Aram Saroyan’s “The Beatles”
Well-known minimalist poet, Aram Saroyan, in 1970, issued the most bizarre printed work on the Beatles.
He issued a 300-copy work called “The Beatles.” Fifty of the copies of the book were signed copies. In my days of getting virtually everything print-related concerning the Beatles I bought one of the signed copies for $40.00. Years later, some of the people who laughed and scoffed at my purchase at the ridiculous price of $40 are singing a different tune as I have seen copies of the work command $300 and getting it, or even more. These prices also highlight the concept of how “value” is determined in any collectible.
Four Pages Long
Saroyan’s work about the Beatles is only 4 pages long and all it does is mention the names of the four Beatles. Most rational people would say that is ridiculous and one must be crazy to buy something like this.
However when one pays thousands of dollars for a Jackson Pollock painting that has paint arbitrarily thrown on a canvas and is passed off as a work of art, any different? Value is often determined by what the person is willing to pay and the status and reputation of the person creating and selling the work. What constitutes true art and value have various interpretations by all of us who consider ourselves consumers, or fools, depending on your viewpoint. Yoko Ono has been said to have a minimalist perspective in many of her art pieces. For example, a half-a-chair sculpture, where you need to imagine the other half of the chair.
Avant-Garde
Some people are critical of anything termed “avant-garde” or as several Beatles have mentioned over the years that the term gives the artists “avant-garde” a clue as to what is going on and are only putting on the public.
Some people say this type of art is designed simply to get a reaction from the audience. I have yet to see an all-encompassing definition of what constitutes or defines true art for me. Some people will pay thousands of dollars for a Salvador Dali painting of a melting timepiece, yet others would not waste their time buying something so surrealistic. I suppose one could say this wide-ranging definition is what makes the subject so interesting.
Have provided a link for the definition of minimalism below. This is followed by my signed copy of the Beatles book by Saroyan. Hope it brings a smile and a laugh to your faces that I actually spent $40 on a 4 page book!!!
The Website “Pen and the Pad” helps to define what minimalist poetry is and Saroyan is mentioned as one of the main contributors to this form of communication.
What Are Minimalist Poems? – Pen and the Pad
What do you think? Art? Avant-Garde? Rip-off? Investment?
Buzz
I suspect that the very nature of its uniqueness and eccentricity makes it an object worth having. It is so far out of left field but so obvious that it would have become the subject of much discussion and possibly consternation. I would have bought a copy given the opportunity. Appeals to my sense of humour and quirkiness. It is all that need be said or written about The Beatles..they were so big and still are, that the individual names are all that needed to be written. be said
Nice analysis, Martin! It helps to know that not everyone thinks that I went bonkers when I made this purchase for my collection. That is precisely why I bought it because it was unique, unusual and so out of the ordinary!!!
Speechless
Tony: So was I, when I first bought it. Believe it or not, though, I have no regrets in purchasing it, reflecting upon my decision made so long ago!!!