This interesting development just arrived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xdollarx begin quote------------ The Michael K Project Hello...my name is Michael K. You may remember me from previous emails under the name 'Michael K'. I'm not really part of the so-called multiple name project of which 'The Michael K Project' is apart although I (probably) did start it/encourage it/disrupt it. I'm also the one who's supposed to have been something to do with the K Foundation in the early nineties (before the K Foundation was started). An ting. In fact, I am the actual 'Michael K', founder, proponent and trademark owner of the thing called X$X which, as some of you know, has been around for at least as long as you can remember and probably a lot longer and which has gone through a variety of 'phases' including being a rumour, a hoax, a band, a philosophy, a cult and goodness knows what else. A lot of stuff has happened and, yet, not very much, depending on how you look at it. This is for a particular reason for this which is, basically, that I'm just not interested in X$X doing anything like art, music, writing in the 'usual' way. Yeah, yeah, I just have to be different, you know and, for some reason (see the book 'Beyond Ego' from some year in the early nineties) I want to do it all 'Beyond Ego', a phrase nicked from beneath a couple of non-existent statues of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty. Anyway, without going on and on about it here, 'Beyond Ego' is the main reason why there are X$X records, books, and other things that you can't get. Of course, this has led to some thinking there are none but, throughout, there have been plenty of people who have found out otherwise, almost always on a one-to-one basis and usually in an office involved with some kind of publishing. Most recently, the idea of the items' non-existence was seriously challenged by bits and pieces on radio and the promos excerpted at http://www.xdollarx.co.uk (currently needing fixed up a bit) and elsewhere. As any of you who have tried to actually get hold of the stuff will testify, it's a pretty tricky business. And, so far, no marketing 'punch-line'. Meantime, there's a ton of stuff that's been written about it, faked about it, imitated about it, ignored about it but due to the special quality of the word 'X$X', you can't search for any of that on the web. He he. Now what's the point of all this wank-palaver, I hear you ask? Well...it must be Art, right? And anyway, surely it's becoming a bit more familiar now that viral wossname and pointless, salesless thingmies are generally at large. They weren't in 1987, I can tell ya. Word. Anyway, the reason for writing to you today is to tell you about the next phase of the projectile that is this thing, will involve the comments and perceptions of anybody who wants to offer them. If you want to get involved, here's how: 1. I want to hear from people who have experienced any aspect of X$X or the Michael K project over the years, particularly those with an elephant's memory and a catalogue of their hard-disks. I haven't got such a thing myself but somebody sent me a big zip file of comments, including those by people on your lists, from the mid-nineties or so onward and what I want to do now is follow up on them, hear more from the people who made them, and... 2. To arrange to film some of these people making their comments, lending their experience and perception and knowledge to a documentary in which everyone contributing will be renamed 'Michael K' for the purposes of the documentary which has the working title 'Remember to Put Your Own Mask On Before Helping Others With Theirs'. Used contributors will see stuff that others won't see and which will undoubtedly convince them of the value of this project. Word. That's about it. Have a think about it and then get in touch with your comments, perceptions, criticism, derision, worship, irritation, bemusement and whatever and I'll arrange the rest with you on an one-to-one basis during 2005. A lot of stuff will be put up at both www.xdollar.co.uk and www.michaelk.co.uk during the next while which should enable you to recall the main points of 'Previously from X$X' and, for those who weren't there, what is said to have happened. The editing and production of the 'thing that this is' will, as ever, be done by me, the ultimate in (anti-) control freaks, 'Michael K'. The finished project will be unreleased and thrown on to of the pile of unreleasedment that is whatever this is. Unless it all changes (again). Other than that, I've nothing particularly mystical to imply or reveal, except that you can expect this to be as different as it is. Thank you for your co-operation and I hope you have a safe onward journey. You may be interested to know that car hire is not available at reduced rates at the 'Michael K' counter. Oh, yes...and the revolution will not be pensionable. michaelk@xdollarx.co.uk end quote--------- ===== 'Contained in a transcendental idealism, X$X is only readable through its representing other which hence becomes its symbol.' Michael K, 1997 ___________________________________________________________ ALL-NEW Yahoo! Messenger - all new features - even more fun! http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com