100 Reasons

Bob Flanagan, Sheree Rose, and Mike Kelley.
1991, 6:41 min, color, sound

Writes Kelley: "Bob and Sheree are old friends of mine. Bob Flanagan is a respected Los Angeles writer and Sheree Rose is a photographer who was known primarily as a documenter of the L.A. poetry scene. In recent years their work has come more and more to reflect their sadomasochistic sexual relationship. This tape grew out of an event that Bob and Sheree put together to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of their relationship. They invited many of their writer friends to read from their works. In my case, Bob asked me specifically to read a section of my book Plato's Cave, Rothko's Chapel, Lincoln's Profile. The section he requested is called One Hundred Reasons and it is a list of one hundred appropriate names for a paddle. Bob was surprised at the event when "Mistress Rose" chose to spank him once for each name — one hundred times. Which, of course, he didn't mind. The result was so popular that we decided to recreate it for video. What separates this work from much of the recent spate of S&M performance is its humor, its deadpan truthfulness and its refusal to fall into dimwitted neoprimitive expressionism."

Text: Mike Kelley. Camera: Bob Evans.

 
 

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