February 10, 2014

February 10, 2014

I woke up this morning with the thought of adopting Bertolt Brecht as a role model.  Ever since I was a teenager I was drawn to Brecht as a character and I pretty much admired his sense of clothing as well.   For me the appreciation of one’s surface eventually leads to their style, and then after that I really go into their art or writing.  

As an only child I am obsessed with the idea of “Tosh” being a creative factory.  I’ll hire writers to write fiction and essays, but under my name.    That in thought, why not do paintings as well, or even films?    I soon realize that being “Tosh” is already an art form of sorts, and I can extend that talent into something more concrete, than just a writer, who writes stuff on Facebook. 

Saying something about Facebook, why not approach writers or editors that I met through that website?   I contacted Daniel Riccuito, because I admire his interest in Pre-Code Hollywood cinema as well as his website The Chiseler (http://chiseler.org).  I offered Daniel $500 a month, which is all I can afford, if he gives up his identity for one year, and everything he produces, he must do so under my name “Tosh.” Therefore The Chiseler will be credited to me as well.   Oddly enough, he refused!

I then approached Richard Prince with the same proposal.  He was said to be fascinated with the idea.  In fact as a present he sent me his “Catcher In The Rye by Richard Prince” book, but changing it to “Catcher in the Rye by Tosh Berman.”   

With that in mind, through my press TamTam Books, I am about re-publish a classic book of poems “Manual of Piety” by Brecht but giving myself credit for writing the book.  When I wrote my book of poems “The Plum In Mr. Blum’s Pudding, ” I was very much influenced by this book of poems by Brecht.  I found it in a second-hand bookstore in Shibuya Tokyo, and used it as a manual of sorts for my own book.  But now, I guess I can do something even better with it, but just re-claiming the book as my own. 

A few years ago, I published a book by Boris Vian called “Foam of the Daze” (L’écume des jours) where one of the leading characters Chick was a collector of artifacts from a philosopher Jean-Sol Partre.  In reality Partre is based on Jean-Paul Sartre, and Chick is modeled after the great jazz drummer Chick Webb.  The fact that Chick in the book really has nothing to do with the inspiration is a sign of Vian’s creativity.  So the art of it all for me is somehow using real life, but yet still get people to do the creative work under my name “Tosh.”  

Today I feel fantastic because there is a whole new world opening up to me, and I can pick and choose what I want for my world.