the last french-fried potato and other poems

by emmett williams

1967 A Great Bear Pamphlet

ubuclassics 2004 THE LAST FRENCH-FRIED POTATO

EMMETT WILLIAMS

ubuclassics 2004

The Last French-Fried Potato Emmett Williams

Originally published in 1967 as a Great Bear Pamphlet by .

ubuclassics www.ubu.com Series Editor: Michael Tencer

contents the last french-fried potato, page 5 litany for marcel duchamp, page 9 duet, page 10 resolutions, page 12 seen, page 18 zenzen, page 19

4 ubu the last french-fried potato

the ultimate poem, version two classics (as improvised by and emmett williams during the exhibition l’au- jourd’hui de demain in the musée palais saint-vaast at arras, march 20, 1964. performers eat a french-fried potato before each improvised phrase. the poem lasts as long as the potatoes hold out.)

no more hotdogs plus de vrais amants no more wives plus d’ensilage de maïs no more bellybuttons plus d’éléphants no more tomorrows plus de beurre salé no more stupidity plus de lampes d’aladin no more feelings of guilt plus de ruches blanches no more children plus de sirènes no more ontological critics plus de rares classiques de ce ciècle no more good intentions plus d’immaterialisation no more jealousy plus de piles wonder s no more knocking at the door plus de listes provisoires no more gin and tonic ubu.com plus de lèvres no more money

5 ubuclassics ubu.com 66 ale ce tion es d’écor f ef r e inspira e limited editions plus de filles d’acier dishwashing no more plus de tendresse foghornsno more plus de phénomènes paranormaux todays no more plus de plantes vertes no more answers no more plus de mimosas en fleur no mor plus de g no mor plus de sémantique génér turtleneck sweaters no more plus de sang versé cats no more no more bad dreams no more d’abjection plus d’érotique sugarbeetsno more plus de nescafé thelonious monk no more plus de permis de pêche prayers no more plus de vieux linge plus de participation cosmique plus de participation personal appearances no more plus de dindons hot baths no more plus de promenades shoes holes in my no more plus de camarades bodhidharmano more plus de collaboration the last french-fried potato emmett williams potato the last french-fried ubuclassics ubu.com 7 7 s es s es oom slipper leuris s des lavandièr es comme casse-noisettes s f hniques de communication hâtaignes bouillies hoeur e prison bar e marijuana e bedr e snoring e laughter e apples no mor plus de c no mor plus de mur no mor plus de vulv no mor no more revolutions in art revolutions no more plus d’asphyxie des racines roses yellow no more plus de demain no mor plus de tec no mor plus de c plus de tartines beurrées beer czechoslovakian no more plus de bateaux qui basculent brown earle no more de famille plus d’albums big toes no more plus de fantassins carbon copies no more plus de grenouilles no more lack ofno more money isobar plus d’amants toothaches no more plus d’évolution birds no more dan quatrième noires plus de ceinture letters to write no more plus d’aujourd’hui harpsichords no more the last french-fried potato emmett williams potato the last french-fried ubuclassics ubu.com 88 ouges d ons s e har il dit: je me demande qui, dans la nuit des temps, a mangé la première il dit: je me demande qui, dans la nuit des temps, no more underwear to wash underwear no more de l’art plus de dépassement de la problèmatique no mor plus de menhir potato the last french-fried just eaten i have il dit: je viens juste de manger la dernière pomme frite of back in the dawn way who, i wonder the first ate history, no more greek islands no more ouvertes plus de fenêtres questions no more plus de petits cadeaux cooperation no more plus de wagons-lits afterthoughts no more plus de mayonnaise plus de rideaux r plus de rideaux toothpaste signal no more plus de tournesols loving no more plus de pattes foulées can openers no more plus de certitude infaillible armpitsno more exquisement agilesplus de fesses the last french-fried potato emmett williams potato the last french-fried ubuclassics ubu.com 17.15 51.03 O TR CAR , , October 1965. , Paris, 9 La Fête à la Gioconde cel duchamp, who recently shaved the wife of shaved recently who cel duchamp, -Collignon 16e vec cour app. 52, cour app. vec az 148, bd Haussmann 8e ue Champa-Elysées 8e BAL 86.24 en v *First printed on the poster of the exhibition litany for mar litany for del giocondo* francesco 21, rue Moines 17eMona chauss 7e Bosquet avenue Mona Mme F 79, 8e rue François-ler peint 38, Mona F entrepr. 8e Marceau Mona F 26, avenue Bosquet 7e Mona Mme 73, avenue 18eMona D’Arvy 12, rue Ganneron 18e Mona-Dol art dram 25, rue Caulaincourt ELY 79.16 SOL 17e art dram. 27, rue Pier-Demours Mona Goya MAR 04.58 75.20 6e 56, rue de Rennes sports luxe Mona Lisa tric couture 231, rue St-Honoré Mona-Lise maroq. LIT 9e bonnet. 22, rue Douai couture MON Mona-Rybert ELY 45.73 83.50 MAC INV 53.54 71.09 L 183, rue Alésia 14e Monacevitch EUR 17.61 25.69 63, rue Didot chauss. Mme march. Monacevitch 2, le Prince de) S.A.S. Monaco (secret TRI rue Conseiller 42.38 OPE 21.42 LEC 87.98 BLO 58.26 Monag Monahan F a a - même addresse BAL 34.97 BAL - même addresse 7eMonahan F 6, place Palais-Bourbon INV 41.46

ubuclassics ubu.com y scope y abode m m my ado my my scurrymy duet 10 y of eden my r go of ego my eel of feel my do of art of dart my kin of skin my jog of ajog my fort offort effort my row ofrow marrow my him of whim my inky of dinky my gain of again my den of cur cope of inter of hinter my utter of abutter my bode of licker of flicker my b hence of whence my kipper of skipper my ar ember of member my lapstick of slapstick my mission of emission my johnny o ofjohnny o o johnny my flexibility of inflexibility my the last french-fried potato emmett williams potato the last french-fried ubuclassics ubu.com w-tail ell y sw y swallo y ax m m my ex-factor my my emotion emotion my m 11 x of y of my my ell of ye ofye aye my tiff of stiff my nip of snip my w port of sport my vent ofvent event my now ofnow enow my oiler of toiler my swan of aswan my scent of ascent my ream ofream cream my w-tail of patter ofpatter spatter my quash of squash my raving ofraving craving my urging ofurging purging my motion of unction of function my x-factor of vocative ofvocative evocative my orpheus of morpheus my wallo top motion of stop motion my quiescence of acquiescence my zip zap zoff of o zip o zap o zoff my zim zam zoom ofzim zam zoom o zim o zam o zoom my the last french-fried potato emmett williams potato the last french-fried ubuclassics ubu.com warm an ear start a hand iii resolutions 12 t a face a face lend ii warm a hand hold an ear lend a back pa hold a back start a heart boost a heart ybone light up a funnybone a funnybone pat m a heart t a back y an eye tickle an eye light up an eye i war hold a hand lend an ear pa light up a face tickle a funn dr surprise a child a sweetheart woo toast a bride a stranger welcome dry a child surprise a sweetheart a goodbye wave shout a bravo toast a stranger a bride woo a kiss blow dry a sweetheart a goodbye welcome mend a quarrel ease a pain tickle a child a bravo wave boost a morale a stranger woo start a tradition a quarrel blow toast a goodbye shout a kiss surprise a bride mend a pain ease a morale boost a tradition a bravo welcome shout a quarrel a kiss wave mend a morale a pain blow ease a tradition ubuclassics ubu.com start a face vi 13 dry a stranger tickle a stranger start a back boost a back v light up a sweetheart light up a sweetheart a sweetheart pat tickle a bride up a bride light hild a child pat lend a child vo vo a bravo woo surprise a bravo eetheart prise a stranger t an eye t an eye lend an eye hold an eye y a bride oo a goodbye oo a goodbye surprise a goodbye dry a goodbye toast a bra w a kiss welcome a quarrel wave shout a pain a morale blow toast a kiss mend a tradition a quarrel welcome ease a heart toast a quarrel a pain wave boost a hand shout a morale a kiss woo tradition a blow start an ear a morale wave a pain welcome shout a tradition mend a heart ease a hand boost an ear a heart blow mend a hand ease an ear iv warm a back hold a face lend a funnybone pa light up a c hold a funnybone tickle a sw warm a face dr warm a funnybone sur the last french-fried potato emmett williams potato the last french-fried ubuclassics ubu.com e a hand v ix wa shout an ear mend a face start a child start a child 14 w an ear lo viii shout a hand b mend a back ease a face a back blow start an eye start an eye boost an eye w a hand lo vii warm an eye hold a child lend a sweetheart a bride pat light up a stranger hold a sweetheart warm a child tickle a goodbye dry a bravo warm a sweetheart a stranger pat surprise a kiss lend a bride light up a goodbye a quarrel woo toast a pain lend a stranger a goodbye pat a morale welcome tickle a bravo hold a bride dry a kiss a tradition wave surprise a quarrel shout a heart toast a morale light up a bravo b a pain woo dry a quarrel a tradition welcome tickle a kiss a morale woo toast a tradition a heart wave surprise a pain a heart welcome mend an ear ease a back boost a face start a funnybone start a funnybone boost a funnybone ease a funnybone the last french-fried potato emmett williams potato the last french-fried

ubuclassics ubu.com start a stranger xii 15 xi dry a morale a heart woo tickle a morale surprise a heart start a bride boost a bride pat a kisspat lend a kiss tickle a pain up a pain light el light up a quarrel a quarrel pat r prise a morale t a bravo t a bravo lend a bravo hold a bravo y a pain oo a tradition surprise a tradition dry a tradition toast a heart w a hand welcome an ear wave shout a back toast a hand a face blow mend a funnybone an ear welcome ease an eye a back wave boost a child a hand woo a funnybone blow start a sweetheart toast an ear shout a face shout a funnybone a back welcome mend an eye boost a sweetheart ease a child a face wave ease a sweetheart an eye blow mend a child x warm a bride hold a stranger lend a goodbye pa light up a kiss warm a stranger tickle a quar hold a goodbye dr warm a goodbye sur the last french-fried potato emmett williams potato the last french-fried ubuclassics ubu.com xv pat a tradition pat start a kiss 16 xiv pat a moralepat light up a tradition lend a morale dry a hand a back woo tickle a hand surprise a back start a bravo boost a bravo tickle a heart heart light up a prise a hand t a pain a pain lend hold a pain y a heart oo an ear surprise an ear dry an ear xiii warm a bravo hold a kiss lend a quarrel pa light up a morale tickle a tradition hold a quarrel warm a kiss warm a quarrel toast a back w a face welcome a funnybone wave shout an eye a child blow toast a face a funnybone welcome mend a sweetheart toast a funnybone ease a bride an eye wave boost a stranger a sweetheart blow a face woo shout a child start a goodbye shout a sweetheart an eye welcome mend a bride ease a stranger a child wave boost a goodbye mend a stranger a bride blow ease a goodbye dr sur the last french-fried potato emmett williams potato the last french-fried ubuclassics ubu.com new york new york january 2nd, 1967 january xviii lend a hand start a morale 17 xvii pat a handpat light up an ear hold a heart dry a face light up a back start a pain boost a pain tickle a back an ear pat ye ye an eye woo drya funnybone prise a face t a heart lend a heart warm a tradition y a back oo a funnybone oo a funnybone surprise a funnybone tickle a face light up a hand tickle an ear pa toast an e a child welcome a sweetheart wave shout a bride toast a child a stranger blow a sweetheart welcome mend a goodbye a child woo ease a bravo a bride wave surprise an eye boost a kiss shout a stranger a goodbye blow start a quarrel a bride welcome toast a sweetheart mend a bravo a stranger wave ease a kiss boost a quarrel a bravo blow ease a quarrel mend a kiss xvi warm a pain hold a morale lend a tradition warm a morale hold a tradition w dr sur the last french-fried potato emmett williams potato the last french-fried the last french-fried potato emmett williams ubu classics

seen

version one

i’ve seen roses twelve feet tall with hairy green noses and that’s not all

version two

i have seen roses six feet tall

with hairy blue noses ubu.com and that’s not all

18 ubuclassics ubu.com , zenzen e you [not] at all [not] at e you ve you quite you ve completely you ve v i love you totally you i love entirely you i love i lo i lo i lo zenzen* 19 * (The adverbs and the final adverbial phrase are taken, in the order of taken, in the order phrase are and the final adverbial * (The adverbs their appearance in the definition of the last french-fried potato emmett williams potato the last french-fried from M. Takahashi’s Romanized English-Japanese Japanese-English Dictionary, Taiseido Shobo Co., Tokyo. Shobo Co., Taiseido Dictionary, Japanese-English English-Japanese Romanized M. Takahashi’s from the last french-fried potato emmett williams ubu classics

Emmett Williams was born April 4th, 1925, in Greenville, South Carolina, grew up in Virginia, and lived in Europe from 1949 to 1966. He studied poetry with John Crowe Ransom at Kenyon College, took courses in anthropology at the University of Paris, and was an assistant to the ethnologist Paul Radin in Lugano, Switzerland. He col- laborated with and Claus Bremer in the Darmstadt circle of con- crete poetry, dynamic theater, etc., from 1957 to 1959. In the early sixties he was European coordinator of , and a founding member of the Domaine Poétique in Paris. His close friendship and collaboration with Robert Filliou resulted in many co-productions and co-inventions. His publications include konkretionen, Krefeld 1958; ja, es war noch da, an opera, first printed in nota, Munich 1960; poésie et cetera américaine, an anthology of action poetry, Paris 1963; 13 variations on 6 words of gertrude stein, Galerie der Spiegel, Cologne 1965; rotapoems, variations on a poem from Diter Rot’s lyrical collection Scheisse, Edition Hansjörg Mayer, Stuttgart 1966, and sweethearts, a long erotic concrete poem cycle, Stuttgart 1967. His theater essays have appeared in Das Neue Forum, Berner Blätter, Ulmer Theater and other European magazines. Williams translated and reanecdot- ed Daniel Spoerri’s Topographie Anecdotée du Hasard (An Anecdoted Topography of Chance), collaborated with Claes Oldenburg on Store Days, and edited An Anthology of Concrete Poetry, all published by the Something Else Press, New York. His latest work, a boy and a bird, is a long “building” poem, constructed of shifting linguistic relationships. ubu.com

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