Parisian of the Month: Mark Ginsburg

 

I recently met Mark Ginsburg through a mutual friend and discovered we were both Paris transplants originally from New York. Of course, after about ten minutes into our conversation we realized we knew a lot of the same people and probably had crossed each others paths many times but had never met. I was intrigued by Mark's dual careers, one as a writer for high profile magazines including Vanity Fair, and Architectural Digest, and as a teacher of the Feldenkrais Method,which uses movement to increase awareness. I admire Mark's intelligence, his spot-on take on things, and some of the influential artists and writers he has met.

Where were you born and where did you grow up?
Born and raised in Washington, D.C.; much of my adult life has been spent in Manhattan.

Why did you move to Paris and how long have you been here?
The US is going through a prolonged dumbing-down: intellectually, spiritually, and even physically – the people are getting fatter and the land stripped of its nutrients. New York City, where I lived, seems retrograde to me: hyper-material, even regarding spiritual pursuits, and money-obsessed. The shouting into cell phones and zoned-out folks on I Pods, really got to me. I think in 40 or 50 years, the city can be renewed, but only if the artists come back and wish to live in poorly built condos. Paris, some of my friends here told me, is in a precarious situation, and I didn’t want to miss living here while it still has a bit of soul. Both cities do marvelous pr for themselves, perpetuating the stereotype. When you stray from the theme park, you discover the real city, and it’s fascinating. I’ve been here 8 months now.

You told me your first job after college was working with Andy Warhol and for Interview magazine. Tell me what it was like working with Andy and that whole world in the late 70s early 80s. 
I began working for Interview while I was still at university. My training was in theater, and the interview format, which is essentially dialogue, was natural for me. I found Andy to be generous and kind. There was always a lot of emotion around the Factory. It was a work place, of course, with the magazine on one side, and his art production on the other; it seemed there was more tension and insecurity on the magazine side. More flare-ups. The artwork paid the bills. When celebrities came to the Factory they were on good behavior, very well turned out. Partly because the place was a serious art environment, and partly because Andy’s celebrity was on a par with theirs, and people were in awe. And it hasn’t waned since his death, as anyone in Paris now can tell you.

You went on to work at Vanity Fair doing celebrity interviews during its heyday when Tina Brown was the editor. What were some of your best and worst interviews and who really surprised you?

I screened subjects carefully to make sure they could talk. Jan Morris was less interesting than I expected. Jackie Collins was formidable, she knows how to talk to be read in a magazine, and be quoted, which is an art. Donald Sutherland was very open, very spontaneous and fun, and patient; I was still learning the ropes as to the requirements movie stars. For some reason interviewing David Bailey meant a lot to me. Perhaps because of “Blow-Up” which made such an impression on me. Although he said the portrayal of him in the Antonioni film was a “load of rubbish.”

What else do you write about and what are some of the publications you are writing for now?
I write mostly for Architectural Digest now. The magazine is very consistent, and I have a broad range of subjects, including interior design, auctions, and interviewing automotive designers.

You met Alan Ginsberg at a young age and he encouraged you to go Naropa University, which is billed as Buddhist inspired contemplative education. Tell me about that experience, the impact it had on you, and some of the people you met and worked with there.
I was always an utterly hopeless student academically. The education at Naropa is experiential – not sitting on your ass in a classroom, but doing, making, exploring, finding out on your own. It provides an education to get on in the world – not the western or eastern or business world. It was a meeting point for pioneers in the arts, such as Ginsberg, Burroughs, Corso, Meredith Monk, the band Oregon, and of course Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche who founded Naropa. He was a brilliant thinker and electrifying speaker.

Because of their complete rejection of the static, traditional and moribund classroom education, I learned about dance, poetry, theater, Buddhism, and of course, myself – from dancers, choreographers, actors, poets, and so on; not academicians. In any Buddhist environment, there’s a steep hierarchy and the whole circus that goes with that – all the gossip about the one(s) at the top. I was young enough for that to add an extra dimension. The hierarchy that’s innate in Buddhism as I’ve observed it in the west, is unattractive to me now. J. Krishnamurti has spoken about that eloquently, and extensively.

 

One of the reasons you moved here was to teach Feldenkrais movement classes. How did you start with Feldenkrais and what is the theory of its movements?

I was introduced to the work in an acting workshop I took when I returned from Naropa. The workshop was run by Joe Chaikin, the theater director responsible for bringing Sam Shepard to the forefront. He invited an Israeli Feldenkrais practitioner to teach our class, and I was mesmerized by how the lessons held up a mirror to the psyche. The Feldenkrais Method was developed here in Paris while Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais was working with the Curie sisters, and at the Sorbonne. Very simply put, it uses movement to deprogram the brain. The work is neurological. The movements are designed to calm the central nervous system, so chronic muscle contractions that cause pain, repetitive stress, anxiety, and so on, can suddenly be released. With that release comes an enormous sense of well-being, and a mind that’s free.

Pain, emotional or physical, occupies an inordinate amount of brain-space, and inhibits clear thinking. The Feldenkrais work removes habits and patterns which become chronic – and it doesn’t try to put anything else back in. Whereas many so-called spiritual paths portend to remove old habits, only to replace them with new patterns – I must do my sitting meditation, otherwise I’ll be tense, or I must eat only rice for breakfast, and rise at 4:30am to pray.... That’s not freedom. But not everyone wants freedom. Freedom is reinventing yourself every day, not putting on a uniform, psychological or material. A lovely Buddhist practitioner of Chinese medicine here in Paris e-mailed me the details of a retreat she’s co-facilitating in the countryside. Literally every hour of the day is structured, including breaks, tea, “free” time, meditation, and so on. Where’s the retreat in that? Retreat from what?

Your mother lived in Paris. Was she a big influence on your decision to move here?
She always says that one should spend a least a year in Paris to absorb what it has to offer. She had us learn French rather than her native German. We have old family friends here as well. I suppose if I’d learned German instead, I might have ended up in Berlin or Vienna perhaps.


You last lived in New York. What are the biggest cultural differences you see between New York and Paris?
Parisians are less rushed than New Yorkers, less pre-occupied with work and money. The art of conversation is slightly more elevated here. In NYC it’s lowbrow, Paris is middlebrow. There seems to be less conspicuous consumption here, cigarette consumption notwithstanding. Also the Parisians are great skeptics, which is a trait I like. And they put on a good show.

Why do you prefer Paris?
The values are quite unique. On a municipal level the city gives a lot – free events, projects, and so on with less reliance on corporate sponsorship, which invariably censors art. I’ve actually attended concerts here where there was no mention of a producer. Paris is also very strategically located – a train can whisk you away to another European metropolis in a few hours. That way one can always enjoy returning to the City of Lights.

Learn more about Mark's Feldenkrais work at www.movementlife.com

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Comments

[Ann]

Interesting piece today -- thanks!

[JL]

I enjoyed that. Thank you.

[Cheryl]

Magnificent interview Richard! I really enjoyed this particular Parisian of the Month. Bravo!

[Herman]

I absolutely loved this interview. PLEASE DO MORE INTERVIEWS! Wonderful insight into the life and career of an American living in Paris. Especially appreciated Mark's comparison of values and attitudes in U S and France.

[bola]

..fierce interview.