THE MAIL-INTERVIEW WITH Guy Bleus.

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Started on: 3-11-1994

RJ : Welcome to this mail-interview. First let me ask you the traditional question. When did you get involved in the mail-art network?

Reply on: 8-4-95 (internet)

GB : //GUY BLEUS 42.292: DEAR RUUD, IN YOUR INTRODUCTION OF THIS PROJECT YOU WROTE ABOUT THE MAIL ART INTERVIEW PROJECT: “THIS PROJECT I MAINLY START FOR MY RESEARCH ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MAIL ART”// //MEANWHILE YOU MUST KNOW MY SHAMELESS & SICK OPINION ABOUT HISTORY & ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MAIL ART// //IF NOT, YOU (+ “FUTURE” READERS OF THIS INTERVIEW) CAN FIND IT IN THE FOREWORD “ART AS A COLLECTIVE MYTHOLOGY: MAIL ART” OF THE BOOK OF JOHN HELD JR. “MAIL ART: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ” (1991)// //YOU CAN ALSO FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN MY PUBLICATION “EEN DIALOOG TUSSEN DE POSTBODE EN ZIJN ELECTRONISCHE SCHADUW, ALSMEDE EEN ALGEMENE DISCOURS OVER MAIL ART, MEER BEPAALD EEN ONDERZOEK NAAR DE GRONDSLAGEN VAN EEN COMMUNICATIEF KUNSTFENOMEEN” (1994)// //THE LATTER IS AN ANTHOLOGY OF SOME OF MY TEXTS// //IT’S A COMPILATION OF 1991 FOR THE “KONINKLIJKE ACADEMIE VOOR WETENSCHAPPEN, LETTEREN EN SCHONE KUNSTEN VAN BELGIE”////ANYWAY, HISTORY _IS_ A LIE// //(YOU CAN READ MY ARGUMENTATION ELSEWHERE)//

//SO, I NEVER GOT INVOLVED IN THE MAIL ART NETWORK// //_WE_ (YOU + I + ALL THE OTHER NETLANDERS) _”ARE”_ THE MAIL ART NETWORK// //EVERY NETLANDER HAS HIS OR HER OWN WEB OF BORING AND/OR INTERESTING STORIES// //MAIL ART IS COMMUNICATION ART AND AS SUCH THE _”NOW”_ IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT// //AND THIS SUBJECT WILL INCREASE IN THE _ELECTRONIC_ AND _DIGITAL_ FUTURE// //AT LEAST, IF THERE IS ANY FUTURE AT ALL// //AT LEAST, IF THERE IS ANY FUTURE AT ALL// //AND IF SO, LET’S BARK TOGETHER// //WAF @ WAF// //WHOOF @ WHOOF//

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//BUT OF COURSE, I COULD MENTION YOU THE _”HISTORIC”_ EVENTS I DID SUCH AS MY FIRST CORRESPONDENCE ART PROJECT IN 1968 WHICH RESULTED IN THE PUBLICATION “SUBTERRANEAN II” (EDITED BY THE ACADEMY OF ART IN GHENT) OR THAT A LOT OF MY MAILINGS WERE CENSORED WHEN I WAS A PUPIL OF 12 YEARS OLD IN THE BOARDING SCHOOL OF THE “KONINKLIJKE ATHENEUM OF TONGEREN” OR THAT I FIRST SAW THE ARTISTAMPS OF E.F. HIGGINS III IN THE MID SEVENTIES IN “HET PANDJE” IN HASSELT// //IT ARE JUST FACTS AND MEMORIES AND ANECDOTES// //THEY’RE ALL READY TO BECOME NEW MYTHS IN THE HISTORIC WORLD OF NETLANDING// //&/OR: _RAY JOHNSON IS GOD_// //LET’S PRAY// //LET’S RAY// //IT’S HIGH NOON BY NOW, I THINK I MUST BE HUNGRY// //DEAR RUUD, KEEP IN TOUCH//

//HAVE A NICE AND WARM SPRINGTIME// //WITH LUCK & LOVE & ENERGY// //GB 42.292//

RJ : The nice thing about the interview with you is that you have written down so many views, thoughts, etc… Most of the things I would like to know about you I can look up in your books, catalogs, etc. If history is a lie, you are giving lots of stuff to historians to write the history. Why do you publish that much? (I hope you did eat well before answering this second question!)

(because of the long silence I wrote several times to Guy Bleus if this was the only answer he was going to give, or that the interview would continue. As usual, Guy is quite busy, and only months ago I received the CD-ROM that documented his artistamps exhibition. The first CD-ROM catalogue in mail art. On July 24th I received a letter from Guy in which he wrote that the interview will continue in the autumn of 1996).

On August 23rd I received a postcard from Guy Bleus from Copenhagen. I guess it is no coincidence that just this summer there is the large exhibition at the Postal Museum there in Copenhagen, and I am sure Guy Bleus visited that too.

Reply on 28-05-1997 (via e-mail)

(The e-mail was sent twice. The answer was an attachment, and the first time the attachment wasn’t found by me. The second e-mail contained an attachment I couldn’t decode, so I forewarded the e-mail to my e-mail at the college where I work. There I could decode it and e-mailed Guy that I succeeded in reading his second answer. At home in Tilburg again I fitted the text into the interview so far and e-mailed Guy the next answer. Prints on paper were sent as well).

GB : B. //From (x) To Ruud Janssen (interview via internet)//

//I// //Dear Ruud, today (05.29.1997) i well received the interviews of carol stetser and e.f. higgins III// //thanks a lot// //as you know i keep everything in the archives of the @dministration centre-42.292// //Answering your question// //yes ruud// //you’re right, i make it easy for h/i/s/t/o/r/i/a/n/s// //but i really don