A Brief History of John Baldessari

[@lelebobelly3571]

I come back to this time again just to hear Tom Waits say "Biennale"

[@jynxyouowemeasoda5066]

Same

[@DaelMorris]

Same

[@zebalz]

Literally just coming back to this now. We're all connected yay

[@danisoaresduarte]

And "Jesus Christ" a few seconds later.

[@anononomous]

Also "push pins" 2:42 and "Giotto" 3:10

[@k_geokin]

Revisiting this today as I have many times throughout the years. Bye John 😢

[@pablokorona]

I think I've come back to see this at least once every 6 months for the past 8 years.

[@probablyaparent]

"Bye John". Thanks for all you did for so many, your legacy lives on in each new generation that enters our world and is inspired by your art.

[@rippendale]

best art doc ever made.

[@PatrickJasonMagic]

It indeed is the best and freshest doc i've seen!

[@ryanmiguelmariano2576]

I really loved this presentation. A lesson from my online class brought me here. What an amazing way of delivering a ton of info within a short period of time without making the viewer bored. Excellent!

[@frankmoens5470]

No more boring art indeed! 🙂

[@fxm5715]

I come back and watch this a few times every year. Like Fishing with John, it's timeless.

[@minimusminor]

I've been coming back to this video since first finding it in 2013 in design school. Thanks Ariel Schulman & Henry Joost for this wonderfully distinctive mini-doco. And thanks for it all, John. May your memory be a blessing.

[@Bronco541]

this was a fun way to learn about John Baldessari

[@ruthotero5788]

Agreed.

[@donnymcjonny6531]

"You have to be possessed; you can't will." I like that.

[@mummyjohn]

it scares me a little

[@patrickherbermann1202]

“Talent is cheap” is another great one

[@sandyIowaCity]

Two of MY FAVORITE artists and tricksters - TOM WAITS & JOHN BALDESSARI! thank you to MIRIAM (a past collaborator!) this is amazing and will be shown in every class i teach forever forward.

[@micheledifrancesco1535]

I don't really leave comments but this is absolutely awesome.

[@QuinnLytleFilms]

I had to watch this for a Documentary unit in film class, and I frequently come back to it.

[@JacksonKillroy]

Cool professor for showing you this. I was shown this in a contemporary art history (iirc?) class.

[@QuinnLytleFilms]

@@JacksonKillroy It was film class. The documentary unit.

[@1000pdickson]

This is how to make a doc of someon'e life. Stellar production and boy what a talent - John Baldessari! Hats off to Tom Waits for his superb narrration. Effortless. A complete masterpiece and should be essential viewing for all graphic artists and voice actors. The Piano has been Drinking....Not Me!

[@cassdarlon7253]

An iconoclast of the highest order. I remember well his proclamation about not making any more boring art. It was the topic of much conversation in art school. He closed the gap between art and artist. With Baldessari, his art became him and he became his art. Inseparable.

[@JJ-cf7nb]

There should be some way of double liking stuff like this on youtube. And Tom Waits was a brilliant choice for the narration. Brilliant, thanks.

[@MinatamisNaSaginggg]

1. Talent is cheap. 2. You have to be possessed which you can't will. 3. Being at the right place at the right time.

[@Biohazard-xyz]

Could you or amyone explain #2? Either my english sucks or im idiot, but i cant understand the sentence "You have to be possesed which you can't will"

[@aranisles8292]

@@Biohazard-xyz The urge to make art comes from a demon that 'possesses' you. But you cannot make a demon possess you. That's up to the demon.

[@1959Edsel]

"John Baldessari's name is internationally recognized." "Cool." "Ladies think his name sounds sexy." "I... I can live with that."

[@hijadelpecado]

Ah, Waits. Sometimes I forget just how much I love his voice.

[@dammmit]

I was working with Henry & Rel on Paranormal Activity 3 when they made this ....and they said the only way John would agree was to get Tom to narrate! AND then Tom said the only way he'd agree is if they drove down to where he lives which wasn't close....but they pulled it off.... just as a side project and man did they knock it outta the park.

[@cistacubaltimoru]

Regularly coming back for inspiration. Thank you John!

[@amenaza2798]

This is one of my favourite videos ever

[@t.y.5565]

I just learned of Baldessari because of an Antiques Road Show episode I watched today. What a character he was! When I looked up his work and it could just be me, it reminded me of Picasso, Warhol and Dali.

[@neverkilledaman]

How does this not have over a million views!

[@TheLastHylianTitan]

Tyler Hughes MAKE THIS A MEME. post it to your facebook. tweet it. if you're brave, post it on 4chan. honestly, the art world needs a better meme than that ruined Jesus fresco. John Baldessari would be a great replacement.

[@theothertonydutch]

+TheLastHylianTitan You don't make something a meme.

[@TheLastHylianTitan]

Ja Kooistra well not with that attitude >:O

[@jynxyouowemeasoda5066]

Now it is 5 years later

[@constancewalsh3646]

Tears. Thank you John.

[@canozano]

what does "you have to be possessed which you can't will" mean?

[@ChildOfAnAndroid]

you have to be obsessed with and really want to complete the art, which you cant force to happen by trying hard.

[@Wanderingthroughlife66]

i can listen to tom waits all day everyday it’s like floating in butter

[@Scarecrow5507]

This was...almost brilliant. I've seen a lot of documentary film over the years, and this puts an entirely new, self-reflexive spin on it. Very entertaining.

[@haar3600]

short, sweet, snappy. Loved it. Especially loved Giotto

[@HrSamstag]

By far the loveliest Tom Waits song i ever heard.

[@beefycurry]

OMG! This is friggin' brilliant!! Kudos to you. What an incredible piece! Made my week.

[@jynxyouowemeasoda5066]

R.I.P. John Baldessari you're a legend

[@karenpalmer5995]

This is great! Have always been a fan of yours,too,Mr. Waits. I have 2 neighbors who also love your music. I think 3 in the middle of nowhere,MS,this close together,must be some kind of record. Thanks for everything!

[@agustinagonzalez6179]

The way everything here makes prefect sense

[@noniamo]

The Baldessari's big crunch of his work. Existentialism. Excellent video. Greetings from Spain.

[@r0gu3dubb]

Having seen some longer pieces on John, this one did a great job of exposing a lot of his work and how he always seems to be living at his own pace.

[@patrickfergusonarchive]

Just one hell of a doc.

[@JoeCorneli]

This is John Baldessari’s complete lack of surprise.

[@Luka1180]

What do you mean?

[@StoriesAroundUs]

Happy to see the guys from Catfish are making stuff. I love that movie.

[@trexgunkillyoudead]

the wifi password part always gets me

[@pablokorona]

Yes! I'm all about the "push-*pins*" part.

[@darrylmurray2261]

So much for no more boring art...

[@COUCHSAILORS]

I just watched a video about a subject that's never sparked my interest too much, and it was interesting! Thanks!

[@paulyoldmac]

what's john baldessari building in there?

[@mandypac2854]

Reminds of the editing style of " The Kid Stays in the Picture" narrated by Robert Evans. Doesn't matter how renowned one is in a field, if you can get someone to make a flashy quick bio of you, you are cool for not taking stuff too seriously (but the editing has to be perfect). Plus I am sure a lot of kids watching this may realize they may want to enter a design or creative field. Yay!

[@iluveggtarts]

Awesome video and narration ❤️

[@wesleyjohndelaney106]

That was brilliant!

[@claudiabethable]

love this. to see with the mind and not just the eye is what makes art fascinating.

[@peggyschrock4180]

the best video on conceptual art I have ever seen! fantastic!

[@markthor99]

Don't want to trivialise this video in any way but .... what's that font? I love it! I want to use it!

[@adrianameijer1013]

heel leuk, te gek filmpje van en over iemand die zich godzijgedankt niet al te sereneus (!) neemt!

[@xlm6081]

The best documentary on the youtube.

[@tyme2play1]

Great job John! Finally had a chance to see it. Val

[@JoanZhengs]

bye john

[@Billy_Dali]

i come back one more time for VO inspo

[@CTBob]

It's rare to witness just under 6 minutes of amazingness, but this totally filled the bill. What a wonderfully brief yet spot-on portrait of an artist. It was a true pleasure to experience.

[@eubilla]

this End is so heart breaking

[@bananasandpeaches]

I want Tom Wait's to narrate my life, and then maybe break the 4th wall occasionally.

[@tokoloshgolem]

This is not a comment

[@taniadiego]

👌🏽

[@carolinadasilvamendoza9429]

I love you John.

[@elsni77]

interesting to watch this and to realize that the chair in 0:04 looks exactly like the one you are sitting in.

[@alexmcsabotage]

Anyone know what he means by " You have to be possessed which you can't will." ??

[@soloblog9571]

LOVED THIS! HE WAS ONE OF MY ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS. HE WAS THE REASON I WANTED TO GO TO CALARTS. UNFORTUNATELY, HE STOPPED TEACHING THERE THE SEMESTER I STARTED. THANKS JOHN :-)

[@imanitrobinson9485]

I was born in National City! Love it!!

[@davidk.8608]

John Baldessari name was said 29 times - This wasn´t a boring film! Well done guys.

[@stephanieball3990]

probably should know this, but what are the titles of the compositions played as background music? i love them. ty

[@elle00067]

+Stephanie Ball Yes I think that those should also be credited in the description. Loved the doc and the music.

[@morganharris2400]

One of the recurring ones was the William Tell Overture. Didn't recognize the others

[@voicetube]

That painting at 2:15 reminds me of one that I painted an almost sold… But still have for sale that states "I escaped the opiate of the Internet to paint this" along with colorful, abstract s*i* :-)

[@brianbriggs6479]

He was the guy whose photos were best used in "hacky" old Tab commercials in the early 70's

[@PETROVICGAMES]

WHY THIS IS SO GOOD???

[@bobanddavetimanderic]

Will never forget this!

[@blingbangs]

hahaha so awesome! never heard of john baldessari until now. what a neat way to learn about someone

[@Jake-butler]

Rip Baldessari. Thank you

[@TheOwlEyes]

Giotto is a GOOD BOY!

[@audioangel]

I had to go back a couple of times on that one. It's a little trickily worded when read, but if you speak it aloud, it may make more sense. I interpret it to mean you can't force inspiration.

[@audioangel]

"You have to be possessed, which you can't will." I guess I came here 9 years ago to reply to a comment about this quote (the original post is now gone). And it is EXACTLY the same spot that resonated strongly today. Thanks, John. (and Josh)

[@HachikoCockroach]

That's kind of what talent means though? Talent is "a natural ability for being good at a particular activity". Being talented doesn't mean you'll be great at something without working for it, but you can't work so hard that you become talented. Some people never discover what they're talented at, others are talented but do nothing with it, and some work hard enough to excell at something without being talented at it, but talent comes naturally. You're either born with or without it.

[@niki.goddess]

do you have more videos about artists?

[@MuseofDiscord]

Came here for Tom Waits

[@BluDevil93]

Everything is made better with narration by Tom Waits 👍🏻

[@feritkatipoglu6017]

Amazingly well done doc. on him. Short and fkn to the point as he would love!

[@Duckshots]

Learning more about life as I age.

[@DiranLyons]

Rest in Peace, John Baldessari. 1/5/2020

[@peckermusic]

Superb!

[@VanessaBlaylock]

So much "art" in 5 minutes and 55 seconds. The film does say what a tremendous influence he's been on a generation - or more - but what it doesn't mention is that this is not only because of the power of his work, but also because of his generosity toward young artists. A video gem about a gem of the art world.

[@colecancillaartist]

The Style of this short documentary... displaying his supplies and personal items (Representing his humble nature and unique approach to art ) The heaviness of Tom Waits Voice adds a layer of wisdom and old school approach. John Baldessari multi-talented man and art icon (Fact: you enjoys and often visits Student art shows) It is refreshing to hear this.

[@patyperman2509]

Best docu ever, hilarious… loved it

[@audreyh6628]

RIP beautiful man. Thank you for so much. Will continue to treasure this video

[@babyirene3188]

Good job.

[@suit416]

RIP love this video

[@harrisonbreshears4324]

Just realized this pays heavy homage to the original trailer for A Clockwork Orange.

[@fernandadalia]

Magnífico

[@ldnpanther82]

Absolutely brilliant!

[@chelseamarshall28]

This was a truly fantastic way to show people who not know how truly awesome these people are!

[@haggidubious]

Utterly brilliant film. Thanks!

[@ErichoTTA]

Never heard of this guy before, but I immediately love him.

[@timsoekkha4383]

best art doc ever...

[@mamalovesthebeach437]

Best narration ever ... ; )

[@hamburgertime709]

Rest in peace... John

[@flavianomadink]

I adore this video. I respect and admire his contribution to art. Thank you Baldessari. RIP.

[@Euroca75005]

John Baldessari was my art teacher.

[@safabekr]

Do you have any facts to share about what he was like? :P

[@victor1625]

i guess he teached stuff

[@Euroca75005]

He's a brilliant art history teacher.

[@Euroca75005]

Intriguing and engaging. I learned a lot from him. Aside from that, he had some great parties at his studio.

[@elenikyritsi478]

LOVED IT

[@jan-martinulvag1962]

Mess up your mind, and voila, your an artist.