The Honorable Discharge

a performance by Kurt Hoffman and Michael Ballou
for mature audiences only

I will read you a story. You will be in bed and I will be sitting by your side, tucking the stiff white, chlorine-scented sheets in under your little mattress, tight until your eyes widen and I'm ready to bring out the bears, the wolves, the little girls in the forest, the golden illuminated casket, the plunge to the bottom of the ocean, the heavens opening up, full to bursting with half-dead saints and angels.

It feels safe, doesn't it ? Yes, it is, and what better way to consider the transformation of the body, the passage into realms beyond life as we know it.

Look, Mr. Bear is crossing the room to wind up the Victrola. The music conjures the ghost of Franz Schubert, pants down, looking at his reflection in a sea of honey, wishing there weren't so many flies. He dives in.

"The Honorable Discharge" brings together visual artist Michael Ballou and writer/composer Kurt Hoffman. Mr. Hoffman will read some of his short short stories, augmented at intervals by a musical interludes he has composed for baritone voice accompanied by plectrum banjo, accordion, violin and tuba. Mr. Ballou, the fine artist, will reprise his famous role as Mr. Bear and, thusly disguised, will reveal to the public a mysterious set of folding painted panels.

Make no mistake, this performance is completely unsuitable for children. Adults only, please. Seating is limited reservations are strongly encouraged.

Kurt Hoffman's short fiction has appeared in Columbia (the literary journal), Pierogi Press, and in the erotica anthologies, "Tough Guys" and "Hot Off the Net," published by Black Books. As a musician, he currently arranges and sings French songs from the jazz era with Les Chauds Lapins ( http://www.leschaudslapins.com ).

Michael Ballou is a visual artist who works in diverse media, including film, installation, performance and sculpture, and has a history of organizing events that foster interaction between artists, such as the Four Walls events in Williamsburg, and his ongoing Film Club evenings. In recent years, he has exhibited at the David Zwirner Gallery, Pierogi 2000 Gallery, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Xavier Hufkens Gallery, the Kunsthalle (Vienna), among others.