving it about. Mistakes will appear that you’ll have to correct.

You must have normal proportion, the shape of the legs must be straight, your joints must be mobile, a flexible foot, your feet must walk, the tendons should be long, the limbs long, you have to have extension and on top of it all inborn movement coordination and soul.

THE NIGHT CLUB GIRL

• The ex- world champion in ’79 who had become, in 2009, a strip dancer in a night club in Baia Mare. What’s behind the myth ? In the first fragments published on times.online, Andre Agassi talks about how his father forced him to play tennis. And how he hated tennis… he had that spitting-ball machine in his face, his dad behind the machine, he would hit balls for hours until he started taking pills. Going back to the night club girl. The Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980. The girls would go on training camps and starve. They were looking for bread crusts at night in the garbage cans as they were dying slowly. They were surveyed in the showers, lest they would drink water. One of them went to steal cherries from a yard at night, and she fell and broke her arm. She could not tell the trainers what she’d done, she bore the pain until the contest began, then she went to the crossbeam and she simulated a fall. At one point, they had all fled and went home and the blue-eyed comrades went after them and told their parents : If you want your child to stay home, here you have the bill for the housing in Deva, for the training camps, for tournaments abroad ! And they were sent back. Moscow 1980. She couldn’t wait to get back home. She would count the days and she would dream about how she and her brother would go to the Sasar Valley and eat chicken fried on glass bottle.

NO 3. PLECARI

• Te doare cand vii acasa. Pentru ca vezi ca strainii te pretuiesc mai mult decat ai tai. Cand eram afara toti urlau dupa mine. Si cand vii inapoi… Du-te dracu! Avem talentul de-ai baga in mocirla imediat pe toti! Tre’ sa fii ca noi! • Am tot predat, dupa care am plecat in strainatate. Am fost director de balet la Ljubljana, la Zagreb, la Maribor, Arieca, am fost plecat vreo 16-18 ani. De 55 de ani ma scol cu Battement Tendu si ma culc cu Battement Tendu. Nu mai pot! • Prietenii care te stiu, care si-au format o imagine despre tine, nu pot sa accepte faptul ca tu te-ai schimbat si esti altfel, ala care faci si spui. Nu! Esti in continuare ala cu care ieseam impreuna la bere. Ala cu care stateam eu la bere 10 ore, nu are cum sa fie Presedintele Academiei!

NO 17. LEBADA NEAGRA

• Trebuia sa fac variatii… Lebada Neagra stii… Da’ ce e Lebada Neagra? Un accident. Nu aveam calitati. Ce inseamna asta sa nu ai calitati? Primul criteriu e fizic. If it’s not for you, it’s not for you! Eu am coatele lasate, umerii ridicati, am platfus, n-am extensie, sunt en dedant, sunt un pic cam Robo.

NO 18. CALITATI&DEFECTE

• Tu ai in tine imaginea launtrica, tu vezi cum trebuie sa fie acel corp si prima data ii vezi structura, proportia, daca toate corespund… si dupa aceea incepi sa dai miscare, sa-I dai viata. Esti sculptorul. Corpul asta are scheletul si carnea. Incepi sa-l misti. Apar greselile pe care trebuie sa le corectezi.Trebuie sa ai proportie normala, forma picioarelor sa fie dreapta, sa ai articulatiile mobile, laba piciorului flexibila, picioarele sa mearga, tendoanele sa fie lungi, membrele lungi, sa ai detenta si peste astea coordonare nativa a miscarii si suflet.

NO 19. FATA DIN BIRT

• Fosta campioana mondiala din ‘79 care ajunsese in 2000 dansatoare de noapte intr-un birt din Baia Mare. Ce e in spatele mitului? In primele fragmentele publicate pe times.online, Andre Agassi povesteste cum il obliga taica-sau sa faca tennis. Si cum ura el tenisul… se trezea cu masina aia de scuipat mingi in fata, cu taica-sau in spatele masinii, statea ore intregi sa intoarca la mingi pana a ajuns sa se dopeze. Revenind la fata din birt… Jocurile Olimpice de la Moscova 1980. Fetele mergeau in cantonament si faceau foamea. Fugeau noaptea la gunoi ca sa caute coji, ca mureau incet. Le supravegheau la dus, sa nu care cumva sa bea apa. Una s-a dus noaptea sa fure cirese dintr-o curte, a cazut si si-a rupt mana. Nu putea sa le spuna antrenorilor ce- a facut, a suportat pana a inceput competitia, a intrat la barna si a simulat o cadere. La un moment dat fugisera toate acasa si au venit tovarasii cu ochi albastri si le-au zis parintilor: Daca vreti sa ramana copilul acasa, aici sunt: cazarea la Deva, cantonamentele, turneele in strainatate si asta-i nota de plata! Au fost trimise inapoi. Moscova 1980. Abia astepta sa ajunga acasa. Numara zilele si visa cum o sa mearga ea cu frate-sau pe valea Sasarului si or sa manance pui fript pe sticla.

NO.6

Cluj • Synagogue 1,2,3 • Pancakes with berries • No.6 • Studio work • Story • Cantina mass • Jewish community • Paris street • Abator Market • Lala & Vlad

PARCUL SPORTIV IULIU HATIEGANU

OLIMPIA

• I saw an old woman once in a swing. She wore a thick brown coat and had a purse. It was about 5PM. She was holding a bar tight with her arms and swinging her legs energetically back and forth. She seemed to know what she was doing. By the Sports Park, near the adult swings. Who knows what a mad woman this might be! A diver at 80, in the Pacific Ocean, dragging a young blonde operator after her! This park was made after the model of the Olympic Park in Berlin, at the Olyimpics in 1930 something… and you can see there stadiums, tennis courts, swimming pool, everything…it was so quiet… Amazing ! And from here you can take the tram two stations away!

NO 5. OLIMPIA

• Am vazut o data o batrana dandu-se in leagan. Era imbracata intr-un palton maro, gros si avea pe umar o geanta. Sa fi fost vreo 5 dupamiaza. Statea fixata in maini de-o bara si-si legana picioarele energic dintr-o parte in alta. Parea ca stie ce face. Langa Parcul Sportiv, la hintele pentru adulti. Cine stie ce nebuna o fi si asta! Scufundatoare la 80 de ani, in apele Pacificului, carand dupa ea un operator tanar si blond! Parcul asta a fost facut pe modelul Parcului Olimpic din Berlin, la Olimpiada din 1930, 30 si ceva… si vezi acolo stadioane, terenuri de tenis, bazin acoperit, toate, toate… era asa o liniste… Extraordinar! De aici poti sa iei tramvaiul doua statii!