Act of Courage with Philippe Petit
Talk · zizekpodcast.com ·
2018-12-03 · 1:15:56 · 9,152 words
with Bernard-Henri Lévy
philosophy-generalreligion-theologysubjectivityethicscinema-art-culturepsychoanalysiseveryday-life
A dialogue between Slavoj Žižek and wire-walker Philippe Petit (mislabeled in diarization as 'Bernard-Henri Lévy') centered on Petit's 1974 Twin Towers tightrope walk as a philosophical case study. Žižek uses the walk to argue for authentic acts that are ends in themselves, the spiritual dimension of pure acts without purpose or ideological justification, and the paradox of certainty/eternity produced by hard temporal work. The conversation ranges across the Absolute, sexuality as spiritual experience, the fullness of the void, negation, and humor in the face of death.
every located moment in this recording, click one to read it
The ideas in it 12
in the order they first come up; click a row for what he does with the idea here
as “wisdom (cycle of)”
The position Žižek rejects: 'everything turns to dust, what goes up has to go down', the bearers-of-wisdom stance that recognizes only mortality and misses the dimension of the sacred.
Bataille's and de Sade's version of contact with the Absolute through identification with nature's destructive force, cited as an 'opposite vulgar version' to mystical unity.
Implied through the discussion of authentic sexuality as spiritual and self-enclosed pleasure, contrasted with Catholic reproductive teleology, an enjoyment that is its own end.
as “authentic act”
An act that serves no external purpose or ideological cause but is a pure end in itself, exemplified by Petit's walk, which was not subversive of financial capital but was subversive precisely because it was not in service of anything.
An act that is not the expression of the self or its psychological depth but rather makes the agent a medium of a higher dimension, Žižek insists Petit's walk was 'not an expression of yourself' but a pure act.
Moments in human life that escape the cycle of mortal wisdom and open onto another dimension, Žižek identifies Petit's walk, mystical unity (Upanishad's Atman-universe), and authentic sexuality as such moments.
A non-mystical 'other dimension' that certain human acts (wire-walking, authentic sex, great art) touch, Žižek treats it seriously despite disclaiming formal religious belief.
A brief freeze of time, as in Petit's stillness moment while balancing a cap, interpreted as a direct intervention of eternity into temporal flow, not magic but an effect produced by extreme craft.
The quantum-physical and experiential claim that the void is not nothing but has density, illustrated by quantum oscillations and Petit's experience of walking on 'clouds with the density of granite'.
as “negation / determinate negation”
The coffee-without-cream joke illustrates that 'coffee without milk' and 'coffee without cream' are different even if physically identical, absence is always a determinate absence of something specific.
Žižek's characterization of Petit's break-in to the Twin Towers: a transgression that resembled a terrorist operation but had no ideological cause and required no one to die, purely ethical in its purposelessness.
as “contingency turned into fate”
The paradox of passionate love: it is totally contingent (you took a different street), yet once you fall in love you experience it as if your whole life led to it, eternity experienced through what was accidental.
Stories he reaches for 3
From Lubitsch's Ninotchka: a customer asks for coffee without cream; the waiter says they have no cream, only milk, so he can offer coffee without milk, not the same thing. Used to show that specific determinate absences constitute different objects even when the positive content is identical.
“Sorry sir, we don't have cream, we only have milk. So I cannot give you coffee without cream, I can only give you coffee without milk.”
In a late letter, Marx worries that a looming European revolution will force him to do revolution before he finishes writing Capital, showing that the theoretical work mattered most to him as an authentic end in itself.
“Oh my God, now we will have to do a revolution, but I haven't yet finished writing Capital and so on. That mattered most to him.”
Žižek jokes that in late Platonic dialogues, one person talks all the time while the other only says 'By Zeus, so it is, Socrates', used to warn Petit not to simply agree with everything he says, asking for real dialogue.
“By Zeus so it is Socrates and so on. Let's not do this.”
Works invoked 6
Capital book
Marx's unfinished theoretical masterwork, cited as what Marx cared about most, even over doing the revolution, illustrating authentic intellectual dedication.
Ninotchka film
Lubitsch's film cited for the coffee-without-cream joke, which Žižek uses in 'all of my last books' to illustrate determinate negation.
Gymnopédies song
Erik Satie's piece used as soundtrack to the documentary clip of Petit's walk; Žižek identifies it as a good choice, noting its aerial quality.
Man on Wire film
Documentary film about Petit's Twin Towers walk; clips screened during the talk and treated by Žižek as philosophically illuminating material.
To Reach the Clouds book
Petit's memoir of the Twin Towers walk, which gave birth to both 'Man on Wire' and 'The Walk'; Petit explains he described the post-walk sex scene truthfully.
The Walk film
Zemeckis's Hollywood film of Petit's story; Petit notes the poster is 'historically incorrect' but has a good tagline: 'Men walked on the moon but only one between the towers.'
People invoked 18
Described by Petit as a 'crazy choreographer' who defies gravity at SLAM in Brooklyn, the venue for Petit's upcoming projects.
Buster Keaton positive
Petit cites Keaton's memoirs on the art of tripping, the quarter-second pause before reacting is the secret; used to illustrate the spirit-body relation in performance.
Paired with Bataille as representing identification with radical destructiveness of nature as a form of contact with the Absolute.
The Gymnopédies were used as the musical accompaniment for the documentary clip of Petit's walk; Petit notes the interpreter played it too fast.
Director of 'The Walk' (film based on Petit's memoir); referenced by Petit as the filmmaker of the Hollywood version.
Cited as offering a 'vulgar version' of contact with the Absolute through identification with nature's radical destructiveness, positioned as one alternative to mystical unity, but called 'vulgar'.
Larry David positive
Named as one of Žižek's five contemporary heroes for keeping the spirit of provocation against political correctness.
Named among Žižek's five contemporary heroes without further elaboration.
Appears only as the recipient of Marx's letter about revolution and Capital.
Named among Žižek's five contemporary heroes without further elaboration.
Ernst Lubitsch positive
Called 'my favorite movie director'; the Ninotchka coffee joke is Žižek's chosen vehicle to illustrate determinate negation and the fullness of specific absences.
Angelus Silesius positive
Quoted: 'Die Rose ist ohne Warum', a rose is without a why, to support Petit's refusal to give a reason for his walk and Žižek's philosophy of pure acts.
Philippe Petit positive
The subject of the dialogue; Žižek uses his 1974 Twin Towers walk as the primary philosophical case study for authentic acts, contact with the Absolute, and pure purposeless action. Žižek repeatedly expresses admiration and enthusiasm.
His late dialogues cited as an example of one-sided philosophical dialogue to avoid in the conversation with Petit.
Karl Marx positive
Cited via a letter to Engels where Marx worries about being forced to do revolution before finishing Capital, used to illustrate authentic dedication to theoretical work as an end in itself.
Referenced via the late Platonic dialogues where Socrates monologues while the interlocutor only says 'By Zeus, so it is', used as a comic model to avoid.
Referenced at the start as the moderator/host who introduced Petit with a definition of life as dangerous and ending in death.
Albert Einstein positive
Invoked by Petit in support of the relativity of time as experienced during the walk, 'Einstein was right' about time being deformed at height.
What it argues
authentic acts as ends in themselves with no whythe spiritual dimension of pure performanceeternity produced by hard temporal workthe fullness of the voidsexuality as contact with the Absolutehumor and the sacred as dimensions beyond Godnegation and the difference between coffee without cream and coffee without milk
Dialectical moves 8
“The fear of height is really the fear of depth — the attraction of falling down.”
What looks like a vertical fear (going up) is really the pull of the abyss below; the phobia inverts into a fascination.
“Far from being an expression of yourself, an authentic act makes you the medium of a higher dimension — 'you became the medium of some higher force.'”
Today's ideology demands that acts express the authentic self; Žižek inverts this: the truly authentic act depersonalizes the agent.
“The most subversive gesture was not blowing up the towers but using them as the background of a great work of art.”
Destruction of financial capital is less subversive than converting it into art, the reversal of what counts as political transgression.
“What makes sexuality divine is precisely that, authentically done, sexuality is spiritual — its spirituality lies in being its own end, not in serving procreation.”
The Catholic hierarchy (procreation = human, pleasure = animal) is inverted: purposeless pleasure is the mark of the spiritual, not the animal.
“I cannot give you coffee without cream, I can only give you coffee without milk — the absent thing determines what you have even though physically it is 'just coffee'.”
Against vulgar realism that flattens all absences into the same positive thing, the specific negation (without cream vs. without milk) constitutes a real difference.
“God cannot understand how they can laugh — it is the Jews who must console God, not the other way around.”
The traditional relation of God (consoler, controller of suffering) and victim is reversed: the human capacity for humor exceeds what even the divine can comprehend.
“Passionate love is totally contingent but once you fall in love you experience it as if all your life led to it — fate produced by accident.”
The feeling of necessity (fate) is an effect of pure contingency retrospectively experienced, eternity is not given but produced by temporal work.
“Fuck the plane — you are the real miracle. The 9/11 plane in the background of the documentary footage was already there, but Petit's walk is the actual event.”
The catastrophic historical event (9/11) is demoted; the artwork done at the same site is elevated as the genuinely world-historical act.
Claims 12
asserts
There are moments in human life that escape the cycle of mortal wisdom and bring one into contact with another, sacred or metaphysical dimension.the Absolute / transcendence
asserts
All authentic acts are ends in themselves and do not serve any external humanitarian or ideological purpose.authentic acts / pure act
asserts
Petit's tightrope walk between the Twin Towers was more subversive of financial capital than the actual destruction of the towers on September 11, because it turned the towers into the background of a great work of art.subversion / art vs. terrorism
asserts
Authentic sexuality is spiritual precisely because it is an end in itself — not for procreation (animals) but self-enclosed pleasure — and can constitute contact with the Absolute.sexuality / spirituality
rejects
The Catholic argument that sex purely for pleasure is animal is wrong: animals do it for procreation; the spiritual dimension enters when sex becomes its own goal.Catholic sexual ethics
rejects
Petit's walk was not an expression of his self or his psychological depths but made him the medium of a higher force — it is today's ideology that authentic acts must 'authentically be yourself'.ideology of authentic self-expression
asserts
Coffee without cream and coffee without milk are different even if physically identical — the specific absent element determines the nature of the negation.negation / the void / determinate absence
asserts
What quantum physics discovers — that the void has density through quantum oscillations — corresponds to what mystics and artists experience as the fullness of the void.quantum physics / void / spirituality
rejects
Pseudo-leftists who attacked Petit for serving financial capital with his spectacle were wrong; he performed a more radical subversive gesture by using the towers as artistic background.leftist critique of Petit's walk
asserts
The magic of passionate love is the paradox that it is totally contingent yet experienced as fate — eternity produced by hard temporal work.love / contingency / fate
asserts
Marx's worry about having to do a revolution before finishing Capital shows that what mattered most to Marx was his theoretical work — an expression of authentic dedication as an end in itself.Marx / authentic acts / intellectual work
asserts
There is a dimension of the sacred or the humorous that escapes even God's understanding — as illustrated by the Auschwitz joke in which God cannot understand how the victims make jokes about their own death.the sacred / humor / the divine
Quotes 13
“What is life? A disease which is transmitted by sex and always ends with death. You cannot do it any better.”Slavoj Žižek · cynical-wisdom definition of life
“All authentic acts have this reversal, they just serve themselves.”Slavoj Žižek · authentic acts as ends in themselves
“As far as I know, animals do it for procreation. Spiritual dimension enters when it's this self-goal.”Slavoj Žižek · sexuality as spiritual when purposeless
“You became the medium of some, not in a mystical sense, higher force, but you entered a domain which is beyond these human concerns.”Slavoj Žižek · pure act depersonalizes the agent
“Die Rose ist ohne Warum — a rose is without a why.”Slavoj Žižek · pure acts have no why (Angelus Silesius)
“Sorry sir, we don't have cream, we only have milk. So I cannot give you coffee without cream, I can only give you coffee without milk.”Slavoj Žižek · determinate negation — specific absence matters
“Don't worry, you were not there, of course you cannot understand it.”Slavoj Žižek · humor as a dimension that exceeds even God
“It's not simply somebody was a terrorist attack. It was, there was no ideological cause behind, nobody was to die. It was purely ethical trespassing.”Slavoj Žižek · purely ethical trespassing vs. terrorism
“This is for me what some philosophers would have called direct intervention of eternity into time. You know, in the sense of for a brief moment, time as it were, you get a real time freeze.”Slavoj Žižek · eternity intervening in time through stillness
“Sorry for vulgarity, fuck the plane, you are the real miracle.”Slavoj Žižek · art as the true event vs. destruction
“It's totally contingent. But once you for contingent reason fall in love, you experience it as if all your life led to it. You know, this paradox of eternity.”Slavoj Žižek · love as contingency experienced as fate
“It's today's ideology. Whatever you do, you must authentically be yourself, realize your potentials. No, you didn't do this.”Slavoj Žižek · ideology of authentic self-expression rejected
“In my universe you go to Gulag for that.”unknown · Žižek's mock-Stalinist condemnation of 'quality time'
Transcript 60 turns
Slavoj Žižek
Well, let's begin, just a small correction of what Paul said, that his definition of life, dangerous, always ends with death. In Poland, they have a much more precise version of it. It's my favorite Polish slogan, motto. It says, what is life? A disease which is transmitted by sex and always ends with death. You cannot do it any better. But nonetheless, I think we are not simply just mortal beings. This is the position of wisdom. You know, everything ultimately turns to dust, what goes up has to go down, and so on and so on. And in a way which, although I am not formally a believer, in a way which brings us close to a dimension of sacred, metaphysical, whatever you call it, I think there are moments in human life which precisely escape this cycle of wisdom, which magically brings us in contact with simply another dimension. We are out of this. And that's what I think he did with his acts, especially the best-known one, walking between, on a rope between the Twin Towers. That's why when I was asked by the German weekly magazine to name five of today's heroes, people who did something of historical importance, among the five, one was Larry David. I think his great achievement is to keep the spirit of provocation against standard versions of political correctness. I will not go through others, Assange, Linera, and so on, but he was immediately one of the five. Why? If you allow me, just very briefly. Well, you could have used my name five times. That, as a Hegelian, I agree with you, and then, you know, you get in contradiction with yourself and like Larry David is you in your otherness. But what I seriously want to say is this, and I'm really serious here, if you permit me a brief metaphysical even introduction. There are a couple of ways that we can retain what we usually refer to as contact with the Absolute. For example, for some mystics is this unity, as they say in Upanishad, between Atman, my soul, and the universe and so on. There is the opposite vulgar version of Georges Bataille or Marquis de Sade: you identify with radical destructiveness of nature, then moment of beauty and so on. And I claim that what he did is, you cannot use any other words, when he was walking up there, it's a spiritual experience. It's not just this physical daring and so on. It's almost that you entered, you entered another dimension. And it's why, and then immediately, if you allow me to finish, I will give two comments. What is so important is that his act doesn't have any deeper humanitarian meaning. You didn't do it to help the starving children in Somalia or whatever. All authentic acts have this reversal, they just serve themselves. As an old Marxist, let me tell you why Marx was also at this level. There is a wonderful letter from his late life of Marx to Engels where he worries it looked that there will be a revolution in Europe. And you know what Marx writes to Engels? He says, oh my God, now we will have to do a revolution, but I haven't yet finished writing Capital and so on. That mattered most to him. With sexuality, it's the same. An authentic sexual act is an end in itself. That's why incidentally I never understood Catholics who claim, if it's just for pleasure is animal, human must be for procreation. Sorry, as far as I know, animals do it for procreation. Spiritual dimension enters when it's this self-goal. And just a political point to finish this all too long introduction. Some stupid leftists, pseudo-leftists, attacked you for that your spectacle just served the financial capital, that you didn't really do anything subversive. I think, on the contrary, if, I don't, if you nonetheless try to find an emancipatory potential in the horrible crime of ruining Twin Towers, that it was nonetheless a blow to financial capital. No, it was not. His act of, his act of taking the Twin Towers, the symbol of financial capital, whatever, and use it as a background of a great work of art was a much more radical subversive gesture. You know what he did, my last story. In Japan, I was discovered, they had years ago, now it's in decline, a beautiful fashion of books are of illustrations are were published on it. You have to construct an object which can effectively function, but it must be so ridiculous that it cannot actually be commercialized. Like, for example, you have glasses with, how do you call it, this against rain, wipers, so that you can walk on the rain, or you have, you have butter but like a lipstick and so on. This is how you overcome technology. You go to the end, you, as it were, destroy it from within. And I think that at this level what you did is subversive. Why? Because there is another crucial point. It doesn't serve anything, and I agree with you when you pointed out in interviews when they bore you with this stupid question, but why did you do it? There is no why here. You did it. That's also why I don't care about possible psychoanalytic readings. Did you have some trauma, were you locked as a child and then you try to overcome the fear of height? This all may be true or not, it doesn't matter. Your act was a pure act, it was not, I emphatically claim, an expression of yourself. Because it's, this is today's ideology. Whatever you do, you must authentically be yourself, realize your potentials. No, you didn't do this. You became the medium of some, not in a mystical sense, higher force, but you entered a domain which is beyond these human concerns. So, as to this domain, can I ask you a question, then you strike back. As an old neurotic suicidal type, my fear would be this one. People talk about fear of height. For me, the fear would have been the opposite one. The fear of height is really the fear of depth. I would be afraid to look down and fall down, and again, that's why I don't even drive a car, I would immediately feel this attraction to just, okay, let's call it a day and drop down. Are you beyond it or do you also sometimes fear this attraction of falling down? The beauty of it for me is that I have no fear. And I have no fear for maybe two reasons. One is I am so much enjoying myself while I approach
Well, let's begin, just a small correction of what Paul said, that his definition of life, dangerous, always ends with death. In Poland, they have a much more precise version of it. It's my favorite Polish slogan, motto. It says, what is life? A disease which is transmitted by sex and always ends with death. You cannot do it any better. But nonetheless, I think we are not simply just mortal beings. This is the position of wisdom. You know, everything ultimately turns to dust, what goes up has to go down, and so on and so on. And in a way which, although I am not formally a believer, in a way which brings us close to a dimension of sacred, metaphysical, whatever you call it, I think there are moments in human life which precisely escape this cycle of wisdom, which magically brings us in contact with simply another dimension. We are out of this. And that's what I think he did with his acts, especially the best-known one, walking between, on a rope between the Twin Towers. That's why when I was asked by the German weekly magazine to name five of today's heroes, people who did something of historical importance, among the five, one was Larry David. I think his great achievement is to keep the spirit of provocation against standard versions of political correctness. I will not go through others, Assange, Linera, and so on, but he was immediately one of the five. Why? If you allow me, just very briefly. Well, you could have used my name five times. That, as a Hegelian, I agree with you, and then, you know, you get in contradiction with yourself and like Larry David is you in your otherness. But what I seriously want to say is this, and I'm really serious here, if you permit me a brief metaphysical even introduction. There are a couple of ways that we can retain what we usually refer to as contact with the Absolute. For example, for some mystics is this unity, as they say in Upanishad, between Atman, my soul, and the universe and so on. There is the opposite vulgar version of Georges Bataille or Marquis de Sade: you identify with radical destructiveness of nature, then moment of beauty and so on. And I claim that what he did is, you cannot use any other words, when he was walking up there, it's a spiritual experience. It's not just this physical daring and so on. It's almost that you entered, you entered another dimension. And it's why, and then immediately, if you allow me to finish, I will give two comments. What is so important is that his act doesn't have any deeper humanitarian meaning. You didn't do it to help the starving children in Somalia or whatever. All authentic acts have this reversal, they just serve themselves. As an old Marxist, let me tell you why Marx was also at this level. There is a wonderful letter from his late life of Marx to Engels where he worries it looked that there will be a revolution in Europe. And you know what Marx writes to Engels? He says, oh my God, now we will have to do a revolution, but I haven't yet finished writing Capital and so on. That mattered most to him. With sexuality, it's the same. An authentic sexual act is an end in itself. That's why incidentally I never understood Catholics who claim, if it's just for pleasure is animal, human must be for procreation. Sorry, as far as I know, animals do it for procreation. Spiritual dimension enters when it's this self-goal. And just a political point to finish this all too long introduction. Some stupid leftists, pseudo-leftists, attacked you for that your spectacle just served the financial capital, that you didn't really do anything subversive. I think, on the contrary, if, I don't, if you nonetheless try to find an emancipatory potential in the horrible crime of ruining Twin Towers, that it was nonetheless a blow to financial capital. No, it was not. His act of, his act of taking the Twin Towers, the symbol of financial capital, whatever, and use it as a background of a great work of art was a much more radical subversive gesture. You know what he did, my last story. In Japan, I was discovered, they had years ago, now it's in decline, a beautiful fashion of books are of illustrations are were published on it. You have to construct an object which can effectively function, but it must be so ridiculous that it cannot actually be commercialized. Like, for example, you have glasses with, how do you call it, this against rain, wipers, so that you can walk on the rain, or you have, you have butter but like a lipstick and so on. This is how you overcome technology. You go to the end, you, as it were, destroy it from within. And I think that at this level what you did is subversive. Why? Because there is another crucial point. It doesn't serve anything, and I agree with you when you pointed out in interviews when they bore you with this stupid question, but why did you do it? There is no why here. You did it. That's also why I don't care about possible psychoanalytic readings. Did you have some trauma, were you locked as a child and then you try to overcome the fear of height? This all may be true or not, it doesn't matter. Your act was a pure act, it was not, I emphatically claim, an expression of yourself. Because it's, this is today's ideology. Whatever you do, you must authentically be yourself, realize your potentials. No, you didn't do this. You became the medium of some, not in a mystical sense, higher force, but you entered a domain which is beyond these human concerns. So, as to this domain, can I ask you a question, then you strike back. As an old neurotic suicidal type, my fear would be this one. People talk about fear of height. For me, the fear would have been the opposite one. The fear of height is really the fear of depth. I would be afraid to look down and fall down, and again, that's why I don't even drive a car, I would immediately feel this attraction to just, okay, let's call it a day and drop down. Are you beyond it or do you also sometimes fear this attraction of falling down? The beauty of it for me is that I have no fear. And I have no fear for maybe two reasons. One is I am so much enjoying myself while I approach
Bernard-Henri Lévy
the territory of the birds and fight for the wind and carry my life in my hands, not risk it but carry it, which is a more noble gesture. And then the other reason why I feel no fear on the wire is because there is nothing for me to fear since I cannot leave the wire. People use an ugly word, they say falling. I never used that word. I don't even know what it means. I would replace it by flying away from the wire. Falling is another profession. Mine is walking on the wire. So I have no fear because I know, and it will surprise people who would not spend a lot of time in my life and in my private backstage, that I could state something like that. I, nothing can happen to me. Before I do the first step on the wire, I am certain of being performing a victorious last step. And this solidity of granite is not only in my body, that would not be enough, but it's in my soul. And I can prove it. I am indestructible on the wire. And yet we are all mortal and I am very human, so how can I say that? But that's, that's how I feel on the wire.
the territory of the birds and fight for the wind and carry my life in my hands, not risk it but carry it, which is a more noble gesture. And then the other reason why I feel no fear on the wire is because there is nothing for me to fear since I cannot leave the wire. People use an ugly word, they say falling. I never used that word. I don't even know what it means. I would replace it by flying away from the wire. Falling is another profession. Mine is walking on the wire. So I have no fear because I know, and it will surprise people who would not spend a lot of time in my life and in my private backstage, that I could state something like that. I, nothing can happen to me. Before I do the first step on the wire, I am certain of being performing a victorious last step. And this solidity of granite is not only in my body, that would not be enough, but it's in my soul. And I can prove it. I am indestructible on the wire. And yet we are all mortal and I am very human, so how can I say that? But that's, that's how I feel on the wire.
Slavoj Žižek
You put it, my God, now I will envy you because in my philosophical arrogance I am tempted to say, you go on walking the wire, leave the thinking to me. But you put it very nicely now. You see, exactly this I wanted to say when I said that whatever you say, this certainty that you described, in a way you know it, you trust it, you are already on the other side. This is what I meant by entering another dimension. And it's not, it's not in a vulgar sense something magic and so on and so on. As you put it very nicely, it is a question of soul, I would rather call it a certain spiritual stance. You just believe it, although this is what interests me. Wait a minute, let's begin with clips because one clip, can you get me please the, it's just a half a minute, don't be afraid. Clip number two. I say it's about a thousand dollars worth of cable and the rigging outfit itself, it's magnificent the way
You put it, my God, now I will envy you because in my philosophical arrogance I am tempted to say, you go on walking the wire, leave the thinking to me. But you put it very nicely now. You see, exactly this I wanted to say when I said that whatever you say, this certainty that you described, in a way you know it, you trust it, you are already on the other side. This is what I meant by entering another dimension. And it's not, it's not in a vulgar sense something magic and so on and so on. As you put it very nicely, it is a question of soul, I would rather call it a certain spiritual stance. You just believe it, although this is what interests me. Wait a minute, let's begin with clips because one clip, can you get me please the, it's just a half a minute, don't be afraid. Clip number two. I say it's about a thousand dollars worth of cable and the rigging outfit itself, it's magnificent the way
unknown
you did it. Did he say anything about why he was doing it? No. I will, I will explain. I will take the time to say. You know, why? Why? And that was a very, again in my way of seeing America, a very American finger-snapping question. I did something magnificent and mysterious and I got a practical why. And the beauty of it is that I didn't have any why. Why did you do this? That's the thousand why in this morning.
you did it. Did he say anything about why he was doing it? No. I will, I will explain. I will take the time to say. You know, why? Why? And that was a very, again in my way of seeing America, a very American finger-snapping question. I did something magnificent and mysterious and I got a practical why. And the beauty of it is that I didn't have any why. Why did you do this? That's the thousand why in this morning.
Slavoj Žižek
There is no why. It's, remember that one of the greatest mystical
There is no why. It's, remember that one of the greatest mystical
unknown
phrases from Angelus Silesius, I think, it's precisely in German,
phrases from Angelus Silesius, I think, it's precisely in German,
Slavoj Žižek
"Die Rose ist ohne Warum," a rose is without a why. And again, it's a question of spirit. In what
"Die Rose ist ohne Warum," a rose is without a why. And again, it's a question of spirit. In what
Bernard-Henri Lévy
sense? I will now use a metaphor which some people may not like. The same goes for sexuality. What makes sexuality, I am not afraid to use this term, divine, is precisely that
sense? I will now use a metaphor which some people may not like. The same goes for sexuality. What makes sexuality, I am not afraid to use this term, divine, is precisely that
Slavoj Žižek
authentically done, or whatever you put it, sexuality is spiritual. In what sense? Let me evoke, I hope you didn't experience it too often, this simple or not so simple physical experience. Did it happen to you? To me, unfortunately it did, that in the middle of lovemaking, you all of a sudden, I don't know how to put it, disconnect. You all of a sudden step outside of the rapture of intense sexuality and look at yourself objectively and you say, what am I doing here, sweating, making these stupid up and down movements? Or you begin to visualize it in a wrong way. This is an old Christian strategy proposed by saints in medieval times. They say, you see the naked body of your beloved, just imagine what is two inches beneath the skin, all the glands and so on. But what does this prove for me? Not that intense sexuality can be a contact with the Absolute, but it's that it's spiritual. And my next question now. Did it ever happen to you, I hope not, it wouldn't be very pleasant, that you are in this absolute, I don't know how to call it, certainty trance, I will succeed, and then all of a sudden to ask yourself, sorry for vulgarity, but what's happening here? I'm on a tiny rope between two towers. What a stupid thing to do. Why? You know, this doubt that you step outside and start to see, but it's nonsense what I'm doing. Which in some sense it is, but that's what makes it great. So, I
authentically done, or whatever you put it, sexuality is spiritual. In what sense? Let me evoke, I hope you didn't experience it too often, this simple or not so simple physical experience. Did it happen to you? To me, unfortunately it did, that in the middle of lovemaking, you all of a sudden, I don't know how to put it, disconnect. You all of a sudden step outside of the rapture of intense sexuality and look at yourself objectively and you say, what am I doing here, sweating, making these stupid up and down movements? Or you begin to visualize it in a wrong way. This is an old Christian strategy proposed by saints in medieval times. They say, you see the naked body of your beloved, just imagine what is two inches beneath the skin, all the glands and so on. But what does this prove for me? Not that intense sexuality can be a contact with the Absolute, but it's that it's spiritual. And my next question now. Did it ever happen to you, I hope not, it wouldn't be very pleasant, that you are in this absolute, I don't know how to call it, certainty trance, I will succeed, and then all of a sudden to ask yourself, sorry for vulgarity, but what's happening here? I'm on a tiny rope between two towers. What a stupid thing to do. Why? You know, this doubt that you step outside and start to see, but it's nonsense what I'm doing. Which in some sense it is, but that's what makes it great. So, I
Bernard-Henri Lévy
cannot talk for the hundreds of wire walkers that are performing with safety nets in the circus. I only can talk about how I feel. And again, like with fear, there is no doubt on the high wire for me. There is no place for doubt. Because fear is a question mark. Fear is a lack of knowledge for me. Doubt is a different kind of fear. Doubt is also a question mark. I hope I can make it. I hope the wire is rigged well enough so it will sustain the tension and my movement. All that is too late. If you have those thoughts of doubts while you are performing, well, your performance is not going to be majestic and will not inspire people to move mountains. Your performance will be that of a technician, good or bad, trying to deal with the moment. And performing is not that. Well, performing is dealing with the moment but not to bring on stage, and my stage is a very small, narrow, dangerous stage, doubts. So no, I don't, I never, never, never have doubts on the wire. There is no room. The wire is too narrow for me, the secret of equilibrium, and the world of doubt. Again, I admire your formulation. You know why? Because common sense idiot, I call them in conversation with Paul the bearers of wisdom, those idiots would have said, but nonetheless, this is crazy, it can happen, something happens, the for unknown reasons the wire breaks, you slip, you really die. It doesn't matter.
cannot talk for the hundreds of wire walkers that are performing with safety nets in the circus. I only can talk about how I feel. And again, like with fear, there is no doubt on the high wire for me. There is no place for doubt. Because fear is a question mark. Fear is a lack of knowledge for me. Doubt is a different kind of fear. Doubt is also a question mark. I hope I can make it. I hope the wire is rigged well enough so it will sustain the tension and my movement. All that is too late. If you have those thoughts of doubts while you are performing, well, your performance is not going to be majestic and will not inspire people to move mountains. Your performance will be that of a technician, good or bad, trying to deal with the moment. And performing is not that. Well, performing is dealing with the moment but not to bring on stage, and my stage is a very small, narrow, dangerous stage, doubts. So no, I don't, I never, never, never have doubts on the wire. There is no room. The wire is too narrow for me, the secret of equilibrium, and the world of doubt. Again, I admire your formulation. You know why? Because common sense idiot, I call them in conversation with Paul the bearers of wisdom, those idiots would have said, but nonetheless, this is crazy, it can happen, something happens, the for unknown reasons the wire breaks, you slip, you really die. It doesn't matter.
Slavoj Žižek
That's not possible. Then, then I will
That's not possible. Then, then I will
Bernard-Henri Lévy
be risking my life. Then I will be an imbecile. Yeah, but what I'm saying is that at a
be risking my life. Then I will be an imbecile. Yeah, but what I'm saying is that at a
Slavoj Žižek
certain vulgar material level you are an imbecile. But this is another dimension
certain vulgar material level you are an imbecile. But this is another dimension
Bernard-Henri Lévy
you entered into. No, no, no. When I walk on the wire, I am my own engineer, which I have, a self-taught engineer, and I design the anchor points, I calculate the tension, I even sometimes for a big walk design the wire and had it manufactured without grease with me there. Ah, really? I have sometimes, like in Frankfurt I did a giant walk from the Paulskirche to the Dom in front of people. It took me five years to organize it. It was a multi-million dollar project. And I needed miles of ropes to guy-line the wire. I did not order miles and have some workers cut them and bring them to the site for the rigging. I went to the factory and I had hundreds of spools of ropes and I asked that they spool the rope from one full spool to an empty one. And I sat and I put some soft gloves and I had the miles of rope go slowly through my hands. I didn't need to look, I know the ropes blindfolded. And the reason I did that is because you don't create ropes for a wire walker. You create ropes for lifting things, pulling things. So if those ropes are going to protect your life, isn't that absolutely sensible to want to know every inch of it? And as I did that, three spools had what we call a factory splice, which is a lazy craftsman way of dealing with a rope being stopped in fabrication and you take another rope and you put the strands together and you let it go. It's not really a real splice. It's a factory splice. So if you pull it hard enough, it will break and I will stop living that day. So people laughed at me and I let them laugh, I didn't care. And I had those miles of ropes go into my fingers and I stopped three times and I did a real splice so that I am still today able to answer your questions.
you entered into. No, no, no. When I walk on the wire, I am my own engineer, which I have, a self-taught engineer, and I design the anchor points, I calculate the tension, I even sometimes for a big walk design the wire and had it manufactured without grease with me there. Ah, really? I have sometimes, like in Frankfurt I did a giant walk from the Paulskirche to the Dom in front of people. It took me five years to organize it. It was a multi-million dollar project. And I needed miles of ropes to guy-line the wire. I did not order miles and have some workers cut them and bring them to the site for the rigging. I went to the factory and I had hundreds of spools of ropes and I asked that they spool the rope from one full spool to an empty one. And I sat and I put some soft gloves and I had the miles of rope go slowly through my hands. I didn't need to look, I know the ropes blindfolded. And the reason I did that is because you don't create ropes for a wire walker. You create ropes for lifting things, pulling things. So if those ropes are going to protect your life, isn't that absolutely sensible to want to know every inch of it? And as I did that, three spools had what we call a factory splice, which is a lazy craftsman way of dealing with a rope being stopped in fabrication and you take another rope and you put the strands together and you let it go. It's not really a real splice. It's a factory splice. So if you pull it hard enough, it will break and I will stop living that day. So people laughed at me and I let them laugh, I didn't care. And I had those miles of ropes go into my fingers and I stopped three times and I did a real splice so that I am still today able to answer your questions.
Slavoj Žižek
Another point you brought it to me. What I really admired in your act is this one. I can is next feature. This unity of this, as you described it, you are in this state of certainty, you know you will succeed. But you know, this is not just a simple mental attitude. What is beneath or behind it is years of hard work. Absolutely, absolutely. And
Another point you brought it to me. What I really admired in your act is this one. I can is next feature. This unity of this, as you described it, you are in this state of certainty, you know you will succeed. But you know, this is not just a simple mental attitude. What is beneath or behind it is years of hard work. Absolutely, absolutely. And
Bernard-Henri Lévy
well, maybe I want to ask the audience to go back to the last frame of the little clip that you saw. We don't need to see it, but let me describe it. The last frame was as I was in the police station arrested after my walk, I gently stole the cap of a cup and I balanced it on my nose. And the camera, it was a miracle, happened to catch me in profile, which is the most beautiful way to see a juggler balancing a hat. But if you look at that clip one more time, you will see that I didn't just balance and then end it with a cap falling on my head. I did something that takes a lifetime to understand and to practice. I gave it a quarter of a second stillness, which is I balance, there is a dance of balance and movement, and then a quarter of a second of stillness and it falls. Without that quarter of a second of stillness, it would be somebody balancing a hat and finishing nicely on their head. Nice, cute, thousands of people do that. But how many jugglers have worked so hard on the miracle of balance that they analyze it and realize that if you do something magnificent and if you give it a little moment as a frame of stillness, then it becomes almost mystic, it becomes a miracle. And you don't have to use words. A four-year-old kid in the audience will say, oh, I prefer when he holds one second instead of just putting it and it falls on his head. So this has apparently nothing to do with your last question, but to me it has a lot to do because when you stated a second ago that for you it is a marriage of the physical and of the soul, it is essentially right. And any performance of any kind, painting, sculpting, dancing, you know, for an acrobat in a weird choreography falling because, you know, there are some rare choreographer that play with gravity. All those things have a momentum and I learned that when I study the Buster Keaton memoirs. Because what he does is, in one of his memoirs, there is not much room here, but he talks about tripping. And tripping is very easy. I can teach you tripping. It's, you know, people will do it better than others. But tripping is nothing unless after you trip, you look at what made you trip. And that was a secret and again we're talking about a quarter of a second, okay? And that's the secret of a good tripping. And I did that sometimes in Manhattan for fun. I will walk on the sidewalk and I will trip and then look and then I will hide and I will see people, tourists, you know, having looked at me and going like. Well, you never know. So anyway, the relation of the spirit and the body which is not being taught in our school these days is the secret of inspiring people and the secret of true life and for an artist performing. Again, you,
well, maybe I want to ask the audience to go back to the last frame of the little clip that you saw. We don't need to see it, but let me describe it. The last frame was as I was in the police station arrested after my walk, I gently stole the cap of a cup and I balanced it on my nose. And the camera, it was a miracle, happened to catch me in profile, which is the most beautiful way to see a juggler balancing a hat. But if you look at that clip one more time, you will see that I didn't just balance and then end it with a cap falling on my head. I did something that takes a lifetime to understand and to practice. I gave it a quarter of a second stillness, which is I balance, there is a dance of balance and movement, and then a quarter of a second of stillness and it falls. Without that quarter of a second of stillness, it would be somebody balancing a hat and finishing nicely on their head. Nice, cute, thousands of people do that. But how many jugglers have worked so hard on the miracle of balance that they analyze it and realize that if you do something magnificent and if you give it a little moment as a frame of stillness, then it becomes almost mystic, it becomes a miracle. And you don't have to use words. A four-year-old kid in the audience will say, oh, I prefer when he holds one second instead of just putting it and it falls on his head. So this has apparently nothing to do with your last question, but to me it has a lot to do because when you stated a second ago that for you it is a marriage of the physical and of the soul, it is essentially right. And any performance of any kind, painting, sculpting, dancing, you know, for an acrobat in a weird choreography falling because, you know, there are some rare choreographer that play with gravity. All those things have a momentum and I learned that when I study the Buster Keaton memoirs. Because what he does is, in one of his memoirs, there is not much room here, but he talks about tripping. And tripping is very easy. I can teach you tripping. It's, you know, people will do it better than others. But tripping is nothing unless after you trip, you look at what made you trip. And that was a secret and again we're talking about a quarter of a second, okay? And that's the secret of a good tripping. And I did that sometimes in Manhattan for fun. I will walk on the sidewalk and I will trip and then look and then I will hide and I will see people, tourists, you know, having looked at me and going like. Well, you never know. So anyway, the relation of the spirit and the body which is not being taught in our school these days is the secret of inspiring people and the secret of true life and for an artist performing. Again, you,
Slavoj Žižek
my God, I'm so mad at myself that with all my philosophical bullshit I missed that point because it's perfect, this moment half a second, oh no, half a second, two-three seconds of immobility. This is for me what some philosophers would have called direct intervention of eternity into time. You know, in the sense of for a brief moment, although nothing magic formally happened, time as it were, you get a real time freeze. Time stops. And I agree with you, what I like is that precisely no, this is not a simple miracle another dimension intervenes. You have to do as you just described hard, hard, hard work to produce that magical effect.
my God, I'm so mad at myself that with all my philosophical bullshit I missed that point because it's perfect, this moment half a second, oh no, half a second, two-three seconds of immobility. This is for me what some philosophers would have called direct intervention of eternity into time. You know, in the sense of for a brief moment, although nothing magic formally happened, time as it were, you get a real time freeze. Time stops. And I agree with you, what I like is that precisely no, this is not a simple miracle another dimension intervenes. You have to do as you just described hard, hard, hard work to produce that magical effect.
Bernard-Henri Lévy
Another thing that I would like to retrace a little bit, a few minutes ago in one of your statement, you even mime with your hands the space between the towers and you were talking about again this act of losing the wire and, and I just want again to illustrate the relation of mind and body for somebody like me who is a self-taught wire walker, juggler, magician, lecturer, barn builder, author, all those things and I do drawings too and I play chess and I study French wines. So anyway, what attracted me between the towers were not the towers, was the negative space, I'm talking as a painter, that the two man-made building created and I wanted to give life to that space. And then the last thing I want to add to your non-question of before was that the void that you mime with your hands, the void that for people who are not under my skin believe attracts me in some weird negative way or is a path to my death, which is absolutely the opposite, that void is sustaining me. Those clouds upon which I walk have the density of granite. I love that rock so I mention it often. But you see when we use the word void, we people on earth, we think void is nothing. But years of walking in the void, I can tell you void is filled. Filled with power, filled with majesty, filled with miracle, filled with gods. And it is the atheist that is talking. I don't believe in the gods that we recognize but I believe in many, many gods. The god of the balancing pole, the god of the wind, the god of the swaying towers. So for me when I hear the word void, I know you mean nothing, but for me the void is filled like a very good chocolate mousse.
Another thing that I would like to retrace a little bit, a few minutes ago in one of your statement, you even mime with your hands the space between the towers and you were talking about again this act of losing the wire and, and I just want again to illustrate the relation of mind and body for somebody like me who is a self-taught wire walker, juggler, magician, lecturer, barn builder, author, all those things and I do drawings too and I play chess and I study French wines. So anyway, what attracted me between the towers were not the towers, was the negative space, I'm talking as a painter, that the two man-made building created and I wanted to give life to that space. And then the last thing I want to add to your non-question of before was that the void that you mime with your hands, the void that for people who are not under my skin believe attracts me in some weird negative way or is a path to my death, which is absolutely the opposite, that void is sustaining me. Those clouds upon which I walk have the density of granite. I love that rock so I mention it often. But you see when we use the word void, we people on earth, we think void is nothing. But years of walking in the void, I can tell you void is filled. Filled with power, filled with majesty, filled with miracle, filled with gods. And it is the atheist that is talking. I don't believe in the gods that we recognize but I believe in many, many gods. The god of the balancing pole, the god of the wind, the god of the swaying towers. So for me when I hear the word void, I know you mean nothing, but for me the void is filled like a very good chocolate mousse.
Slavoj Žižek
No, at a certain philosophical level, I totally agree with you and if nothing else, now I'm making a quick jump but if you give me three hours which you don't give me, I could explain it. This is what also we can learn from quantum physics and so on that the ultimate reality which has a density, it's not an empty void, it's precisely the void of quantum oscillations and so on and so on. And this always fascinates me how what some vulgar physics vulgar scientists may dismiss as just a crazy speculation, oh void is full and so on and so on. No, it has some substantial reality. And may I use an old joke of mine where I will try, maybe successfully maybe not, to illustrate this. There is this, there is an old joke of my favorite movie director, Ernst Lubitsch. I'm sorry if some of you know this joke, I quote it in all of my last books. From "Ninotchka" where a guy goes into a cafeteria and says, can I get coffee without cream please? And you can guess what the waiter tells him: Sorry sir, we don't have cream, we only have milk. So I cannot give you coffee without cream, I can only give you coffee without milk. And I think that's what we are after. As you said, this cream or milk don't exist. So for a vulgar realist you can say we have plain coffee and it doesn't matter. No, if you go deeper into it, we have three coffee, plain coffee, coffee without milk, coffee without cream. Even if they are physically the same,
No, at a certain philosophical level, I totally agree with you and if nothing else, now I'm making a quick jump but if you give me three hours which you don't give me, I could explain it. This is what also we can learn from quantum physics and so on that the ultimate reality which has a density, it's not an empty void, it's precisely the void of quantum oscillations and so on and so on. And this always fascinates me how what some vulgar physics vulgar scientists may dismiss as just a crazy speculation, oh void is full and so on and so on. No, it has some substantial reality. And may I use an old joke of mine where I will try, maybe successfully maybe not, to illustrate this. There is this, there is an old joke of my favorite movie director, Ernst Lubitsch. I'm sorry if some of you know this joke, I quote it in all of my last books. From "Ninotchka" where a guy goes into a cafeteria and says, can I get coffee without cream please? And you can guess what the waiter tells him: Sorry sir, we don't have cream, we only have milk. So I cannot give you coffee without cream, I can only give you coffee without milk. And I think that's what we are after. As you said, this cream or milk don't exist. So for a vulgar realist you can say we have plain coffee and it doesn't matter. No, if you go deeper into it, we have three coffee, plain coffee, coffee without milk, coffee without cream. Even if they are physically the same,
Bernard-Henri Lévy
they are not the same. And talking, talking about waiters and restaurants, you might wonder why did he place a glass at the very corner edge of the table? To
they are not the same. And talking, talking about waiters and restaurants, you might wonder why did he place a glass at the very corner edge of the table? To
Slavoj Žižek
test you, you are the artist here, if you
test you, you are the artist here, if you
Bernard-Henri Lévy
will catch it. If it's not a homage to the arrow that was shot from one building to the other that ended up exactly at the corner and was moving and was about to fall before I grabbed it. No, it has to do with my not suffering bad waiters gladly when I go to a restaurant, is that when I finish my meal, my plate, the courteous thing is for somebody to take it away, right? You don't want to be in front of a plate. So, empty plate. So very often they don't do it. So I take my plate and I put it on the edge. And then the waiters pass because they went to the school of not looking, therefore. Okay? So then I put the plate a little bit more, you know. And then on the third passage, I put the plate like half, like a little thing like this, will make me a tip, you know. And it's ridiculous because they still don't notice. But anyway, it was my little echo of your story about a waiter.
will catch it. If it's not a homage to the arrow that was shot from one building to the other that ended up exactly at the corner and was moving and was about to fall before I grabbed it. No, it has to do with my not suffering bad waiters gladly when I go to a restaurant, is that when I finish my meal, my plate, the courteous thing is for somebody to take it away, right? You don't want to be in front of a plate. So, empty plate. So very often they don't do it. So I take my plate and I put it on the edge. And then the waiters pass because they went to the school of not looking, therefore. Okay? So then I put the plate a little bit more, you know. And then on the third passage, I put the plate like half, like a little thing like this, will make me a tip, you know. And it's ridiculous because they still don't notice. But anyway, it was my little echo of your story about a waiter.
Slavoj Žižek
I, if you permit me now, another metaphysical exercise. It may be again offensive to some of you and then I will shut up for my time. It's one of the most beautiful Jewish jokes that a friend of mine told me. It's very, in some sense, but I consider it sublime. A very beautiful joke, I think in it there is a space for what you were doing. Listen carefully. To understand this joke, you have only to know that when philosophers and theologians try to explain how something like Auschwitz was possible, they claim it's too horrible for God to allow it, God was not there. God couldn't have allowed such a horror to happen. So this sublime joke goes like this. Three or four Jews who were killed in Auschwitz are now in paradise and they sit on a bench near a forest having nice talking and telling, that's crucial, jokes about how they died in Auschwitz. One says to the other: Do you remember Jacob how when they dragged you to the gas chamber you slipped on a soap before and broke your skull so that you were not even touched, I mean affected by gas? And they all laugh and so on. Then God comes by, looks at them and says: Oh my God, how can you laugh at this? I don't understand it. And one of the Jews goes to God, embraces him and says: Don't worry, you were not there, of course you cannot understand it. I find this so wonderful because what God cannot understand is not the suffering there, but how you can make fun of it. You know, a dimension which escapes even God. The traditional God of supreme good, God who controls everything, everything works for God. But I think the way we talk about God, it's not God which is part of some divine edifice and so on.
I, if you permit me now, another metaphysical exercise. It may be again offensive to some of you and then I will shut up for my time. It's one of the most beautiful Jewish jokes that a friend of mine told me. It's very, in some sense, but I consider it sublime. A very beautiful joke, I think in it there is a space for what you were doing. Listen carefully. To understand this joke, you have only to know that when philosophers and theologians try to explain how something like Auschwitz was possible, they claim it's too horrible for God to allow it, God was not there. God couldn't have allowed such a horror to happen. So this sublime joke goes like this. Three or four Jews who were killed in Auschwitz are now in paradise and they sit on a bench near a forest having nice talking and telling, that's crucial, jokes about how they died in Auschwitz. One says to the other: Do you remember Jacob how when they dragged you to the gas chamber you slipped on a soap before and broke your skull so that you were not even touched, I mean affected by gas? And they all laugh and so on. Then God comes by, looks at them and says: Oh my God, how can you laugh at this? I don't understand it. And one of the Jews goes to God, embraces him and says: Don't worry, you were not there, of course you cannot understand it. I find this so wonderful because what God cannot understand is not the suffering there, but how you can make fun of it. You know, a dimension which escapes even God. The traditional God of supreme good, God who controls everything, everything works for God. But I think the way we talk about God, it's not God which is part of some divine edifice and so on.
Bernard-Henri Lévy
You're taking a risk. It is very dangerous, I found out, to preface a joke by saying I'm going to tell you a joke.
You're taking a risk. It is very dangerous, I found out, to preface a joke by saying I'm going to tell you a joke.
Slavoj Žižek
This is a good philosophical point, yes. No, no, I have other jokes, but no, no, what I want to say is that is there a notion of sacred or whatever, divine, which falls precisely into this domain which is outside our hierarchic reality and so on and so on. Now talking
This is a good philosophical point, yes. No, no, I have other jokes, but no, no, what I want to say is that is there a notion of sacred or whatever, divine, which falls precisely into this domain which is outside our hierarchic reality and so on and so on. Now talking
Bernard-Henri Lévy
about this, if you permit me or do you want to? No, I was just reflecting the divine for me is within ourselves. But again nobody tells us, you know, and it's a matter of discovering, inventing it, which means to find actually from the Latin etymology and, and we should be told as little kids that there is the divine inside us, there is passion, there is dreams and, and we'll have to get them out and make our life much more than a terrestrial life. And that was just a little echo on what you said, but I am open to your next question.
about this, if you permit me or do you want to? No, I was just reflecting the divine for me is within ourselves. But again nobody tells us, you know, and it's a matter of discovering, inventing it, which means to find actually from the Latin etymology and, and we should be told as little kids that there is the divine inside us, there is passion, there is dreams and, and we'll have to get them out and make our life much more than a terrestrial life. And that was just a little echo on what you said, but I am open to your next question.
Slavoj Žižek
No, I agree with it, but you know I am just afraid that in our decadent times, when you say it's within us, you go too quickly to some kind of unconscious depth or, no, but it's not, it's not deep in you in the sense of some dirty secrets and so on and so on. It's simply that another dimension is within us. But I want to say now something more to make a similar point about belief and so on. You remember while, okay let's do now the big thing so that I don't get lost. I propose if you agree that we now show the crucial from documentary movie on you, the crucial five minutes. They are worth seeing. The walk itself and it's so important look at how what you were said now it's all in it almost, you know, how you described it you are certain, anxieties are over and so on. Because allow me to say another thing. You know when you described just before all the harsh work you had to acquire a false identity, enter the Twin Tower and so on all that. My very nasty idea was, my God, it sounded almost as if you are preparing a terrorist attack there. Yes, but you did it at a totally different level. It was, there was no ideological cause behind, nobody was to die and so on and so on. But that's what I like. It's as it were, I wouldn't even say terrorism. It's trespassing but a purely ethical trespassing. I find this wonderful. Yes, I agree. You know don't answer me like that because then our dialogue will be like, I always use this joke, if you know philosophy Plato. You know how late Plato's the last dialogues of Plato look. One guy, Socrates or whoever, talks all the time and every ten minutes or so the other guy says, by Zeus so it is Socrates and so on. Let's not do this. Okay, so let's see and be careful about all the details. The sense of miracle, his certainty, precise formulations. We have to do it. It makes me cry whenever I see it again and again. Please clip one, the walk.
No, I agree with it, but you know I am just afraid that in our decadent times, when you say it's within us, you go too quickly to some kind of unconscious depth or, no, but it's not, it's not deep in you in the sense of some dirty secrets and so on and so on. It's simply that another dimension is within us. But I want to say now something more to make a similar point about belief and so on. You remember while, okay let's do now the big thing so that I don't get lost. I propose if you agree that we now show the crucial from documentary movie on you, the crucial five minutes. They are worth seeing. The walk itself and it's so important look at how what you were said now it's all in it almost, you know, how you described it you are certain, anxieties are over and so on. Because allow me to say another thing. You know when you described just before all the harsh work you had to acquire a false identity, enter the Twin Tower and so on all that. My very nasty idea was, my God, it sounded almost as if you are preparing a terrorist attack there. Yes, but you did it at a totally different level. It was, there was no ideological cause behind, nobody was to die and so on and so on. But that's what I like. It's as it were, I wouldn't even say terrorism. It's trespassing but a purely ethical trespassing. I find this wonderful. Yes, I agree. You know don't answer me like that because then our dialogue will be like, I always use this joke, if you know philosophy Plato. You know how late Plato's the last dialogues of Plato look. One guy, Socrates or whoever, talks all the time and every ten minutes or so the other guy says, by Zeus so it is Socrates and so on. Let's not do this. Okay, so let's see and be careful about all the details. The sense of miracle, his certainty, precise formulations. We have to do it. It makes me cry whenever I see it again and again. Please clip one, the walk.
unknown
On the top of Philippe's roof, there was the big wheel of the machines, so as soon as the elevator would move, we would see the wheel starting
On the top of Philippe's roof, there was the big wheel of the machines, so as soon as the elevator would move, we would see the wheel starting
Slavoj Žižek
to turn.
to turn.
Bernard-Henri Lévy
I scream "La roue, la roue!" to Jean-François. "The wheel, the wheel!" because I see the giant wheel starting in motion and I know my fate has been written. Now time is no longer smiling at me.
I scream "La roue, la roue!" to Jean-François. "The wheel, the wheel!" because I see the giant wheel starting in motion and I know my fate has been written. Now time is no longer smiling at me.
unknown
At that time I was very worried. I think the first time I was really scared. Oh my God, he is exhausted like I am, maybe not as much, but for what he has to do, it's really not a good thing. The wire is the worst wire we ever did. And I was really scared.
At that time I was very worried. I think the first time I was really scared. Oh my God, he is exhausted like I am, maybe not as much, but for what he has to do, it's really not a good thing. The wire is the worst wire we ever did. And I was really scared.
unknown
On pensait tous que évidemment il est possible qu’il tombe, hein? On y a tous pensé mais on n’y croyait pas. On y pensait mais on n’y croyait pas.
On pensait tous que évidemment il est possible qu’il tombe, hein? On y a tous pensé mais on n’y croyait pas. On y pensait mais on n’y croyait pas.
Bernard-Henri Lévy
And I had to make a decision of shifting my weight from one foot anchored to the building to the foot anchored on the wire. This is probably, I don't know, probably the end of my life to step on that wire and on the other hand something that I could not resist and I didn't make any effort to resist called me upon that cable. And death is very close. I start walking as a wire walker who is studying his cable. And instead of doing an entire study of the cable for the whole length, seeing the first cavalliti and keep walking, seeing the middle which is so soft and treacherous, seeing the second cavalliti how it is, no, I do only go to the first cavalliti and I know enough. Now I'm going to perform. I
And I had to make a decision of shifting my weight from one foot anchored to the building to the foot anchored on the wire. This is probably, I don't know, probably the end of my life to step on that wire and on the other hand something that I could not resist and I didn't make any effort to resist called me upon that cable. And death is very close. I start walking as a wire walker who is studying his cable. And instead of doing an entire study of the cable for the whole length, seeing the first cavalliti and keep walking, seeing the middle which is so soft and treacherous, seeing the second cavalliti how it is, no, I do only go to the first cavalliti and I know enough. Now I'm going to perform. I
unknown
saw his face changing. He was very tense and all of a sudden there was something like a relief in him. And from that time I thought, that's it. He's secure, he's good and wow, that's... J'ai vu Philippe, oh j'ai vu Philippe là-haut, c'était extraordinaire! C'était tellement, tellement beau! C'était comme s'il marchait sur un nuage. Et il y a eu des moments extraordinaires, il
saw his face changing. He was very tense and all of a sudden there was something like a relief in him. And from that time I thought, that's it. He's secure, he's good and wow, that's... J'ai vu Philippe, oh j'ai vu Philippe là-haut, c'était extraordinaire! C'était tellement, tellement beau! C'était comme s'il marchait sur un nuage. Et il y a eu des moments extraordinaires, il
unknown
s'est couché, ça c'était, c'était l'extase de voir cette image de Philippe couché là-haut. Et puis l'autre moment très, très fort, c'est quand il... il l'a salué. C'était tellement beau et quand il s'est agenouillé, il y a un moment où il s'est agenouillé et il a salué. Et donc je criais: "Regardez, regardez!" Les gens ont commencé se rassembler mais personne ne voyait. Ils me disaient: "Mais qu'est-ce que vous voyez?" Et je leur disais: "Mais un funambule, regardez! Un
s'est couché, ça c'était, c'était l'extase de voir cette image de Philippe couché là-haut. Et puis l'autre moment très, très fort, c'est quand il... il l'a salué. C'était tellement beau et quand il s'est agenouillé, il y a un moment où il s'est agenouillé et il a salué. Et donc je criais: "Regardez, regardez!" Les gens ont commencé se rassembler mais personne ne voyait. Ils me disaient: "Mais qu'est-ce que vous voyez?" Et je leur disais: "Mais un funambule, regardez! Un
unknown
funambule, il marche, il marche!" I sat down on the wire
funambule, il marche, il marche!" I sat down on the wire
Bernard-Henri Lévy
in one of my crossings and I did something that amazed people, actually looked all the way down. To look at something that I will never in my life see again. So I can tell you and yes probably it's a lie but to me it's not, I heard the crowd, I saw the crowd, I hear them murmur
in one of my crossings and I did something that amazed people, actually looked all the way down. To look at something that I will never in my life see again. So I can tell you and yes probably it's a lie but to me it's not, I heard the crowd, I saw the crowd, I hear them murmur
unknown
beyond anything you can ever imagine. It was just mind-boggling. The awe of the event and the overwhelming largeness of the scale of the situation took my mind into a place where I really wasn't that concerned about him. It just... it was magical. It was just profound. Good.
beyond anything you can ever imagine. It was just mind-boggling. The awe of the event and the overwhelming largeness of the scale of the situation took my mind into a place where I really wasn't that concerned about him. It just... it was magical. It was just profound. Good.
Slavoj Žižek
I don't know, I find this five minutes so incredible. First just to mention it in passing, you have chosen it or who? Erik Satie.
I don't know, I find this five minutes so incredible. First just to mention it in passing, you have chosen it or who? Erik Satie.
Bernard-Henri Lévy
Yes and, and if there are pianists in the audience they might agree with me that the interpreter was playing a little bit too fast, the word fast is not right but Erik Satie is, is daydreaming and if you're not able to take a certain respiration between notes then you should not attack Satie. So yes I wanted the Gymnopédies but this interpreter is not too my liking. But anyway there is something aerial about Satie and also it's one step at a time and in between steps there is a continent of silence and you were talking about territory before and there is in absence of territory between each step of the wire walker, which makes it really a miracle when a wire walker walks with elegance and passion because at each step there is a miracle being performed and the danger, now I can talk about danger not courage, not risk, but the danger for me is to fall prey to the miracle that I create because each step, it's like doing magic, you know very well when you make a coin disappear as a magician you know what the coin is but if you're a good magician you really you play with it and people believe your magic. So when I am on the wire on a giant walk like that, improvised, and I create a step in a quarter of a mile, you know, void, I just made something miraculous and the danger for me is to say wow I am a man of miracle, I am creating this miracle. Then I will forget that I am human, which will mean instant death. So it's a very strange thing because you need a lot of belief in other words to walk elegantly on the wire and you need to do something that I'm not very good at, to be humble. This is strange because my impression from which I received from the entire film is that maybe this will even hurt you, you will not like to hear it, but that beneath all this spectacle and so on, you are at a higher level a
Yes and, and if there are pianists in the audience they might agree with me that the interpreter was playing a little bit too fast, the word fast is not right but Erik Satie is, is daydreaming and if you're not able to take a certain respiration between notes then you should not attack Satie. So yes I wanted the Gymnopédies but this interpreter is not too my liking. But anyway there is something aerial about Satie and also it's one step at a time and in between steps there is a continent of silence and you were talking about territory before and there is in absence of territory between each step of the wire walker, which makes it really a miracle when a wire walker walks with elegance and passion because at each step there is a miracle being performed and the danger, now I can talk about danger not courage, not risk, but the danger for me is to fall prey to the miracle that I create because each step, it's like doing magic, you know very well when you make a coin disappear as a magician you know what the coin is but if you're a good magician you really you play with it and people believe your magic. So when I am on the wire on a giant walk like that, improvised, and I create a step in a quarter of a mile, you know, void, I just made something miraculous and the danger for me is to say wow I am a man of miracle, I am creating this miracle. Then I will forget that I am human, which will mean instant death. So it's a very strange thing because you need a lot of belief in other words to walk elegantly on the wire and you need to do something that I'm not very good at, to be humble. This is strange because my impression from which I received from the entire film is that maybe this will even hurt you, you will not like to hear it, but that beneath all this spectacle and so on, you are at a higher level a
Slavoj Žižek
humble in a good sense, a humble being in the sense that you are aware that when you are up there, it's not an expression of your ego, as
humble in a good sense, a humble being in the sense that you are aware that when you are up there, it's not an expression of your ego, as
Bernard-Henri Lévy
it were. Well you have to be humble because of surviving. A wire walker, there is something that should not be visible in a wire walker's performance, is the feeling of surviving. That's why my senses are ten-fold open. I smell better, I look better, I can see in the back, you know, somebody is about to touch a rope and there's going to be an undue vibration. I have to smell if something is burning, maybe, maybe some of rope is caught fire, who knows. So you have to be on the wire full, full, full of sensations. And it's something very, very difficult for a human to do. So yes, this humbleness is a matter of survival because the minute you think you're indestructible you're going to pay it with your life. And you deserve it. I mean I'm talking in a cold way but as a poet the wire walker that falls deserves it. He didn't do his or her homework on the rigging or they were thinking out of humble or lack of humbleness that they are above humanity, that they are indestructible. The moment you think you're a victorious, the defeat is very close, near. So you have to be in a state at each step of delight and wonder because you're creating this miracle. It's impossible to do and yet you're doing it. You are the author of the miracle and yet what keeps you on the wire is this strange chemistry that has a lot to do with humbleness.
it were. Well you have to be humble because of surviving. A wire walker, there is something that should not be visible in a wire walker's performance, is the feeling of surviving. That's why my senses are ten-fold open. I smell better, I look better, I can see in the back, you know, somebody is about to touch a rope and there's going to be an undue vibration. I have to smell if something is burning, maybe, maybe some of rope is caught fire, who knows. So you have to be on the wire full, full, full of sensations. And it's something very, very difficult for a human to do. So yes, this humbleness is a matter of survival because the minute you think you're indestructible you're going to pay it with your life. And you deserve it. I mean I'm talking in a cold way but as a poet the wire walker that falls deserves it. He didn't do his or her homework on the rigging or they were thinking out of humble or lack of humbleness that they are above humanity, that they are indestructible. The moment you think you're a victorious, the defeat is very close, near. So you have to be in a state at each step of delight and wonder because you're creating this miracle. It's impossible to do and yet you're doing it. You are the author of the miracle and yet what keeps you on the wire is this strange chemistry that has a lot to do with humbleness.
Slavoj Žižek
Also what the way you described it here now in words and there in that clip that I admired is how that it's not simply somebody was it your friend who uses this word from tension anxiety you pass into what words does he use, assurance, no release, no but nonetheless what I admire is that again what I already said this release like magic floating there is all the time sustained by an extreme attention and so on and this is the true magic of it.
Also what the way you described it here now in words and there in that clip that I admired is how that it's not simply somebody was it your friend who uses this word from tension anxiety you pass into what words does he use, assurance, no release, no but nonetheless what I admire is that again what I already said this release like magic floating there is all the time sustained by an extreme attention and so on and this is the true magic of it.
Bernard-Henri Lévy
Yes, but the attention and again if your aim is to inspire people by walking in the sky in a magnificent way and that's the only way it will inspire people if you're not a professor of balance but if you are a half man, half bird or an angel passing it will uplift the soul of the onlookers and you only can do that if you are not carrying the technique of wire walking. You see the technique of wire walking, I mean I practice, I am years old, I practice three hours a day. I will never retire. Now still? Yes, yes. And I have practiced basically my entire life, you know from years old when I learned by myself the wire. So it's hours and hours of learning but the minute on the wire in front of the people, the minute you show one-tenth of that, then you become an ordinary wire walker. You should not show the difficulty, you should not show the danger, you should not show the times you made this move. But you should reinvent it each time as if it's something improvised, as if it's a grace for the gods that they gave you for a little ephemeral moment the power to walk in the sky. So it's a lot that a good wire walker has to carry besides his body and his balancing pole.
Yes, but the attention and again if your aim is to inspire people by walking in the sky in a magnificent way and that's the only way it will inspire people if you're not a professor of balance but if you are a half man, half bird or an angel passing it will uplift the soul of the onlookers and you only can do that if you are not carrying the technique of wire walking. You see the technique of wire walking, I mean I practice, I am years old, I practice three hours a day. I will never retire. Now still? Yes, yes. And I have practiced basically my entire life, you know from years old when I learned by myself the wire. So it's hours and hours of learning but the minute on the wire in front of the people, the minute you show one-tenth of that, then you become an ordinary wire walker. You should not show the difficulty, you should not show the danger, you should not show the times you made this move. But you should reinvent it each time as if it's something improvised, as if it's a grace for the gods that they gave you for a little ephemeral moment the power to walk in the sky. So it's a lot that a good wire walker has to carry besides his body and his balancing pole.
Slavoj Žižek
You see this brings me again to what I admire so much that it is a moment of eternity, relaxation and so on, trust. But sustained, produced by harsh work, training and so on. It's like for me, I wonder if you would agree with this metaphor. It's for me the miracle that we find also in love. Of bliss, eternity, but eternity produced by hard temporal work. What's for me and I find something vaguely similar in what you are doing. What's so magic in love, I'm not speaking about I hate that this shit bullshit love of humanity blah blah but love of a single person, passionate love. It's that on the one hand it's totally contingent. You take that street when you walk home instead of another usual street, you encounter somebody there, it's totally contingent. But once you for contingent reason fall in love, you experience it as if all your life led to it. You know, this paradox of eternity you experience it as it, that's me, it was fate. You mentioned fate then, but in reality it's hard work behind it. That's my next and my last point very short. The very one of the last shots, I took it almost as a premonition. You know you see the two towers, you see you walking tiny spot and there is a plane behind up. You remember in one? As if that plane is hello guys you will see me on September 11th. But the message for me is precisely, sorry for vulgarity, fuck the plane, you are the real miracle.
You see this brings me again to what I admire so much that it is a moment of eternity, relaxation and so on, trust. But sustained, produced by harsh work, training and so on. It's like for me, I wonder if you would agree with this metaphor. It's for me the miracle that we find also in love. Of bliss, eternity, but eternity produced by hard temporal work. What's for me and I find something vaguely similar in what you are doing. What's so magic in love, I'm not speaking about I hate that this shit bullshit love of humanity blah blah but love of a single person, passionate love. It's that on the one hand it's totally contingent. You take that street when you walk home instead of another usual street, you encounter somebody there, it's totally contingent. But once you for contingent reason fall in love, you experience it as if all your life led to it. You know, this paradox of eternity you experience it as it, that's me, it was fate. You mentioned fate then, but in reality it's hard work behind it. That's my next and my last point very short. The very one of the last shots, I took it almost as a premonition. You know you see the two towers, you see you walking tiny spot and there is a plane behind up. You remember in one? As if that plane is hello guys you will see me on September 11th. But the message for me is precisely, sorry for vulgarity, fuck the plane, you are the real miracle.
Bernard-Henri Lévy
Well it, I did a research because I was interested and I am an archivist at heart. So it was a Tupolev going to Moscow. Oh my god. And I was thinking did they thought was part of the package of the trip to look on the left and to see a wire walker,
Well it, I did a research because I was interested and I am an archivist at heart. So it was a Tupolev going to Moscow. Oh my god. And I was thinking did they thought was part of the package of the trip to look on the left and to see a wire walker,
Slavoj Žižek
you know, walking
you know, walking
Bernard-Henri Lévy
there. But anyway... So what did they think, the pilots? This is some dirty imperialist trick or what? I mean, I don't know. You know you were talking in a green room, I make a little parenthesis because that's my specialty to either interrupt a talker or get on a tangent and get lost sometimes. In a Q&A sometimes somebody asks a question and I am so fired with that I forget the question. But in a green room you talked about your experience, we talked about when the wind dances madly which is a turbulence and you mentioned like in an airplane it's awful to have turbulence. So I'm going to give you my trick and you can do that, is whenever you are in an airplane as a passenger and the airplane is start dancing and you really almost feel sick and you're terrified. With your imagination, go along the line, open the aisle, open the cockpit, which in your imagination the cockpit are locked these days, and move the pilot and sit where the pilot is. Be the pilot. And now you'll have to deal with those currents and you'll have to deal with the, you know move left because there is this, and as long as per imagination you are in control, then you're not going to be subjective to that turbulence. I have experienced that and that's my little trick. Nothing to do with what we're talking about. Oh, one thing, one thing. I don't know about you but I have an enemy and the enemy is time. So I always have a watch because I don't like to, you know. And I know that we should kind of in minutes conclude and I was thinking maybe part of this evening should be something that is inherent to me, should be to break the rules. So already this is a kind of weird thing for a speaker on stage to dare to put a clock there, okay. But don't look at it, it's just for me to look at it. But then breaking the rules is also we have been for the past whatever, a nice moment together, we have been in our territory where we feel very safe behind that table on stage. And the audience probably they feel safe too, they are where the audience should be. So I thought you know what? Let's try to break the rule just, just for fun. Not for fun, being very serious. But I want to see something. I want to see what would it take for a speaker in a, you know, in an event like this to go, I don't know to just break the rule and to for example sit here, right? I'm not bothering you? No, okay. And suddenly look at that you have everybody, that's pretty much breaking the rule. So I'm gonna stay here now for the next minutes, no I am not, but it was to illustrate that we should, life is so short, we should not take it for granted, we should break the rule in a of course in a moral equilibrium. I'm not talking about being a criminal. Although an artistic criminal, yes. And then as I walk back to oh... Ah, yes. So oh, by the way, I want to make again I am breaking the rule and I hope you you forgive me. I was talking about gravity before and I was thinking when are you going to ask me, and I know you're going to ask me about projects and I thank you for that because I would like to answer. I love you now, you know why? You know who talked like this? Stalin. He always asked himself a question and then answered, please. Okay. I'm higher than you so I, I'm not holding the the seashell but I have the the speech right now. So I wanted to say yes this is a great question to ask a performer or a self-made I don't know Renaissance man: what are your project? Mostly if you will never retire. So I have to announce, we are in New York City, let's be bold, and then in two seconds the ball will be back in
there. But anyway... So what did they think, the pilots? This is some dirty imperialist trick or what? I mean, I don't know. You know you were talking in a green room, I make a little parenthesis because that's my specialty to either interrupt a talker or get on a tangent and get lost sometimes. In a Q&A sometimes somebody asks a question and I am so fired with that I forget the question. But in a green room you talked about your experience, we talked about when the wind dances madly which is a turbulence and you mentioned like in an airplane it's awful to have turbulence. So I'm going to give you my trick and you can do that, is whenever you are in an airplane as a passenger and the airplane is start dancing and you really almost feel sick and you're terrified. With your imagination, go along the line, open the aisle, open the cockpit, which in your imagination the cockpit are locked these days, and move the pilot and sit where the pilot is. Be the pilot. And now you'll have to deal with those currents and you'll have to deal with the, you know move left because there is this, and as long as per imagination you are in control, then you're not going to be subjective to that turbulence. I have experienced that and that's my little trick. Nothing to do with what we're talking about. Oh, one thing, one thing. I don't know about you but I have an enemy and the enemy is time. So I always have a watch because I don't like to, you know. And I know that we should kind of in minutes conclude and I was thinking maybe part of this evening should be something that is inherent to me, should be to break the rules. So already this is a kind of weird thing for a speaker on stage to dare to put a clock there, okay. But don't look at it, it's just for me to look at it. But then breaking the rules is also we have been for the past whatever, a nice moment together, we have been in our territory where we feel very safe behind that table on stage. And the audience probably they feel safe too, they are where the audience should be. So I thought you know what? Let's try to break the rule just, just for fun. Not for fun, being very serious. But I want to see something. I want to see what would it take for a speaker in a, you know, in an event like this to go, I don't know to just break the rule and to for example sit here, right? I'm not bothering you? No, okay. And suddenly look at that you have everybody, that's pretty much breaking the rule. So I'm gonna stay here now for the next minutes, no I am not, but it was to illustrate that we should, life is so short, we should not take it for granted, we should break the rule in a of course in a moral equilibrium. I'm not talking about being a criminal. Although an artistic criminal, yes. And then as I walk back to oh... Ah, yes. So oh, by the way, I want to make again I am breaking the rule and I hope you you forgive me. I was talking about gravity before and I was thinking when are you going to ask me, and I know you're going to ask me about projects and I thank you for that because I would like to answer. I love you now, you know why? You know who talked like this? Stalin. He always asked himself a question and then answered, please. Okay. I'm higher than you so I, I'm not holding the the seashell but I have the the speech right now. So I wanted to say yes this is a great question to ask a performer or a self-made I don't know Renaissance man: what are your project? Mostly if you will never retire. So I have to announce, we are in New York City, let's be bold, and then in two seconds the ball will be back in
Slavoj Žižek
your hand. No problem. Is my next project is to give two consecutive tightrope workshop and the title is "An Exploration in the Theatre of Balance," right? At SLAM, which is the wonderful warehouse that Elizabeth Streb created in Brooklyn. And Elizabeth Streb is a crazy choreographer who defies gravity. She has her dancers you know fall and climb and rappel down, anyway. And after that, and that's the end of my little presentation
your hand. No problem. Is my next project is to give two consecutive tightrope workshop and the title is "An Exploration in the Theatre of Balance," right? At SLAM, which is the wonderful warehouse that Elizabeth Streb created in Brooklyn. And Elizabeth Streb is a crazy choreographer who defies gravity. She has her dancers you know fall and climb and rappel down, anyway. And after that, and that's the end of my little presentation
Bernard-Henri Lévy
about the project, I have a very dear project. It's a world premiere of a new high wire performance but it's not a high wire, it's a low wire. Because as you said before I was a dot in the sky between the towers and what people very often want to see is the detail of your hands, of your face, of your movement. And what it's called "Open Practice" and for the first time in my life, again at SLAM the beautiful place of Elizabeth Streb, by the beginning of February I'm going to present the world premiere of "Open Practice" and it is simply six feet high, feet long on a wire, I am going to practice in front of the audience. And that will answer a lot of the questions that people have is how an artist does the impossible. Well I will bring you into my secret chamber. And now the ball is back to you. First now you probably I hope this is meant as a big compliment that you were evil enough to do this on purpose to make me feel guilty that I didn't ask. And I really... I don't believe in guilt. Sorry? Yeah for the time
about the project, I have a very dear project. It's a world premiere of a new high wire performance but it's not a high wire, it's a low wire. Because as you said before I was a dot in the sky between the towers and what people very often want to see is the detail of your hands, of your face, of your movement. And what it's called "Open Practice" and for the first time in my life, again at SLAM the beautiful place of Elizabeth Streb, by the beginning of February I'm going to present the world premiere of "Open Practice" and it is simply six feet high, feet long on a wire, I am going to practice in front of the audience. And that will answer a lot of the questions that people have is how an artist does the impossible. Well I will bring you into my secret chamber. And now the ball is back to you. First now you probably I hope this is meant as a big compliment that you were evil enough to do this on purpose to make me feel guilty that I didn't ask. And I really... I don't believe in guilt. Sorry? Yeah for the time
Slavoj Žižek
when we are up there in that domain. Why don't we to conclude this part nonetheless do something which will be a little bit more amusing and show a very strange clip number three please. It's a short one, one minute don't... It's a short one, one minute and ten seconds. Good, not too long, I
when we are up there in that domain. Why don't we to conclude this part nonetheless do something which will be a little bit more amusing and show a very strange clip number three please. It's a short one, one minute don't... It's a short one, one minute and ten seconds. Good, not too long, I
Bernard-Henri Lévy
know. And now I climbed down the steps of the Palais de Justice, I saw in the crowd an admirer, she was smiling beautifully and she came to me and she put her hands on my neck in a in a loving way and she amorously said: Philippe I would like to be the first person to to welcome you and to you know to celebrate with you and let let's let's go, I can follow you anywhere. So yes it did end up on a on a waterbed in her loft somewhere but here I went for a very short little moment of of I don't know of pleasure of the flesh, how how disgusting. But
know. And now I climbed down the steps of the Palais de Justice, I saw in the crowd an admirer, she was smiling beautifully and she came to me and she put her hands on my neck in a in a loving way and she amorously said: Philippe I would like to be the first person to to welcome you and to you know to celebrate with you and let let's let's go, I can follow you anywhere. So yes it did end up on a on a waterbed in her loft somewhere but here I went for a very short little moment of of I don't know of pleasure of the flesh, how how disgusting. But
Slavoj Žižek
but but I am sorry how beautiful too. I mean my friends were waiting for me, Annie my girlfriend, it was a betrayal of my friends. I remember I called and said you know I have many interviews to do so I'll see you soon. I had this
but but I am sorry how beautiful too. I mean my friends were waiting for me, Annie my girlfriend, it was a betrayal of my friends. I remember I called and said you know I have many interviews to do so I'll see you soon. I had this
Bernard-Henri Lévy
magnificent explosion of pleasure let's say it and then I went
magnificent explosion of pleasure let's say it and then I went
Slavoj Žižek
back
back
Bernard-Henri Lévy
oh frightened to death you know to my friends thinking I'm really I'm really a guilty guy. Well you know I should I have to say I'm not completely disagreeing but it's really gratuitous, it's not necessary. What I did because I was really as an author when I wrote "To Reach the Clouds," the book that gave birth to "Man on Wire" and to the film of Zemeckis "The Walk," I wanted to be truthful to the to the mud and to the gold of that six and a half years adventure. And I described the sex scene in a little poetic paragraph and it became on the screen this, it's really not necessary. But anyway that was my gut reaction. What is your profound question about sex?
oh frightened to death you know to my friends thinking I'm really I'm really a guilty guy. Well you know I should I have to say I'm not completely disagreeing but it's really gratuitous, it's not necessary. What I did because I was really as an author when I wrote "To Reach the Clouds," the book that gave birth to "Man on Wire" and to the film of Zemeckis "The Walk," I wanted to be truthful to the to the mud and to the gold of that six and a half years adventure. And I described the sex scene in a little poetic paragraph and it became on the screen this, it's really not necessary. But anyway that was my gut reaction. What is your profound question about sex?
Slavoj Žižek
Not so profound, not because it is precisely that I think that it
Not so profound, not because it is precisely that I think that it
Bernard-Henri Lévy
is totally wrong to read this scene as you are now famous, you make, you used it a little bit and so on. In a way it's not a betrayal of anyone, it's beyond that. It's done in some interspace and you are aware of it because you say empirically of course it's this, you even use the words disgusting. It's very important in life to pause and to celebrate. And when the first what is the name of that plane that is not really a plane the shuttle, when the shuttle for the first time went in space, they had a very rigid program that was written like your notes, you know. And when the the appareil, the plane, the machine was perfectly lined up to land and it says do this do that at that moment when the three wheels, and I might be wrong there might be more, touch the tarmac. The instructions said something. They gave a timing. Seven seconds. And it says seven seconds of elation. Meaning screaming, throw things and then go crazy, celebrate, yell. And then what is number eight: our do this do this do that and and go home. So we have forgotten again we have forgotten so many things, and I love what you said minutes ago about this this life today is almost absurd and ridiculous and you know. But we have forgotten to enjoy the moment. We have forgotten to celebrate. And you know what? I love to celebrate and I even find reason to celebrate when there is nothing to celebrate. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
is totally wrong to read this scene as you are now famous, you make, you used it a little bit and so on. In a way it's not a betrayal of anyone, it's beyond that. It's done in some interspace and you are aware of it because you say empirically of course it's this, you even use the words disgusting. It's very important in life to pause and to celebrate. And when the first what is the name of that plane that is not really a plane the shuttle, when the shuttle for the first time went in space, they had a very rigid program that was written like your notes, you know. And when the the appareil, the plane, the machine was perfectly lined up to land and it says do this do that at that moment when the three wheels, and I might be wrong there might be more, touch the tarmac. The instructions said something. They gave a timing. Seven seconds. And it says seven seconds of elation. Meaning screaming, throw things and then go crazy, celebrate, yell. And then what is number eight: our do this do this do that and and go home. So we have forgotten again we have forgotten so many things, and I love what you said minutes ago about this this life today is almost absurd and ridiculous and you know. But we have forgotten to enjoy the moment. We have forgotten to celebrate. And you know what? I love to celebrate and I even find reason to celebrate when there is nothing to celebrate. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
unknown
That's why, for example, I hate for intense intimate life these phrases which already in their form make it clear how vacuous, worthless they are. I hate when somebody tell me, I went with my fiancée to have a weekend together and we spent some quality time together there and so on. In my universe you go to Gulag for that. Now I said to you earlier I am a professional interrupter. Can I be professional with you? Yes, I'm biased, yes. Yes, so I am going to interrupt because I know we're approaching, I'm not a producer here but I am a performer so of course I feel when the audience says, you know that's nice but we don't want something that lasts six hours. So I thought it would be great, I noticed that in the audience there are two kids and probably more and those of you who have forgotten to grow up I congratulate you. But the two kids over there and I was wondering maybe they have a question and then it will open to a little Q&A if you if you agree. So, I see you two kids over there. Do you have a question? And if you do we don't need a mic you can just tell me. As an old Stalinist I hope this is all well performed and he distributed the questions before and so on. Yes we do have a question. Hold on, we don't need a mic I will repeat the question. Tell me please. Sorry I we probably don't hear it most of us. Wow! I cannot believe it. This is a kid asking a profound adult question. And the question is, when you were on the wire, what was your, I am paraphrasing, you can sue me, but what was your sense of time? That's a nice one. And this is a beautiful first question if if we do a little short Q&A, which is always nice when you have a monologue, a dialogue with two people monologuing on stage, it's very nice to again break the rule, open the door to a little dialogue with the audience. But anyway that first question about time is incredible because that's another thing that I experienced. When I was a quarter of a mile in the sky, and a little parenthesis, Zemeckis the bad Hollywood movie, no, no, the nice Hollywood movie, advertised with a, you know historically incorrect poster, but I like what they found, they say: men walked on the moon but only one between the towers. I like that. So anyway the sense of time and you know Einstein was right because there is a notion of relativity that you sense when you are a quarter of a mile in the sky. And then I looked at the traffic, maybe I didn't look, maybe I sense it in a with my eyes and the traffic was slow motion because at that height time is deformed and all your sensation are from another world. So as I was walking time did not exist. It's a really beautiful question. And it was an eternity. Now I knew I couldn't stay there for an eternity and I knew why, because I felt the gods were getting angry at me. Well the birds were seeing me trespassing and, pun intended, I was trespassing in their territory. But also they were being gentle and generous and patient in allowing me to walk and I didn't plan it, it was all improvised. My friends told me, I didn't have a watch, my friends told me, Philippe you stayed minutes on that wire. They told me, they counted, you did eight crossing. I didn't know. I was there for an eternity and yet at some point I had the feeling it was time to go back. You see this was not some kind of a totally not some kind of primitive psychological
That's why, for example, I hate for intense intimate life these phrases which already in their form make it clear how vacuous, worthless they are. I hate when somebody tell me, I went with my fiancée to have a weekend together and we spent some quality time together there and so on. In my universe you go to Gulag for that. Now I said to you earlier I am a professional interrupter. Can I be professional with you? Yes, I'm biased, yes. Yes, so I am going to interrupt because I know we're approaching, I'm not a producer here but I am a performer so of course I feel when the audience says, you know that's nice but we don't want something that lasts six hours. So I thought it would be great, I noticed that in the audience there are two kids and probably more and those of you who have forgotten to grow up I congratulate you. But the two kids over there and I was wondering maybe they have a question and then it will open to a little Q&A if you if you agree. So, I see you two kids over there. Do you have a question? And if you do we don't need a mic you can just tell me. As an old Stalinist I hope this is all well performed and he distributed the questions before and so on. Yes we do have a question. Hold on, we don't need a mic I will repeat the question. Tell me please. Sorry I we probably don't hear it most of us. Wow! I cannot believe it. This is a kid asking a profound adult question. And the question is, when you were on the wire, what was your, I am paraphrasing, you can sue me, but what was your sense of time? That's a nice one. And this is a beautiful first question if if we do a little short Q&A, which is always nice when you have a monologue, a dialogue with two people monologuing on stage, it's very nice to again break the rule, open the door to a little dialogue with the audience. But anyway that first question about time is incredible because that's another thing that I experienced. When I was a quarter of a mile in the sky, and a little parenthesis, Zemeckis the bad Hollywood movie, no, no, the nice Hollywood movie, advertised with a, you know historically incorrect poster, but I like what they found, they say: men walked on the moon but only one between the towers. I like that. So anyway the sense of time and you know Einstein was right because there is a notion of relativity that you sense when you are a quarter of a mile in the sky. And then I looked at the traffic, maybe I didn't look, maybe I sense it in a with my eyes and the traffic was slow motion because at that height time is deformed and all your sensation are from another world. So as I was walking time did not exist. It's a really beautiful question. And it was an eternity. Now I knew I couldn't stay there for an eternity and I knew why, because I felt the gods were getting angry at me. Well the birds were seeing me trespassing and, pun intended, I was trespassing in their territory. But also they were being gentle and generous and patient in allowing me to walk and I didn't plan it, it was all improvised. My friends told me, I didn't have a watch, my friends told me, Philippe you stayed minutes on that wire. They told me, they counted, you did eight crossing. I didn't know. I was there for an eternity and yet at some point I had the feeling it was time to go back. You see this was not some kind of a totally not some kind of primitive psychological
unknown
identification.
identification.