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 THERE
ARE QUITE A FEW MAD, BAD LADS ON THE WEB: there are hackers, smutpeddlers,
bigmouths. There are individuals who leads themselves to believe that
they are playing the Bad Boy Boogie, just because they do homepages
filled to the brim with crash trauma wounds, vomit and farts. But then
again, there are those who are For Real. People such as Eric Swenson.
Eric has continously been keeping the internet unsafe and uncertain
since before graphic browsers surfaced, and he has been cutting edge
all the way, both concerning technology and content. Some of those cutting
edge projects are his websites www.necroenema.com
and www.swensonia.com. It is
hard to say exactly what he's up to. Some people would probably call
it semantic terrorism, some would call it totalitarian audiovisual poetry,
and some will surely call it depraved madness.
But his œuvre speaks for itself: his various websites, his book
Eine Abrechnung!, and his very ambitious CD-ROM project BLAM!. So far,
he's made 3 BLAM issues, out of which at least one has been banned in
Japan, with collaborators such as Kim Gordon, Richard Kern and Jim Goad.
BLAM! 3 was recently awarded a silver prize for best interactive media
by well-known design publication I.D. Magazine (not the english trend
mag, mind you), brimful as it may be with shocking imagery and highly
non-P.C. content, political and otherwise. Go, motherfucker, go!
Eric kindly enough made a pause in his turkey gobbling during Thanksgiving
to answer our questions about him and his production. It wouldn't have
fit on three printed pages. But this is the full story. The following
is verbatim.
In 1996, you wrote Eine Abrechnung, quite a piece of prose,
I might add. Is that book to be seen as a main tenet of all your previous
and subsequent work, and in that case, to what extent?
I would never allow myself to become trapped by a previous piece of
work; to do so would be to imply an early and mediocre death. But I
do believe in recycling myself, plagiarizing myself ad infinitum. Look,
Eine Abrechnung stands on its own merits. Eine is, I hope, strong
enough to go down in history as the Mein Kampf of the first half
of the 21st Century. Like a good watch, it takes a licking and keeps
on ticking... Yes, yes. If Eine represents the main tenet of
my previous work, then my forthcoming album/CD Mr. Swenson will
represent the primary tenets of my forthcoming work, yes, yes.
You started out quite early with the whole internet/www shebang.
Have you been disillusioned by what you have seen so far?
Yes, I began early -- at about the age of 16, dorking around with
miscellaneous computer bulletin board systems, posting "creatively",
causing stirs, making friends, making enemies, spreading whatever my
word for the day was, being a proactive citizen. Yes... I have been
casually amused (read: bored) by the trendiness of the online world
-- even since my earliest days. The net is a conduit for both the brilliant
and the banal. It is no different from our traditional media except
that in terms of scale. I'm quite aware of the "interactive"
implications of the net which most of the digerati would begin to espouse
at this point if you were conversing with one of them. I reject all
of their nonsense in the name of sexy syllogisms and logical analogies.
"We're all one piece of the same piece/my sphincter grows as your
sphincter grows/because we're all one piece/of the same piece."
I haven't been DISILLUSIONED by anything or anyone because I have never
allowed myself to be conned into accepting any of the commonly held
world views associated with networked culture. I never saw the net as
a great equalizer, an empowerment tool -- or even as an enforcer. It
is a malleable, nascent conduit of data and it will grow and be transmogrified
ad infinitum. Issues pertaining to censorship, legislation, commercialization
-- those are all banal and predictable. I prefer to keep my guns in
my underwear and in my socks. If I feel threatened, I will act. Don't
ask me how; I keep certain cards close to my chest (that's where the
secret trigger is).
Words on Necro Enema Amalgamated: how did it come to be and how does
it relate to Blam?
NEA was formed in October 1992 by myself and Keith Seward. We were
sitting in a bar. I had just given myself an enema and Keith had just
fucked his girlfriend in the ass and left her tied up in his apartment
with batteries up her butt, listening to the Cure on auto-repeat while
we drank and had dinner. Anyhow, we had been operating under the rubric
of S.S. (Seward Swenson) because that scared our Jewish friends. But,
we wanted something more catchy. So, we were playing with the initials
of otherwise respectable American institutions. When we made it to NEA
(both the National Education Association and the National Endowment
for the Arts) it didn't take us very long to say "eureka."
Necro = greek word for death = ultimate affirmation of life.
Enema = cool, sexy medical procedure designed to purge the body of psychic
and toxic wastes = life affirming action
Amalgamated = unity = bringing together of above surface level negatives
which are in reality, life affirming positives.
Necro Enema Amalgamated = our imprint; it is a PUBLISHING & PRODUCTION
COMPANY. NEA publishes BLAM!.Keith and I are equal owners with equal
creative, financial and production control.
Will the true potential of the internet ever be fulfilled?
Has the true potential of the wheel been fulfilled? I don't think
so. I don't think that technologies or inanimate objects have anything
BUT limitless potential energy (e.g. a boulder sitting on the edge of
a cliff -- and a nice long stick haphazardly set right next to it -
you get the picture). It's up to us to find new and original uses for
our technology -- and the haphazard gems that surround us. The internet
is a conduit -- like a river -- which can serve to irrigate crops or
drown cripples. Dam it up and you can end up with a great lake; bomb
the dam and you kill some people, wipe out some crops and overwhelm
an unprepared civil defense force. I don't really think in terms of
ultimate potential -- I'm not a utopian, contrary to what many of my
fans think. I simply believe that if you have an idea, you run with
it. I deal with possibilities and firmly believe that anything is possible.
But, if we must speak of potential, I should say this: for the record,
I'm very much in favor of totalitarian regimes co-opting the net (in
whatever form it might take on at any time). Not because I want their
people to become empowered or liberated or anything kooky like that;
I'm interested in watching the net become more of a controlling mechanism
-- at an accelerated pace, of course. Totalitarians aren't always spineless
meanies -- many are incredibly intelligent, realistic sadists. Fuck
the whiners, the megalomaniacs and the gangs of four, etc. I'd like
to see a good, sadistic dictator display a keen and heartfelt interest
in the net as a tool for control and manipulation. And I'd like him
to hire me as his (or her, hopefully) creative director and information
architect. I believe that then, you will see a lot MORE of the internet's
"potential" fulfilled. Anyone who is interested in working
with me on such a project should email me at swenson@swensonia.com.
But I must warn you, I am very expensive.
Media assassins/terrorists. Hackers. Do they fill a purpose? Are
they needed to make the channels of information available to the people?
Everyone fills a purpose. Even Eric Estrada! I worked for a large
media company for three years. We were hacked repeatedly over the course
of two years -- and we believed it was by the same person (or group)
each time. The first time this happened, the vice president in charge
of IT floundered, allowed his team of drones to employ an illogical
strategy of submission and just hoped the hacker would go away. The
hacker got bored after a while, sure. But later, s/he/it came back.
The second time was worse because credit card numbers and other vital
records were compromised. I think that the hacker was trying to teach
someone a lesson. It took him/her/it two serious invasions to finally
teach the IT staff a lesson, to lower their hubris-ridden shields of
fear and beef up our systems to the point that they were compatible
with REALITY.
Most of the hackers I know are not benevolent souls -- but they are
armed with a sense of purpose -- even when they are wandering. If they
see an open system, they try to expose it for what it is. I think that
good writers, journalists, moralists and philosophers all try to do
the same thing. The problem today is that laws which pertain to intellectual
and physical property get in the way of our ability to cleanly and precisely
contextualize the hacker as a similar intellect with a similar (although
self-proclaimed) mission. Over time, you will see the hacker of today
(or at least the media's version) conform (evolve) into a more established
cadre of provocateur or sage -- you know, like a rock star.
Are hackers needed in the same way as a French sewer ball? Do hackers
represent a form of information enema? Thus far, NO. No, most of the
hackers I have known are not good information brokers or disseminators.
Their communication skills are rarely as good as their problem solving
& expository skills. There are some exceptions, such as Emmanuel
Goldstein (founder & editor of 2600)
and others, but even their attempts to dispatch effective propaganda
by deed are small in comparison to those of their more media savvy detractors.
Unfortunately, those media savvy detractors often sound like retardates
when they attempt to fight any form of "good fight."
What about electronic terrorism/political activism in the future?
Will there be a digital equivalent of the Baader-Meinhof gang? Should
we all stockpile electronic weaponry, hacking tools and HERF-guns alike?
Well, let's see. Irene Goergens was kind of hot, wasn't she? Hot terrorist
sex, espionage, guns, intrigue. Sounds good to me! And probable, too.
Yes, yes, yes. I expect not the equivalent, but that a MAGNUM force
of guerilla electronic terrorists -- or liberators -- ARE EMERGING.
Yes, yes, they already exist but they have simply not yet achieved a
high enough profile.
My only hope for the next generation of leftist outlaws is that they
don't repeat the mistakes of almost every other guerilla in history;
that is, to provide the system they are attempting to subvert or invert
with a more powerful WILL to amplify the injustices they are already
allegedly committing. It's all about the psychology of the double bind,
you see. You see??
It's funny that you mention the Baader-Meinhof gang. Their sanity and
motives were constantly challenged by the media and the law enforcement
community, but if you give them the benefit of the doubt, you have to
accept their premises which were based on a concept of inversion. Baader-Meinhof
wanted to fuck things up to the point where the mirror would crack --
the true beast would raise its ugly head, the populace would finally
see the light and react en masse vis a vis a glorious revolution! Right?!
Well, Charles Manson wanted the same thing. Now, he just sits in jail
and sings songs to himself. Helter Skelter. On TV, maybe, sure.
I could see an analogous group hacking into the air traffic control
system of the United States, dropping a few planes some time around
November of 1999 -- just to scare the world straight into finally believing
in all the Y2K armagedon -speak. But instead of taking up arms against
the CEO's of the world, it's more likely that people would instead demand
greater controls on cryptography, etc., etc. So, in the end, you have
to wonder about groups like Baader-Meinhof: are they real -- or are
they simply deflection foils planted by the reigning spook force? Never
underestimate the power of the dark side. Cointelpro is real and the
double-bind is eternal.
What, so far, do you think have been good with the internet? Or is
it all a big crock of shit? A masturbatory playground for voyeurs and
exhibitionists? All that was private is now in the public domain.
Again, I look at the net as a conduit. I appreciate news services (pay
and free), databases, encyclopedias, etc. In short, I'm fairly happy
to have instant access to so much data at any point of connectivity.
What I'm bored by are all of the banal, retro attempts to deliver entertainment
content. In the late sixties, mid seventies and again in the late eighties,
a bunch of yokel hippies tried to develop a series of "interactive
television" networks/trial in the USA. Those people should all
be found and shot because they planted seeds which have polluted and
constipated the imaginations of ALMOST every "new media" producer
since. The entertainment brokers of today's net are mongrels, true retardates.
(EXCEPT, of course, the porno people who are brilliant.) As usual, porn
has helped to push miscellaneous technology along and has inspired a
wave of affluent early adopters. Porn has done a lot to help increase
penetration of net audio and video, for example. We owe a debt of gratitude
to the wankers of the world!
I don't see ANYTHING wrong with any media being used as a masturbatory
playground for voyeurs and exhibitionists. As a matter of fact, if you
read Eine Abrechnung! you will discover that I ADVOCATE this. All that
was private is now in the public domain? Good! If this is the case,
then I HAVE WON!!
InternetWWW as art: what about it?
What about it? Anything can exist as a channel for art -- especially
my asshole. I have developed more ways to recycle the self as art than
ALMOST anyone I know (there are some very noteworthy exceptions, of
courseä.). Thus far, most of the self-proclaimed "digital"
artists out there are quite useless. As a matter of fact, I can't think
of a single "digital artist" out there whose work inspires
me in any way except, perhaps those working in the film industry such
as George Lucas, the boys at Imaginary Forces, etc. There are of course
countless cross-over artists -- TRUE multimedia artists who have found
ways to push boundaries within the realm of web media -- but even they
have not yet wowed us on the web -- yet. I refuse to believe that this
is because of limitations inherent in the media (that's a common excuse,
you know). I suspect that the reason most of the art that exists singularly
on the web is mundane because the artists were perhaps more concerned
with the novelty of the medium than they were obsessed with the ideas
or feelings they were trying to express. In fact, that lack of soul
is, I suppose, the issue. Also, it becomes apparent rather quickly that
most web "art" is based upon a common thread regarding non-linearity,
hypertext, etc.; it's also very metacognitive re: the medium itself.
If my answer seems boring it's because the thoughts and images that
the question elicits just bore me to tears. As always, I have to rely
on myself for entertainment and inspiration. And Eric Estrada.
Internet/WWW as a subversive tool: what about it?
Any conduit can be used for subversive purposes -- including my
urethra. If I choose to fuck your mother to make her pregnant so you
can have a little brother - I can do it with my own bioLAN -- my vas
deferans and my urethra can distribute packets of vile aquamen intent
on knocking her up, thus propagating the Swensonian agenda even further.
Same thing with the internet; it's a tool which can be used for pleasure
-- or for pain (see March of the Episemites in Blam! 3). But
it's important to remember that the internet is NOT really an open system.
Proxies, firewalls, etc. limit your access to a multitude of domains
and populations. Never forget, it's internet with a lowercase "i"
-- that means a lot.
The international news media has done an awful job of portraying the
net (and the web) as a sentient personified "force" which
actually MANIPULATES children into doing things like making bombs, defacing
Jewish graveyards, raping retards, performing genital mutilation surgery
on cats and things like that. The mongrel castes are being brainwashed
by the fear-ridden establishment. Even worse, instead of concentrating
on how to actually use the net as a persuasive and coercive tool, the
politicians and their media slut lapdogs (who are very afraid of losing
their jobs to net journalists) are spending too much time vilifying
this mythical personified "force". When will these people
learn that there are only so many calories you can burn in a lifetime?
I wish that they would concentrate on more productive work.
Hitler was a bad man, true. But hey, can't we learn to turn a negatives
into positives? All you need to do is read Mein Kampf, retrofit
Hitler's dialogue on propaganda, apply an elementary school level's
worth of technical savvy to the program, and the net could become an
extremely effective, babysitter. There's more to it than this reductionist
description I'm outlining here. People who want to know more should
talk to me -- or read Eine Abrechnung!
Java, shockwave, css: what is the next Big Thing?
I hope that the next big thing is sonic -- especially since I'm
cutting a record! I hope that the next big thing is portable, too. I'm
the only person I know who still uses (and who ever REALLY knew how
to use) an Apple Newton. I take my MessagePad 2000 everywhere; it's
got a modem, a browser, e-mail program, word processor, decent handwriting
recognition, etc. I hate Apple for allowing the platform to die JUST
when it was finally working. They'd better come up with the alternative
that Jobs promised -- soon! The point of my fantasy/prediction: ubiquitous
multimedia portability will inspire me to actually DEVELOP a long list
of projects that I've allowed to lie dormant for the past five years
simply because I knew that the ideas were way too ahead of their time.
To be blunt, every so-called "father" of the electronic book
will look like a down's syndrome janitor in comparison to Necro Enema
Amalgamated once a ubiquitous, powerful platform for handheld, bathroom
& beach ready digital multimedia becomes available.
I'm keeping my eye on the Nokia PDA/cellular units and the forthcoming
new Pilot with the wireless modem -- and the Windows CE devices -- but
they're all lacking crucial processing power and storage. If Iomega
ever actually ships its CLICK! drive, things could leap forward quickly.
I'm also keeping my eyes on retinal scanning devices -- you know, monitors
that you wear as eye glasses. I've seen prototypes, but I haven't experienced
a working, commercial unit yet. As soon as I can afford a pair, I'll
be there. If they work, I'm chunking all of my monitors except one (for
demos). Traditional notions of virtual reality bore me, but I love the
feeling of full-immersionäeven when I'm only looking at 2-D text.
Of course, this also relates back to my lust for an ideal portable device.
You never know which fart will actually smell, do you?? I'm just hoping
for a big stinker soon because frankly, I'm bored with desktop and laptop
PCs. I hate working on them and I don't particularly enjoy "escaping"
on them.
Now that open source code for Java is becoming available, I have a renewed
sense of hope for the platform -- especially since tools like Director
6.5+ are making it possible for gifted creative developers to construct
Java applets with very little (or no) programming skills. Flash remains
a powerful tool. I'm using Flash and Director in conjunction with one
another now, trying to capitalize on Flash's excellent ability to handle
type and Director's ability to quickly generate stunning low bandwidth,
high-impact effects.
Commersialisation of the web: a necessary evil or a major pain in
the rectal areas?
I have always been a proponent of commercializing the web, primarily
because I have always gained from it. Back before the first graphical
browser was even in a public alpha, I was using the web to disseminate
sales information about BLAM! Number 1 and other early Necro Enema projects.
The net (forget the web) was still uncharted by commercial interests
and most people were unclear of the status of the net, the web, bitnet,
arpanet, etc. I would send out a direct marketing piece via email (now,
these are incorrectly labeled as spam) and I would literally receive
DEATH THREATS from users who were convinced that the net (the NET, mind
you) was government owned infrastructure, that I was breaking a plethora
of non-existent laws, statutes, etc. and that I was sure to rot in hell.
Shortly thereafter, magazines such as Internet World began to sprout
up. Early cover stories pondered the possibility of commercial penetration
of the web, etc. Of course, I had already predicted all of this, written
about it, etc. I always knew that the only way for the infrastructure
to grow was vis a vis a hot beef injection from the commercial/corporate
arena. Of course I predicted an analogous future to television re: ubiquitous
commercials, bland content, etc. But these things are good things. The
more bland and banal content that exists, the more I stand out!!! The
more opportunities there are for me to make money when I need to doing
commercial work!!
Despite the fact that I DESPISE the empowerment fags (also known as
the digerati) who assert that the beauty of digital media lies with
its "empowerment potential" I DO BELIEVE that the commercialization
of the net has proven to EMPOWER a whole new breed of capitalist. And
that's a good thing. If our national information infrastructure was
owned and managed by the National Science Foundation, I doubt that we'd
see as many successful mom and pop pornography sites online! The net
has allowed thousands and thousands of fat, obese, shy and reclusive
people to set up businesses in their own homes! This is a beautiful
thing!
Aside from the concrete instantaneous reality of physical abuse and
pain, I rarely spend time pondering the negative implications of policy.
That is not to say that I am blind or that I look at the world through
rose colored glasses. No, instead, I simply give myself permission to
turn negatives into positives before they can get me down. I agree with
Nietzsche who said it well: "That which does not kill me only makes
me stronger," or something close to that.
Is a potential Y2K crash a good thing?
The pragmatic optimist in me says yes, good things could come from
this -- but I don't think I'll live long enough to see the ultimate
benefits (I will be assassinated eventually, I'm sure). So, from a selfish
perspective, I truly hope that the pessimists and doomsayers are wrong
about the scope of cascading failures they consider to be inevitable.
IF the Y2K problem is as bad as some predict, then our race is truly
deserving of the apocalyptic repercussions. We are such a complacent
lot, humans. I don't see any people rioting in the streets, demanding
accountability from their elected representatives about system flexibility,
contingency planning, etc. I only see pseudo-downtrodden blacks marching
to celebrate the fact that they're not beating up their pregnant girlfriends;
I only see rich white college students chanting, banging on pots demanding
that their paultry tuitions be lowered or that the cafeteria food be
improved; I only see Puerto Ricans parading around to celebrate their
pride in their collective identity which my tax dollars facilitate;
I see parent groups chanting to ban South Park t-shirts. No, we are
truly corrupt, truly blasè, truly ignorant. IF a Y2K system shutdown
accelerates the apocalypse, then we deserve it. Swedes deserve it, Ethiopians
deserve it, New Yorkers deserve it, everyone who is affected deserves
it.
I strongly suspect that so-called terrorist states and electronic terrorists
such as the ones that you asked about earlier are looking to take advantage
of the potential situation -- or to plot catastrophes that will be disguised
to look natural given the collective paranoia about Y2K shutdowns. I
encourage everyone to be incredibly vigilant in the last quarter of
1999 and through the first quarter of 2000. We are all in great danger.
But instead of preparing by hoarding food and adopting "drop-out"
back to nature strategies, I encourage people to instead brace for war.
Think about it. A middle-aged, middle class father of three takes his
wife and children out to the woods to shack up with their rations and
ride out the apocalypse. Noah's ark lever leaves port because the engine's
fuel pump regulator wasn't Y2K compliant. Okay, it's pretty hard to
hide from anyone who's hungry or desperate. So, you're sitting out in
the woods, shitting in a hole you dug -- and Swenson drives up in his
ATV. I walk up to you and I shoot him in the head, shoot his wife --
and walk off to have casual & consensual sex with his daughters.
Yeah, he might have a nice assault rifle that he purchased from his
local sporting goods store, but he never really learned how to use itä.
My point is: if cascading failures result in a situation in which survivalist
tactics are deemed necessary in order to survive for a serious duration
of time, only the STRONG who break from the herds will survive. I doubt
that your average weekend warrior will. The best bet is to organize,
organize, organize now -- before the fourth quarter 1999. By then, panic
will be setting in and it will be too late to plan rationally or to
truly prepare. And hey, if you discover in the end that you over prepared,
then great! Lucky for you! Have a laugh! Have a beer! And go about your
business.
Anything could happen. The implications and concerns raised by numerous
legitimate computer scientists, programmers, psychos and fairies are
all quite legitimate. And given the scenario that I just painted for
you, do you think I'd be stupid enough to tell you what MY plans are
for this time period?? Thank you.
What are you working on now & what will you do in the future?
Until a few months ago, I was living six simultaneous lives: husband,
Necro Enema star, Swensonia! Warrior, college professor, freelance writer,
and corporate new media executive. I quit my corporate job. Now, I am
focusing on Swensonia!. My projects include: a) a record deal with Analogue
Baroque records (run by Momus as a sub-label of Cherry Red records);
my first album will be out around April/May. b) I am developing a massive
web based xanadu with Genesis P-Orridge of Coum Transmissions/Throbbing
Gristle/Psychic TV fame. This project will serve as a living testament
to, library, archive, gallery of Gen's work, the work of some of his
best friends and collaborators. Individual modules will be maintained
by participating artists, but the collective entity will be administered
by all of us as a collective. c) I am doing commercial contract work
as Swensonia!: animation, design, programming, consulting, Producing.
d) I'll start teaching again at Pace University this fall. (see my online
c.v. off of swensonia.com for a description of classes.). e) I plan
on starting a family with my wife soon. We plan to raise an army of
killer girls. I have developed a curriculum which includes martial arts,
weaponry, hardcore aerobics, computer programming and manipulation strategies.
[m]
ADDRESSES
eric swenson = swenson@swensonia.com
http://www.swensonia.com
http://www.necroenema.com
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