Customer Reviews

On the Way to Work

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ON THE WAY TO WORK is not a book of interviews so much as a collection of Damien Hirst's angry rants on everything from art school to art dealers, Kurt Schwitters to Francis Bacon, drink, drugs, decay . . . and art. "I feel I've opened a can of worms in my own head," the artist states at one point. True enough.

Hirst is at his best playing enfant-terrible/raconteur, spitting out stories of a hardscrabble childhood and grand-guignol adolescence, rejecting the polite aesthetics of art school, and raging against the vapidity of an art world that would use his creative rage for its own amusement. At their best, Hirst's rants can be of a piece with his art: visceral, gut-wrenching, profoundly disturbing. Yet at times he simply prattles on ad nauseum.

Rather than rein the artist in, interviewer Gordon Burn lets Hirst flail wildly, challenging him only when directly taunted; and Hirst seems to desire nothing so much as a loud pub brawl with a worthy adversary. Burn's polite questioning proves no match for his subject's wry vitriol and relentless bombast.

What both Hirst and Burn understand quite clearly is the infuriating, mind-numbing business of celebrity, and its potential for warping an artist's work. In this respect, the book's first interview, dating from 1992, is heartbreaking: it's a talk with a precocious, cocky, smart Damien Hirst, just before he tumbled into the voracious maw of the international art scene. The subsequent interviews are often meandering and unfocused -- but not without some cynically brilliant bits.

This portrait of an artist careening into jaded middle age is wildly entertaining at times, but it will certainly disappoint any readers hoping for profound insights on contemporary British art. At one point during an interview tirade, the artist opines: "You're either angry or you're boring." With ON THE WAY TO WORK, Damien Hirst manages to have it both ways.

'On the Way to Work' is many things.
It is a collection of conversations between Burn and Hirst. The conversations range from Hirst's love for Francis Bacon, to grumblings on his dealings with the media.
But perhaps most importantly, 'On the Way to Work' is Hirst's manifesto. It is an insight into how he views his own art.
This book is a great buy. If you are interested in Hirst, this book is essential.

(For those looking for a book that showcases Hirst's art, I would recommend the fantastic: 'I want to spend the rest of my life everywhere...' )

I would recommend this book for only the deepest of Damien Hirst fans. It is mostly dialogue and photographs of him in his normal settings. The text is very interesting...I become so inspired I put it down immediately, and begin working on something. The book shows a realistic view into a truly remarkable artists mind.