One time at Joe’s place I said what have you recently made? He showed me the latest. Chrétien was prime minister at the time. It was a painting of Chrétien having sex with Canada from behind. I complimented the artist, I meant it. He said thanks but added he realized later someone was offended and he’s changed his mind about it. Now he was not going to show it, might even destroy it. I asked for elaboration and he said it might offend gay people, insinuating anal sex is only theirs. I think a lot of people in positions of power have indeed fucked their countries up the ass and a lot of hetero porn is also about anal sex. I understood how Joe was thinking and I knew him well enough to recognize his mind was made up. I have my own lines in the sand about who might think this way or that way. Sometimes I release work despite the fear of being misunderstood or miscast but other times I also put it away, sometimes indefinitely. It is amazing that Kafka died never expecting his work to be published and convinced it wasn’t of use for the rest of us.