The Bad Son
THE PHOTOCOPY IS THE ORIGINAL. THE ORIGINAL ISA PHOTOCOPY. HARMONY KORINE'S
THE BAD SON
WAS PUBLISHED IN JAPAN IN 1998IN AN EDITION OF 1000. BUT THAT IS NOT THE FULLSTORY. BECAUSE BEFORETHE FACT THERE WAS THE FIRST FICTION. HANDMADE, HANDBOUND COPIES FROM KORINE HIMSELF. THIS ISONE OF THOSE FEW.
The two Macaulay Culkins. Underneath, the Taka Ishii Gallery edition of 1998. On top, the original fake. As few as thirty handmade photocopy examples bound with black adhesive tape are thought to exist. This is the unreal thing.
If you don't know the book, you do now. Korine photographed Culkin during the shooting of the video for Sonic Youth's Sunday. See that film here. That's where the ballet dancers come in. Also in the video and the book is Culkin's wife of that time, Rachel Miner. They were 18 years old.
Above the title page of the official Japanese edition. 1000 of these books were printed.
The title page of the handmade Xerox version. Somewhere up to and around 30 of these books were photocopied.
Compared and contrasted. The photocopy original (above) is as good as good gets. The blacks are blacker, the blur more blurred, the cool is cooler and the artistry evident for all to see.
And Macaulay is Macaulay. Uniquely. From the text to the book (attributed to Culkin... but really?)
'I can remember being born. I was born a young pale prince. I recall at a very young age that the lord spoke to me while I was climbing a tree in my backyard. He said very clearly, "you are different from all other children.... You are the ivory prince... the bad son."'
In harmony. Culkin and Korine.
We have two copies of the book. One is the Taka Ishii Gallery edition, the other is the handmade photocopy original. They are both exceptionally rare but one of course is exceptionally rarer than the other. One is three figures in dollars, euros or pounds, the other four. They are both for sale.
The button is below.