I 1st encountered traces of the Situationists around 1977 when Baltimore performance group CoAccident used their texts in performance. I was intrigued, it seemed to be ADVANCED POLITICAL CRITICISM - but.., I pd little further attn to them.. Then, in 1984, I both met a woman in London who called herself a Situationist & picked up a copy of the "Situationist International Anthology" edited by Ken Knabb. I read a bit of it, found it too 'stuffy', lost interest, & gave it to a friend who was more interested. Who cares, right?

I'm a neoist. Neoists are sometimes described as being the progeny of sorts of FLUXUS & the Situationists. &, yet, most neoists I know (most of them), know of, but otherwise next-to-nothing ABOUT, the Situationists or FLUXUS. Some of us have had some FLUXUS contact. I LOVE FLUXUS. I like that Debord, at least, sd something to the effect that there're Situationists but no Situationism. THAT I identify w/. &, not surprisingly, these days it seems like that idea is largely forgotten.

I'm friends w/ Keith Sanborn. Keith has translated & subtitled various Situationist films & I've been lucky enuf to get copies of them so I can check them out. I've liked them, but I haven't been exactly converted to their 'genius' - just like I didn't necessarily find the main Lettrist film to really be THAT compelling.

When Debord commited suicide, I was sad about it & annoyed that the usual political pundits used it as an oportunity to career-advance.. but, oh well..

FINALLY, I read this bk &, YES, it clicked more than ever before. Debord comes across as an honest, clear-headed social critic w/ integrity & he's shat on for it. If there's one thing that probably most, if not ALL, societies HATE, it's people who just don't want to participate & who are extremely articulate about WHY. Debord personifies this like few others.

Our society is so inculcated w/ the idea that the greatest reward it has to offer is Warhol's "15 minutes of fame" ('preferably' elongated) that anyone who resists this commodification of their personality is a DANGEROUS ENEMY. Debord, again. What he has to say about the inexcusable press reaction to the assassination of his friend & supporter Gérard Lebovici is very educational & erudite. A controversial figure is assassinated, the controversial friend Debord is punished for it. Killing as many deviant birds as possible w/ one shitty mass media.

Debord "tells it like it is" like few others. I sometimes imagine what I wd do if I were on one of those 'reality' tv shows where the contestants have to compete against each other to win the big bucks as the lone survivor of whatever 'challenges' are thrown their way. My idea? To immediately offer to either: split the money equally if I win OR to drop out to make things easier for everyone else. SUCH AN IDEA IS A CRIME IN OUR SOCIETY & it's a crime that Debord's whole existence personifies. Debord is dead, LONG LIVE DEBORD! ( )