LIBÉRATION NEXT – SEPTEMBER 2015 – THE OTHERWORLDLY PRESENCE OF RICK OWENS – SABRINA CHAMPENOIS

SEPTEMBER 2015

PROVOCATIVE AND PEACEFUL, CYNICAL AND LYRICAL, THIS ANTI-CONFORMIST FASHION FIGURE CULTIVATES PARADOXES. MEET THE FLAMBOYANT AMERICAN DESIGNER LIVING IN PARIS.

11 O'CLOCK, LATE JUNE, A PARTICULARLY PARISIAN HQ-WORKSHOP-RESIDENCE, TWO STEPS FROM THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY. RICK OWENS APPEARS STRAIGHT OUT OF ONE OF HIS SHOWS. A HIERATIC CREATURE WORTHY OF A SUSPENSE NOVEL, HE IS WEARING A BLACK TANK TOP, BLACK SPORTY HAREM PANTS AND BLACK HIGH TOP SNEAKERS. TAPERED SILHOUETTE, GOTHIC-WARRIOR LOOK, MUSCULAR, BRONZED METAL PROFILE WITH AQUILINE NOSE AND HIGH CHEEKBONES, COAL-COLORED LONG HAIR, THE GLOBAL ALLURE OF AN APACHE CHIEF 'A LA' IGGY POP. IT COULD BE ALMOST ANECDOTAL, SINCE THE WORLD OF FASHION IS FULL OF CHARACTERS IN THEIR ARMOR-OUTFITS, REDONE OR COUNTERFEIT, REINVENTED, WHO TELL OTHER LIVES AS THEIRS - BECAUSE YES, IT IS HARD TO JUST SETTLE ON YOURSELF.

IN THIS CASE, A REAL SYMBIOSIS HAS OCCURRED, WITH AN ALLURING RETALIATION. RICK OWENS, BORN AS RICHARD SATURNINO OWENS FIFTY-TWO YEARS AGO IN LOS ANGELES, GREW UP HALFWAY FROM SAN FRANCISCO, IN PORTERVILLE, A BLOODY AND BIGOTED ENVIRONMENT, AND TELLS A STORY OF A SADISTIC AND ISOLATED CHILDHOOD THAT TURNED HIM INTO A LORD OF THE PARADOXICAL WAR: PACIFIST, AND HERALD OF 'THE PURSUIT OF BEAUTY', BUT PROVIDER OF POWERFUL, HYPNOTIZING SHOWS, ACCOMPANIED BY HEAVY BASS SOUND, FROM WHICH A HYBRID FEMALE AND MALE HUMANITY EMERGES, RAW AND SOPHISTICATED, ROUGH AND LYRICAL, ORGANIC AND SPIRITUAL, PREHISTORIC AND FUTURISTIC, UNDERGROUND AND LUXURIOUS – ALL AT THE SAME TIME. WITH RICK OWENS, FASHION WEEK LEANS TOWARDS 'MAD MAX', RATHER THAN THE 'BATHING BEAUTY', AND THE MODEL BATTALION LOOKS MORE LIKE THE HORDE OR THE GANG, RATHER THAN THE PROM DEBUTANTS. THE RESULT: THE BUZZ IS AT A RECORD RATE. A LIVE SET OF A METAL BAND WINNY PUHH IN JUNE 2013 (OWENS IS ALSO KEEN ON CLASSICAL MUSIC, FAN OF MONTSERRAT CABALLÉ IN PARTICULAR). IMPETUOUS (AND IMPOSING) AMERICAN STEP DANCERS, THE FOLLOWING SEPTEMBER. MEN WITH THEIR PENISES IN PLAIN VIEW, IN JANUARY 2015. ANYTHING, THAT WOULD FALL UNDER THIS EPIPHENOMENON, IF NOT ALL, WAS BASED ON A CONSISTENT AND UPSCALE PRODUCTION: WITH A CULT FOLLOWING FOR A GOOD DOZEN YEARS, THE RICK OWENS LABEL CAN NOW BOAST A BIG SUCCESS WITH THE PUBLIC - DESPITE A LACK OF PUBLICITY AND REMAINING OUT OF REACH FOR THE STOCK MARKET, NO MATTER WHAT THE PRICE IS. AN IMPORTANT DETAIL: THE PRUDENT OWENSCORP (EIGHT FLAGSHIP BOUTIQUES IN PARIS, LONDON, MILAN, NEW YORK, MIAMI, SEOUL, HONG KONG AND TOKYO) REMAINS INDEPENDENT. RICK OWENS AND HIS BAROQUE MUSE-ACCOMPLICE-PARTNER MICHÈLE LAMY (SEE PAGE 44) - ARE OWNERS OF THE 80% OF THE COMPANY, SUPPORTED SINCE 2001 BY EO BOCCI ASSOCIATI GROUP. THE CALIFORNIAN IS BASED IN PARIS, BUT MANUFACTURES HIS COLLECTIONS IN ITALY. HIS WORK WITH TEXTILES HAS NOTORIETY. STARTING WITH LEATHER, WASHED, BOILED, BRUSHED... THE PERFECT RICK OWENS: THE FLEXIBILITY, THE DROP, AND THE ULTRA LONG SLEEVES - NO, HIS SUPPORTERS SAY, GOD COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING BETTER TO ACCOMPANY HIS SHOWS THAN THE TOTAL GLAM-GOTH-ROCK FASHION ZOMBIE-CULT LOOK. RICK OWENS, WHO STARTED IN FASHION BY PATRONAGE, AFTER SHORT DESIGN STUDIES IN LA, CULTIVATED A TASTE FOR DRAPERY, ASYMMETRY, TRANSPARENCY, VOLUME AND RUSHED LENGTHS, EXAGGERATED AND OUTRAGED. THE INFLUENCE OF STREETWEAR, WHERE HE CUT HIS TEETH, IS CLEAR BUT SERVES AS A MERE SPRINGBOARD FOR HIS THEATRICS. OWENS MAINTAINS, NOURISHES, AND PAMPERS A DARK FLAMBOYANCE (BLACK PREVAILS, WITH BREAKTHROUGHS OF WHITE, GRAY, TAUPE AND BRONZE) AT A TIME WHEN THE LOW PROFILE NORMCORE TREND IS EARNING ITS PLACE ON THE PODIUM. THE CONSUBSTANTIAL NONCONFORMIST THAT HE IS, HE SAYS, AND THE IRREPROACHABLE URBANISM, MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO ANTICIPATE SOME SELF-SATISFACTION FROM A MAN WHO LIKES THE FULL-SIZE STATUES OF HIMSELF IN WAX.

'NONCONFORMIST': DO YOU RECOGNIZE YOURSELF IN THIS ADJECTIVE? ABSOLUTELY. ANYWAY, I WAS, TWENTY YEARS AGO. I AM OLD NOW, 52 YEARS OLD, AND I AM PART OF THE OLD ESTABLISHMENT. THE NEW GENERATION ARRIVES, WHICH WILL UNDOUBTEDLY STAND AGAINST ME, CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT I BELONG TO THE PAST, TO THE GENERATION OF THEIR PARENTS, WHICH IS TRUE. AND THE PARENTS ARE ALWAYS EMBARRASSING.

YOUR SHOWS ARE NONCONFORMIST. I SEE THEM AS A TRIBUTE TO A CERTAIN TYPE OF HUMANITY AND LOVE ITSELF. THAT'S WHY I ALWAYS CAST SPECIFIC REAL PEOPLE FOR MY SHOWS, NOT BEAUTIFUL BY CONVENTIONAL FASHION STANDARDS: TO SHOW THAT BEAUTY IS ALSO A STORY OF SELF-CONFIDENCE, ATTITUDE, AND IT CAN WORK. EVERY DAY I FIND A REASON TO HATE MYSELF. I THINK, 'ASSHOLE, WHY HAVE YOU ACTED LIKE THAT? ' AND THEN I SAY TO MYSELF, 'OKAY, YOU ACTED LIKE AN ASSHOLE, BUT FORGIVE YOURSELF, BECAUSE ANYWAY, NOBODY CARES, SO WHY ARE YOU CONCEITED ENOUGH TO BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE PAY THE LEAST ATTENTION TO YOUR ACTIONS?' AND I AM CONVINCED THAT IF WE ARE NOT BORN EQUAL, WE ALL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL.

IN JUNE, AFTER YOUR MENSWEAR SHOW, YOU HIT ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE MODELS, WHO HAD BRANDISHED A MESSAGE CONCERNING ANGELA MERKEL ON THE RUNWAY. WE ALL EXPECT FOR A SHOW TO SURPRISE US, AND I MYSELF LOVE THE GLORIOUS FEAST. BUT IT WAS A DEATH THREAT, WHICH WAS NOT COOL AT ALL ... SO I WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW, I TOTALLY DISAPPROVED OF THE GESTURE, AND I REACTED VERY VIOLENTLY. I HAVE OBVIOUSLY NOT HIT HIM IN THE FACE, SINCE I COULD FIND MYSELF ON TRIAL FOR THAT, BUT LET'S SAY I PUSHED HIM VIOLENTLY AND HE BOUNCED AGAINST THE WALL. I AM OBVIOUSLY AWARE OF THE PARADOX: I WANTED TO EVOKE THE NATURAL HUMAN TENDENCY TO AGGRESSION WITH THIS COLLECTION, AND I, WHO AM A DEEPLY PEACEFUL TYPE, WHO TRIES TO CREATE A WORLD OF SWEETNESS WHERE EVERYONE FEELS SAFE AND LOVED, FOUND MYSELF HAVING AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR... WHAT ALSO BOTHERED ME IS THE EFFECT THAT THIS ACTION MIGHT HAVE ON THE PERCEPTION OF MY WORK. PEOPLE KNOW THAT BY GOING TO MY SHOWS THEY WILL WITNESS SOMETHING STRONG, THEATRICAL, A MOVING STORY, BUT AVOIDING SENTIMENTALITY, AND SO FAR THAT BALANCE WORKED. NOW I SUDDENLY FEEL THAT THE MINDSET HAS CHANGED SLIGHTLY, BEGAN TO LEAN TOWARD THE IDEA OF A 'CIRCUS', A COMEDY, RATHER THAN A LOVE STORY. BUT OKAY, IN SEPTEMBER WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT WITH THE WOMEN'S COLLECTION, WHICH WILL BE VERY SOFT.

IN PART, YOUR SHOWS SUGGEST RELIGIOUS PERSONALITIES. WHAT IS HAPPENING ON THE RUNWAY IS VERY SPECIAL; IT IS A SHOW, NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SHOPS. INITIALLY, MY SHOWS WERE VERY NICE, DARK, GRAY AND CLASSICAL, AS I WANTED SOMETHING ELEGANT AND FORMAL. AND THEN I GAINED CONFIDENCE, AND I BEGAN TO EXPLORE, PLAY, AND I WANTED THE STRENGTH, THE FEROCITY, AND THE LOUD MUSIC. IF I WANT A COZY ATMOSPHERE, I GO TO THE MUSEUM.

A KIND OF TRIBE ACCOMPANIES YOUR SHOWS, PEOPLE WEARING TOTAL RICK OWENS LOOKS, WITH PIERCINGS, TATTOOS... . I NEVER PLANNED IT, BUT ACTUALLY, IT SEEMS THAT THIS EXISTS. BUT YOU KNOW, MY WORK REPRESENTS A NICHE AND THE WORLD IS FULL OF NICHES, WITH THEIR OWN TRIBES. IT SEEMS THAT I HAVE HAD AN INFLUENCE, BUT I CONSIDER MYSELF PRIMARILY AN ECHO OF SOMETHING THAT EXISTED IN THE STREETS. I THEN STARTED EXCHANGING MESSAGES WITH THE WORLD, WHICH ANSWERED, AND THAT'S A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY. I NEVER IMAGINED SUCH A PATH ... WHEN I AM QUITE OLD, IT WILL BE A VERY COMFORTING THOUGHT.

WHAT KIND OF CHILD WERE YOU? WHEN DID YOUR INNER NONCONFORMIST FIRST APPEAR? I BECAME NONCONFORMIST BY OBLIGATION. I WAS A VERY SHY CHILD, VERY EFFEMINATE, VERY FEARFUL AND VERY ISOLATED IN A CITY AND A CONSERVATIVE FAMILY. MY MOTHER WAS A TEACHER, MY FATHER - A SOCIAL WORKER IN CHARGE OF SELECTING HOST FAMILIES FOR CHILDREN TO PLACE, AND HE WAS A VERY CYNICAL MAN, THOUGH KIND TOO. BOTH DID NOT UNDERSTAND ME AND WERE VERY RELIGIOUS, HAD PURITAN LIMITS – ONLY NOW WE AGREED, RATHER WELL, THAT THEY WOULD COME TO MY SHOWS. I WAS ALSO BEING MOCKED AND ASSAULTED BY THE BOYS MY AGE. HOWEVER, IT WAS GREAT, BECAUSE IT FILLED ME WITH RAGE: I GREW UP, MY CHARACTER WAS HARDENED, AND I COULD ANSWER FOR MYSELF, AND THE ATTACKS HAVE CEASED. FROM THERE, I REJECTED ALL THAT WAS CONSIDERED 'NORMAL' AND 'STRAIGHT' IN THE WORLD, AND I DID EVERYTHING TO CHANGE IT. IN FACT, IF I COULD CONFORM TO THE STANDARD, I WOULD HAVE DONE IT, BUT IT WAS SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE. AS FOR CLOTHES, I GRABBED WHAT WAS IN THE STREET, IN EVERY DAY LIFE; SNEAKERS, JEANS, SHIRTS, AND I SABOTAGED THIS NORMALITY, I EXAGGERATED, I INFECTED... IT WAS MY REVENGE. THE OTHER THING WAS TO CAST NON-CLASSICALLY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE IN MY SHOWS. THE MESSAGE IS: CONSIDER OTHER OPTIONS. IT IS BY NO MEANS A MANIFESTO, BUT A PROPOSAL, A SUGGESTION.

YOU SEEM ZEN AND PHILOSOPHICAL. ARE YOU DOING SOMETHING LIKE YOGA...? ABSOLUTELY NOT. AND I AM NOT AT ALL IN THE NEW AGE WITH ITS SPIRITUAL LIFE – I AM RATHER CYNICAL AND VERY PRAGMATIC. I SIMPLY UNDERSTOOD THAT IT IS AS EASY TO WORK WITH GOOD ENERGY AS IT WITH THE BAD ONE. THE ONLY THING I DO, IS I GO TO THE GYM. INITIALLY, IT WAS FOR THE LOOK, NOT AT ALL FOR MY HEALTH. BUT IN FACT, IT GIVES ME A BALANCE AND TAKES ME OUT OF THE 'ME, ME, ME' STATE, REMINDS ME THAT I'M BASICALLY A STUPID ANIMAL, MADE OF FLESH AND BLOOD, AND IT PUTS THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE. THIS IS BOTH A FORM OF SPIRITUALITY AND MASTURBATION.

YOU LOOK LIKE AN INDIAN CHIEF. MY MOTHER IS MEXICAN, WITH AZTEC ORIGINS, AND ON THAT SIDE OF THE FAMILY, PEOPLE HAVE DARK SKIN AND VERY STRONG FEATURES, LIKE MY NOSE. AS A CHILD I WANTED TO LOOK LIKE CHER AND JOE ALESSANDRO... I HAVE NATURALLY CURLY GRAY HAIR AND NOW, I DYE AND STRAIGHTEN IT. I ALSO TOOK STEROIDS, WORE BRACES ... EVERYTHING IS ARTIFICIAL AND I CHANGED EVERYTHING. I MADE SOMETHING GOOD FROM WHAT WAS AVAILABLE TO ME. THE STATUES OF ME IN MY STORES ALSO HAVE THIS GOAL: TO SHOW THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO CHANGE. IF I CAN DO IT, EVERYONE IS CAPABLE. THE ARTIFICE IS A VERY GOOD THING, IT'S A MEANS.

YOU MENTION YOUR AGE REGULARLY. DOES AGING BOTHER YOU? OF COURSE IT DOES. BUT WHAT MATTERS TO ME ARE THE RESULTS. I AM A FAN OF FASHION AND ART IN GENERAL, AND EACH TIME I CONSIDER THE WORK OF AN ARTIST, I WONDER: 'WAS THE RIGOR MAINTAINED FROM START TO FINISH, AND INTENSITY AND CONSISTENCY?' AND I ASK MYSELF THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT MY OWN WORK: 'AM I GOING TO STAY TRUE TO MY VALUES, TO STICK TO THE COURSE TILL THE END?' KNOWING THAT I AM AWARE OF BEING AN INFINITESIMAL ELEMENT OF A MUCH LARGER WHOLE IS A BIG DEAL. IT IS ALSO REASSURING, WHICH PREVENTS ME FROM BEING TAKEN TOO SERIOUSLY AND GRANTING TOO MUCH IMPORTANCE TO MY AMBITIONS OR DESIRES. THE QUESTION IS: 'WHAT WAS MY CONTRIBUTION, WHAT HAVE I BROUGHT TO THIS?'

BEFORE YOU TURNED TO FASHION, YOU STUDIED ART. DO YOU FOLLOW CONTEMPORARY ART? I LOVE GOING TO FAIRS, BIENNIALS, BUT I HAVE SOME TROUBLE WITH CONTEMPORARY ART. I NEED FOR ART TO HAVE THE PATINA OF HISTORY AND I FEEL THAT MANY OF THE CURRENT APPROACHES ARE AIMED MAINLY TO PROVE THAT ONE IS A LITTLE MALIGNANT, THAT THERE'S A LOT OF SARCASM AND CYNICISM... I HAVE NO DESIRE TO SEE THESE JOKES IN MY HOME FOR THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS. BUT IT IS POSSIBLE THAT I GOT IT ALL WRONG ... WHEN I SOMETIMES LOOK BACK AT THE INTERVIEWS I GAVE, I AM STRUCK BY THE IMPRESSION THAT MY ANSWERS EMERGE FROM A LARGE PRETENTIOUS PEREMPTORY OPINION. BUT BASICALLY I DO NOT KNOW MUCH, AND MY OPINIONS ARE ONLY THOUGHTS, VERY MINOR ONES. I STILL HOPE TO LEARN A LOT. EVERY DAY I LOOK AT THE ART, INCLUDING BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE – IT GIVES ME PLEASURE. AND I DO NOT WANT EXPLANATIONS, I WANT FOR ART TO SEIZE ME, MAKE ME FALL BACKWARDS.

YOUR COMPANY IS INDEPENDENT. HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED WORKING FOR OTHERS? I'M INDEPENDENT AND I'M PROUD. THIS PHRASE MAY SOUND ARROGANT, BUT INDEPENDENCE CONTRIBUTES TO OUR UNIQUENESS AND WE HAVE ACHIEVED THIS BECAUSE WE STARTED SLOWLY AND WE HAVE NEVER DONE ANYTHING WE COULDN'T AFFORD, SO IT NEVER TURNED INTO BATTLE. AT TIMES, I WAS ABSOLUTELY POOR, AND IN A CERTAIN SENSE, IT WAS COOL. I DID NOT NEED ANYTHING, I WAS FREE, AND I KNOW I COULD SURVIVE ANYTHING, ALTHOUGH OBVIOUSLY, MY RETURN TO POVERTY TODAY WOULD BE COMPLICATED... IN ANY CASE, IF I WOULD BECOME BROKE TOMORROW, I COULD AT LEAST TELL MYSELF, 'WOW, I HAD AN INCREDIBLE LIFE!' I HAVE HAD OFFERS, AND I HESITATED. THERE IS THE FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITY, AND THEN THERE ARE OTHER CONSIDERATIONS SUCH AS GETTING TO OUR MAXIMUM VALUE. THE INVESTORS WOULD NOT WANT TO TRY SOMETHING ELSE, TO PAINT WITH A BIGGER BRUSH... BUT EACH TIME THEY WANTED TO BUY 51% OF THE COMPANY. AND THAT 1% IS WORRISOME, THREATENING. ASSHOLES! SO BUY 80% AND WHISK THE MONEY AWAY!

THE WORLD OF FASHION IS SYNONYMOUS WITH PRESSURE, BURNOUT... I DO NOT KNOW THE PRESSURE. THIS IS ALSO WHY I STAY INDEPENDENT: I KNOW MYSELF, I CANNOT STAND HAVING TO JUSTIFY MYSELF, IT WOULD KILL ME. SO I NEVER PUT MYSELF IN SUCH A SITUATION. ANYWAY, THERE IS PRESSURE IN EVERY BUSINESS, AND BURNOUTS IN ALL TRADES... IN FACT, I MUST ADMIT, I AM NOT VERY UNDERSTANDING VIS-À-VIS THE BURNOUT: I BELIEVE THAT WHEN WE ARE ADULTS, WE NEED TO KNOW OURSELVES AND LEARN TO PROTECT OURSELVES. WE MUST ALSO BE GRATEFUL, LOOK AROUND AND REALIZE HOW LUCKY WE ALREADY ARE - FOR NOT LIVING IN A COUNTRY AT WAR, FOR EXAMPLE. GRATITUDE IS ESSENTIAL TO HAPPINESS FOR ME.

FOR FOURTEEN YEARS YOU LIVE AND WORK WITH YOUR WIFE MICHÈLE LAMY IN PARIS. WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND HERE? I LOVE LIVING HERE, KNOWING THAT MY LIFE IS NOT NORMAL: I LIVE IN THE 7TH DISTRICT, I RARELY GO OUT, AND I NEVER LEARNED FRENCH... I NEED TO COMMUNICATE QUICKLY AND PEOPLE WHO SPEAK ENGLISH SURROUND ME. I MUST SAY THAT I NEVER HAD THE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THINGS LIKE ELECTRIC CONNECTION. I'M NOT AN EXTROVERT; I SPEND A LOT OF TIME ALONE, AND MY SURROUNDINGS CONSISTS OF PEOPLE WITH WHOM I WORK: FORMING A UNITED GROUP IS VERY IMPORTANT AND IT IS NOT ARTIFICIAL. YOUR WORK BECOMES YOUR SECOND FAMILY. MICHÈLE IS ESSENTIAL TO ME, SHE BALANCES ME, COMPLETES ME. I AM PRAGMATIC; IT HAS TO LEAD RIGHT FROM POINT A TO POINT B. SHE IS FLEXIBLE, INTUITIVE, TAKES SHORTCUTS...

WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD, DO YOU FOLLOW THE NEWS? I KNOW MORE OR LESS WHAT HAPPENS. BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE THE BROADCASTS, ESPECIALLY POLITICS: I DO NOT KNOW ENOUGH, AND I'M SKEPTICAL, I FEEL THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE AN ACCURATE OVERVIEW OF THE SITUATION. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THAT ONCE WE HAVE REACHED SOME FORM OF SECURITY, WHEN WE HAVE PROTECTED AND FED OUR FAMILY, CONTRIBUTING TO THE BEAUTY IS A FORM OF MORAL OBLIGATION TO THE HEALTH OF THE WORLD – SCIENCE AND INVENTIONS INCLUDED. SO, IN SOME WAY, EVEN IF I AM NO POLITICIAN, I CREATE A VALUE THAT HAS A POLITICAL DIMENSION.

HOW DO YOU VIEW THE NEXT GENERATION OF FASHION? I DON'T REALLY VIEW IT YET. I EXPECT A REACTION... FROM YOUNG PEOPLE IN GENERAL, ACTUALLY. IN MY VIEW, IT LACKS FLAMBOYANCE, I WOULD LIKE A LITTLE MORE MADNESS AS THERE IS, FOR EXAMPLE IN THE RAP SCENE IN CHICAGO, OR THE GAY RAP SCENE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS... BUT MAYBE I DO NOT SEE WHAT HAPPENS, MAYBE I'M NOT GOING TO WHERE THIS GOES. 52 YEARS OLD, A RESIDENT OF THE 7TH DISTRICT, IN THIS HOUSE WHERE, AT NIGHT, I CAN HEAR THE GUARDS OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE GO ABOUT THEIR ROUNDS: IT IS CLEAR THAT MANY THINGS ESCAPE ME. AND MAYBE NOW, REACTION, REBELLION, TAKES OTHER FORMS, PERHAPS IT WILL COME FROM THE INTERNET, FOR EXAMPLE, AND WE WILL BE VERY SURPRISED.

LAMY THE ESSENTIAL