David Wojnarowicz, “Waterfront Journals; Weight of the Earth: The Tape Journals of David Wojnarowicz.” Edited by Lisa Darms and David O’Neil. Semiotet(e), 2018
Weight of the Earth: The Tape Journals of David Wojnarowicz is a compilation of David’s audio journals, recorded at the height of the AIDS pandemic, 1981 to 1989. These tapes explore David’s anxieties, his frustrations with the art world, his rage, fear, and passions, and his (often recurring) dreams. Some were recorded on solitary road trips, others in his New York loft. From despairing to comical, Weight of the Earth expands upon David’s written journals.
Sound artist Derek Baron initially compiled a three-disc LP from David’s tapes, David Wojnarowicz: Cross Country Tape Journals, in 2018. Editors Lisa Darms and David O’Neil transcribed these recordings and published them in Weight of the Earth: The Tape Journals of David Wojnarowicz with independent press Semiotext(e), in 2018.
Additional resources re: David Wojnarowicz, Weight of the Earth: The Tape Journals of David Wojnarowicz. Edited by Lisa Darms and David O’Neil. Boston: MIT and Semiotext(e), 2018.