Matt McGee ([email protected])
Fri, 2 Oct 1998 00:41:18 -0800
Just adding more stuff to the @U2 news archives. Got a ton of stuff to
go through from 1992, and found this little interesting item about
Jenny Holzer. I remember hearing her name for the first time a couple
years ago when Ned O'Hanlon (I think) was doing a chat on Compuserve
... he mentioned her as an "inspiration" for the flashing messages, but
didn't give the impression there had ever been a rift with Holzer. This
article would suggest otherwise, for what it's worth. Just passing it
along cuz it seems kinda interesting.
-------------
May, 1992
HEADLINE: 'Word artist' Jenny Holzer says U2 videos ripped off three of
her works
BYLINE: Entertainment Weekly.
BODY:
The word is spreading, but not everyone is shouting hallelujah. From
the much-discussed Van Halen video, "Right Now," to U2's video for "The
Fly" and its recent Zoo TV tour, rockers are increasingly filling video
monitors and arena screens with words as images. Now one of the art
world's most lauded "word artists," Jenny Holzer, says U2 is ripping
her off - and she's considering what action to take.
The video for "The Fly" is so similar to her work, Holzer says, that
when she saw it she thought it was hers.
In her view, U2's "The Future Is a Fantasy," a text sequence in the
video, is semantically similar to her piece "The Future Is Stupid." And
she believes another text block, "Ambition Bites the Nails of Success,"
is dangerously like her "Ambition Is Just as Dangerous as Complacency."
In 1990, "Fly" director Jon Klein and former MTV producer/director Mark
Pellington co-produced a "Buzz" segment on Holzer that aired on MTV.
Klein couldn't be reached for comment.
Pellington, who directed the filmed backgrounds for the U2 tour, denies
theft. "It's part of an artist's influence on pop culture," he says.
--------------
For those interested, Jenny Holzer actually has a web site, Jenny
Holzer's Truisms:
http://adaweb.com/cgi-bin/jfsjr/truism
Matt
_________________________________
Matt McGee / [email protected]
@U2 Web Page Curator
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