E.J. told me at the canteen that if it were up to him he would paint about 23 hours a day. He said he was unable to do this because people made demands on him -- like insisting that he rest. I being concerned with the problem of keeping canvas available for him (and worried in general by my habitual feeling that there is never enough of anything) suggested that if he did paint more, he would have to stop giving the blank canvasses away, which he does constantly with great joy to guests, children, and other artists in the community.

His reply was "No, never! If I had to stop giving things away, then I would go on strike." He then explained to us how vital it was to him to be able to give things away, that it was one of his great pleasures. Almost everyone who knows him has experienced this part of his nature.

I asked E.J. in the canteen last night "Do you think that in order to buy your art, people have to have an affinity with your work?" He replied, "People who have no affinity to my work should buy my art, and those who have an affinity for my work should just send money."

A gallery owner from Los Angeles was visiting the canteen and E.J. was trying to determine the type of art that this man felt he could sell. He even painted several paintings and would ask, "You mean something more like this?" It was both an example of his flexibility, his versatility and his willingness to understand this man and what he was looking for.

Finally, he suggested more hearts and flowers, couples, and what he referred to as designer pieces. From this exchange came the beginning of the Post Pop Movement, "More Color, Less Soul."

Daniel Scholnik and others videotaped some of the early responses by artists, art dealers, collectors, and critics to the Post Pop Movement.

Tom X was visiting the canteen during this period and he was the first to take the "Post Pop Challenge." Conducted in the style of a game show with moderator and studio (canteen) audience, the artist was given suggested topics which they were then expected to combine into a post pop piece. This meant using all primary colors and creating a piece in a matter of minutes while the moderator gave a running commentary. After Tom X. had made several attempts, E.J. also took the "Post Pop Challenge." Besides everyone laughing uproariously for hours, many interesting pieces of art were produced including those Holiday favorites, the Halloween goat and the Bunny on the Cross.

During the filming of the documentary, Dr. Paul Swanson was trying to explain how he was selling so much art that he was giving up his practice to sell the art. But every time he tried to say it, he would call it post-op art. After about 4 takes everyone was rolling on the floor laughing.

The night of the announcement of the verdict in the O.J Simpson trial, E.J. reminded us that on the night of the Rodney King verdict that 51 people had died in the ensuing riots. That evening E.J., Jimmi, Menlo and others recorded the O.J. Simpson double album. I don't know the titles of the songs but I know that the evening was filled with sick humor and that it was hilariously funny.

Everytime they would finish a song or two, they would laugh and say "Well that is enough of that," and they would go on to something else. Then something would come up and trigger another O.J. joke, and they would be doing another song, most written as they sang. For example, the "Saga of the Little White Bronco," "the Ito Hop" and the ballad, "Everybody has to kill somebody sometime."

One of the older children had been to the canteen two or three times, doing art, and participating in the video documentary. Tonight three more of the children came and got a charcoal lesson from E.J. Later they worked with clay and were given armatures for sculpture.