Rapid Performance Art

Apparently a couple French performance artists caught the good people of Rapid City, SD a little off guard with thier avante garde performance at the Dahl Center the other night.

After stripping off their grubby clothes, the pair gobbled potato chips and spit them on the crowd, vomited into a filthy commode and threw around fake feces and urine before being shut down about a half hour into what was to be a 45-minute performance.

I grew up in Rapid City in the 60s. The only performance art I remember as a kid was watching the hippies in Wilson Park dancing to whatever music was playing in their heads at the time.

My main question is why was anyone still sitting in the seats watching when the show was shut down. Oh wait, I suspect it was kind of like driving past the scene of an accident. You know you shouldn't look but you just can't help yourself.

Seeing as how feces and urine were a key part of their performance I suspect that the NEA will be cutting the artist a large check.

Update - Senator Tim Johnson

The Sioux Falls Argus Leader is reporting:

Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota, who was hospitalized Wednesday after suffering stroke-like symptoms, is recovering this morning from an overnight operation to address bleeding in his brain.

Admiral John Eisold, the attending doctor of the United States Capitol, issued a statement this morning that said the senator is recovering “without complication” from surgery for a condition called congenital arteriovenous malformation.

“He underwent successful surgery to evacuate the blood and stabilize the malformation,” Eisold said.

Johnson is in critical condition at George Washington University Hospital. Eisold said it was too soon to say if more surgery is needed and what the long-term outlook of Johnson’s health is.

Once again my prayers and best wishes to Senator Johnson and his family, and hopes for a quick and full recovery.

Senator Tim Johnson

According to The Hill, Democratic Senator Tim Johnson from South Dakota was taken to the hospital today suffering from an apparent stroke.

Several conservative bloggers and many news agencies are babbling endlessly over the balance of power in the Senate implications if Senator Johnson is unable to fulfill his term of office.

But since I’m not an elected political official I can put politics and cheap shots aside and wish Senator Johnson a speedy and full recovery. He seemed to be a pretty level headed guy who was often willing to vote his conscious and not the party line on many issues. More importantly he is a fellow South Dakota boy.