61) Dear Great COSTES!! I am Japaniese COSTES MANIA! You are GREAT & CREAZY Over the Top!!! COSTES! you are No1 ! NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!
10/03/02 - from Japan

60) I am your fan ! You are purity and madness ! You are a sincere artist, a great artist ! You have influence !
09/21/02 - from Japan

59) What was that shit about us having to beware? Well, that would have been pretty fucking flattering if it didn't come from a lousy piece of shit like you. Fuck, what are you pretending to know, you don't know shit and you ain't shit. You are the fucking weakest race in the world and you're think you're gonna change something by saying stupid cheapass propaganda like you know anything u white shit. My grand father worked his ass out to get some money while yours wasn't doing shit, staying at home fucking around getting fucking well-fare or whatever. And now u dare pretending that we stole from you or whatever. Motherfuckers like you don't deserve to breathe.
12/13/01 - from ?

58) Costes, you make me want to learn French, the language of my ancestors. You are a genius.
12/10/01 - from USA

57) I am looking at your website, and I have fallen in love. Not with you personally but with what you express and how you express it. I am glad you have done what you have done, and it doesn't surprise me that you have been sued, gotten so much shit etc... I try not to underestimate the human capacity for ignorance, and blind hatred. I am surprised at your commitment, and the richness. the sheer quantity of perforances, recordings etc... It requires a great heart, and in light of troubles with the law like you've had, courage. I am so happy that you have done the work that you have done. I love this. It touches me, has no doubt touched so many people.
As far as the website I really enjoy those photo-romances, and caca yoga in particular. I had a friend when I was pret-teen/teen young and she was sent to a juvenile detention-rehabilitation center. We used to make gross collages and joke and have fun before she went away. Anyway, she wrote me about her experiences. One time she shit in a paper cup, and smeared the shit methodically in the bindings of several books in the library. She was frustrated because there was nothing interesting to read, and the assumption was that none of the young people would be able to read anything very "advanced." Later in the cafeteria a young man who was barely literate was trying to read one of these children's books and noticed the smell. She was cute and small and white and got away with it, was never suspected. Anyway, I remembered this just now. I don't know where she is or what happened to her. Nor do I really care, but I am always touched by the creativity and the rage which springs up in all of us, simply in response to our own existence, but in this case inspired by frustration and confines... and it seems that those very confines represent the impulse to destroy the source of creativity of this rebellion or whatever you want to call these expressions.
The more confined, disregarded and oppressed people are the greater this rage this force erupts in response, and the greater the freer the clearer the expression of that... the more confused and or enraged becomes this figure of control/authority/cruelty whatever you want to call it, the uber-facist... I feel like this is some sort of cycle, played out between people and governments, and individuals as in your case, as well as on larger scales and than also within the tiniest part of the individual, as in the function of shame and emptiness and addictive behaviors, that cycle...
Sometimes I wonder if this figure of law, authoritarianism, even when it erupts in myself... I wonder about this person, where would they be without something to control and crush... is there even a delight in the reaction they get, a delight in finding defiance to attack. I guess I am just thinking about sadism or something I don't really think of that much, am not usually interested in. Anyway, I believe addictive behaviors, behaviors we'd rather stop represent the impulse towards health and completion whatever that means. blind efforts to repress them, not only don't work they ignore the source, ignore the message of the behavior however inconvenient or immoral. Getting back to you, I see some of what I know of what you do as being a message, a flag, marker, an expression of reality, and for that reason I have fallen in love! Again, not you personally, don't wish to alarm you I am not a stalker! I saw your interview in Mole magazine and I adored what you said about politics and art, and the purpose of art as being a mirror. I sympathize a great deal with whatever leftist ideologies, am every bit as idealistic as the next person but even when I was young I found it hard to stomach a lot of message-oriented music, and maybe did not know why or even felt guilty about that. Thank you for articulating that so well. And thank you for doing what you do.
09/08/01 - from USA

56) I feel that your art is an art which have no other choice. Your art has many sad and happy feelings which have no other choice, and you are dwelling person of truthful child's spirit, so I love your art very very much!
The art of you who had judgment passed in a trial is delicate although it is violent, and although it is crazy, it is pure and philosophical and straight.
I conceive a longing for your major passion and conflicts.
I can embrace all your sick and beautiful thought.
07/11/01 - from Japan

55) I've accidentally opened your web page because I was trying to search for some of my relatives (Costes) thru the internet. But I was surprised because these seems satanic and very frightening. I would then want to know if your ancestry come from the Philippines. If so, I really wonder how you have drifted away from the Costes' trait of being very religious and God fearing. I am sorry if I have offended you by saying that your web page is satanic but that is how I really perceive it. Sex is sacred to us and only married couple is allowed to talk about it discreminately. It is not something that one should display or boast about. Sex has been sanctified by God as part of marriage. Beyond marriage, talks or scenes about sex is an abomination to Him. I hope you make a more active practice of your Christian belief by going to Church and meditating on His word. For even in our ideas of what is art, song, satanism, sex or anything, the Spirit of God will direct our thoughts and teach us what are holy and righteous in the sight of God and everyone. Anyway, rest assured I'll be praying for you, and please extend our (the Costes' from the Philippines) warmest regards to the Costes' there in France.
05/21/00 - from Philippines

54) Thank you for Costes : "suck my web" ! A site that manages to be both obscene AND thought-provoking!
01/03/00 - from USA

53) To my biggest daddy of all, Ah' luvs yew so fukken mucho! My itchy, disease infested, chlamydia covered roaches are calling your name! Please fuck them off of me!!! My cootch is crawling with vermin and It needs your big bloated sausage to scratch It's deepest itch! Rip off the mummified flesh and sink your teeth into the raw, bloody, nerves. Beef jerky can never compare to my chapped, calloused, worn&torn cunt. Dump a gallon of teriyaki sauce on me and put me to work in the rice paddies. Me fucky sucky!!!! Oh baybee, please rape me. Mommy's working late and I deserve it so bad!!!!!!! RAPE MY LITTLE INNOCENT, BABY, PUSSY!!!!!!! ITS AS TIGHT AS A DRUM, ILL SCREAM REAL LOUD WHEN YOU SHOVE IT IN THE FIRST TIME, YOU CAN LAUGH AT ALL THE TEARS ROLLING DOWN MY FAT LITTLE CHEEKS, BECAUSE DEEP INSIDE YOU KNOW SOMEDAY ILL GET USED TO IT AND ILL CRAVE DADDYS BIG FAT DOSE OF DELICIOUS DICK! ILL ALWAYS THINK AND DREAM OF IT !!!!!!!!!!!!! OH DADDY, DADDY! DONT FORGET ABOUT YOUR LITTLE BABY!!!!!!!!!
04/14/99 - from USA

52) I just got "Lung farts" a while back, and I thought it was genius!
04/03/99 - from USA

51) Dearest, Darlingest, Costes, so tell me? Are you ever going to bring your big greasy loaf of french bread to Portland Whoregon to we can slide up and down on it?!?!?! We need that hot beef injection, I want to ride your baloney pony in the worst way you can possibly imagine. I would wade a river nostril deep of snot and feces just to touch it for half a second!
I'll be your porkchop princess, I want to get knocked up with your child just so I can abort it and fuck it! Please Costes! you can take a big doo doo on my head and I'll still cook you breakfast in the morning! We can have a big disease infested inter-racial orgy at my house! You can pork my beans while I chomp on the yeast encrusted pussy of a 13 year old crack whore the you can watch me take 20 big black dicks up my ass until I hemmorage and die from an anal prolapse! After I'm dead you can call the police to gang bang my cold dead shredded ass, please take pictures! I want the world to see my raped carcass for years to come! I love you Costes, you are my farmer in shining armour, come plow my feilds and reap my bountiful crops. Plunge your pustulent pecker into my pimply pussy, we wont need any lube, you can just squeeze my oozing abcess that will provide plenty of irritating moisture to ease that precious penetration. Whenever you have an outbreak after that you can look down at your big diseased dick and think about how much I adore you. Someday you'll thank me for giving you that special gift that keeps on giving, I can't wait to give it to you Costes!!!!
Post-traumatically yours.
03/06/99 - from USA

50) Costes has more TALENT in his little pinky than all of you put together. You can smother perfection with all your horrible worthlessness, EAT A DICK !!! You're all just a bunch of stupid boring talentless DRIPPY TWATS !!!
01/28/99 - from USA

49) I feel very strongly that there would be an unfillable space in the world if it weren't for your presence and your efforts.
You have succeeded, even in the small space of the past year, in bringing forth something wholly other, something unheard of. The future is uncertain. It is easy to fall into this hole of doubt, especially as the year closes.
But you, having been in this world - so, too, are there fewer spaces through which to fall. By doing what you've done, by expressing yourself as you have done and shall do - I feel that there is a net yet to fall back on when the footing seems grave and dangerous. This net is woven with your inspiration, determination, feeling and creation. You helped make so much possible - out of love or devotion or just because it is there - for a countless and unspoken multitude.
NEVER forget - as you make these things, and share what you create with this world - you are truly blessed.
12/20/98 - from USA

48) Don't let those bastards grind you! Stay strong!
12/18/98 - from USA

47) I would like to tell you how beautiful is your music. Extreme indeed, provocative, but very sensitive. It dress up us from our skin and let the flesh breathe the core of the life...You find sometime a perfect and instable balance by chaos and "horror"...This balance is heavenly, we touch the paradise directly only by feeling your music. And your 'horror" has the smile of a child....there is something very pure in the insult, dirtyness, violence....a sincerity that let me cry sometimes.
Thank you, Mr. Jean-Louis Costes.
11/22/98 - from Japan

46) Just been checking your site...felt really sick, loved the lyrics, felt like thowing up, insomnia, lush nightmares, wonderful stuff...all right your not on the run, good for you...(wrong info)....looking forwards to seeing you live!....
11/10/98 - from USA

45) Please let me know how i can star in a lesbien porn movie; i am clucking for a fuck with some real hot dirty sluts.
11/06/98 - from ?

44) I must admit you are a very strange person. The lyrics on your cd caught my attention. I found them a bit odd. I guess what i'm driving at is. What is your material based on? Are any of the songs based on actual experiences? I know its strange having someone you dont know writing to you, but as i said, i find your pattern of thought somewhat intriguing.
11/01/98 - from USA

43) Go to hell motherfucker! Suck your dad's dick while he still has one!!!
Da Boss of Da Matos.
06/12/98 - from ?

42) Costes, take a seat and listen: "membrum debile" (independant record label) got raided and your record "Im daddys scheisswelt" was confiscated! Don't ask me about any pornographic effect of that 7". "Im daddys scheisswelt" will thus appear on the german list of censored titles ...Oh well ...
06/09/98 - from Germany

41) I love your recordings. I never knew about your music until I discovered it recently by accident. I happened to come accross your "No Sex Boy" CD here in Portland. It is one of the funniest recordings I have ever heard, very fun...So i'm sorry to hear that stupid people are giving you trouble. It's pathetic that some people have nothing better to do. PEOPLE SUCK! I wish you luck.
04/20/98 - from USA

40) To read, simultaneously, your final drafts and the interviewed introspective regarding them, invoked within me too rare of a sickened sensibility, for too few people know how to truly utilise bothe sarcasm and the racialist epithets that the world daily employs yet never admits.
04/18/98 - from USA

39) I know the frustration of exhibiting expression that is eternally exiled, and when it is even acknowledged by the very people whose similar whose similar abeit paltry endeavours are far more popular, far less aged and altogether too inept to even commence understanding that about which they so quickly dismiss, one cannot help but let that lump of coal (that is in humans designated the "heart") become compressed all the more rapidly in hope that it will become a sharp-edged diamond prior to one's demise, a cruel gem that will be so bright as to attract its intended (and unintended) victims and like all in nature that is as deadly as it is beautiful, leave them shredded.
04/15/98 - from USA

38) Everyone is so pc, it makes me sick.I want to enlarge the cover of your cd and hang it up everywhere. I will make reason for them to be offended. Everywhere they look, they shall see Costes.
04/12/98 - from USA

37) We have run into some problems with local store owners refusing to carry some releases. The item that was brought to attention was the cd "Jap Jew" by Costes. Some people complained about the cover and song titles of the cd. The same pc libertariens that fight so hard for the first amendment are also trying to oppress our right of free speech. Just so you know we are not a racist or anti semitic label. We hate kikes, niggers, faggots, honkeys, chinks, and all PEOPLE equally. Our hate is based on the lack of intelligence most people possess. We are an equal oppurtunity hate group. This has done nothing but motivate us to continue even stronger then before. This label is up & running and we will continue to release and distribute all of our material. We will under no circumstances censor any of the artists involved.
04/10/98 - from USA

36) I did not realize the authorities in France would sue someone for having what you have on your site. Maybe France has censhorship laws that I do not know of.This is disturbing to learn.
At my station I can play any of your songs and no one can say or do anything to me for doing so even if they do not like your songs or thoughts. We do have a law against broadcasting obscenity before 10 in the evening,but after that all is ok. One may get trouble if they played only the actual sounds of a couple fucking-but even then one can defend one's self by saying this was art.
I think you express yourself very powerfully though I or others may not agree with your opinions. You have passionate music-maybe not romantic, but definitely from your heart.
03/21/98 - from USA

35) You are the top bannana!
03/03/98 - from Canada

34) I throw up when I see poop so I am sad I will have to miss your American tour. You are a genius, I Love your music. You are a hero to many that I know.
02/24/98 - from USA

33) I wonder why they regard you a racist...? And who does think you as so? It must be people have way of opposite thinking against ours. There is always some people tend to understand things worse. They are lacking humor. They can't understand how to make the world ? It may be full of humor... but they'll make their life dull. What a pity ! And so often our life become more difficult, i guess.
02/16/98 - from Japan

32) I'm very enjoy your CD's Shin-Sakoku. About 1 month, everyday I sing to oneself your song. Especially, almost all your poet is written by Japanese. Besides,they have very strange sound and meaning. These are so charming!
01/13/98 - from Japan

31) Costes! You are amazing! I find you have a website that is the greatest thing I have found on the web yet! And, unless the devils stab you in the night (you have death threats? scary), this whole case will elevate you to the level of revolutionary artist, and you deserve that, because you certainly are. You have my full respect and I will be visiting this site often. Good Luck, and teach me the ways to be genius like you!
06/01/98 - from USA

30) You have a gorgeous cock and your naked body is very beautiful. I have already kissed your cock in photo many many times and i am super cumming while i am imagining your heat and tense. I'd like to lick some veins on your arms, tight and cock...And then i'd like to kiss + lick + suck your cock. Alright?
12/08/97 - from Japan

29) Costes, Lisa Suckdog's husband, is not a nazi...He is probably the most anti-racist person. He is very excentric and european. All of his tracks are him playing various characters...
12/05/97 - from USA

28) Costes, you are thinking, reacting, so far ahead of the current media-saturated mentality that they cannot see what you are saying - they only see how you are saying it. People just DON'T THINK; they don't take the time to see beyond the obvious, easy reaction. Nothing is simple, but people have the temptation to react simply and this can be dangerous, even if they have (sometimes) good wills. Sometimes i wonder if their wills are that important to them after all? They just want their acts to fit in nicely so they don't have to think things through, and recognize the ambiguities and (seemingly contradictory) thoughts that go on in every person's head.
12/01/97 - from USA

27) I think your poetry and music are in the taboo area, so it must need brave and tough spirits. I believe there is the truth in the trash!
11/28/97 - from Japan

26) Your music sucks shit.
11/27/97 - from USA

25) Hey, Costes! I really enjoy your kind of extreme art. "Daddy's Scheisswelt" was a great 7". I also enjoy your homepage. Do you use real defacation? Myself i do pretty extreme videos. In the video i'm doing now, the actor is going to eat shit, have sex with a dead fish, and i'm going to vomit in his open mouth.
11/26/97 - from Sweden

24) Costes is a piece of horny nazi shit...his lyrics, his site and his interviews prove it.
11/24/97 - from USA

23) I listened to the Costes recordings and i think they're a HOOT! To boot! It made my gun go shoot and my horn go toot! "I lost Lisa" is a dark and foreboding song. Is that accent for real? Tell that miserable misanthrope that at least someone is in his corner. Even if the room is round...
11/15/97 - from USA

22) What I am trying to say about Costes' intentions: He wants to rob racists and the far right of their mystique. People like Alec (ATR) who openly combat racists in their music, who take their stand on the left, add to the enticing quality of racists and such by the very fact that they're (the racists) now engaged in battle. Kids are very attracted to social war. And sometimes it doesn't matter to them which side they join as long as there's action, and an outfit to wear that will get them laid. Seriously. I am not saying Costes' way is better, I only say his aim is true and good. He would be the first to bomb Nazi headquarters.
10/02/97 - from USA

21) Amazing that they would cite you for Racism but not pornography. I noticed there was not even a warning when I entered the page, I suppose this could have something to do with the fact that it is a French server... Understanding that you supposedly do not hold Racist beliefs and are simply writing "hateful" songs to prove that you are more evil than the Racists, I would hope that your experience with the jews would teach you a bit about why people choose to be prejudiced against them... As a White Racist, I am naturally offended that you have chosen Racism to basically exploit, of course you exploit your shit as well, which probably doesn't offend as many people. Perhaps it is this aspect of the Racism issue which you should examine, the fact that people recoil in horror from any mention of discrimination, Racial slurs, or any type of insult against jews. Instead, you, like everyone else, have decided to attack Racism, and to what end? To the end of Racism? What for? Imagine how dull your shows would be if no one was offended by shit. Imagine how dull Rikki Lake would be if no one was offended by the word nigger. You have your reasons, and being Racist or not, I support your work as the brilliant self-effacing effuse that it is. It is more important that you are allowed to express, regardless of the content, or the reaction this world of sheep provides you with. Enjoy your work, and thank you for sharing it.
09/21/97 - from USA

20) Dear Mr. Costes, I recently purchased a copy of your "Lung Farts" and I have been enjoying it very much. I especially enjoy "Not From USA", which is a glorious anthem. I played it for my illegal immigrant friends from Mexico who live next door. They don't understand English, but they seemed to like it anyway. They were probably just being polite. You are a very funny man. The gift of laughter is a wonderful thing and will not be tolerated by all the repressed miserable shitfucks of the world as you know. Anyway, I world for a large bank. I have played your CD for everyone here and they are now all big fans. "Hurray for Costes!" they all say. We were wondering if you would like to play our company picnic?
08/05/97 - from USA

19) Thank you for sending "Jap Jew". You talk about dropping atomic bombs as if the radiation would not find his way back to you! When you say "Please send me some money, help me live happy", you espouse a jewish philosophy. And if you really knew how to play music, you would not beg for money. Have you ripped this up yet?
08/04/97 - from USA

18) My friend recently told me about your problems with the web page, and I've finally gotten a chance to view it and read the details. It's absurd! These people are utterly ignorant of "art" being a forum for presenting ideas, good or bad, as opposed to simplistic political beliefs. Worse still, all these anonymous death threats - violent, reactionary words from people who can not think for themselves or show any simple reasoning - they blindly follow their political leaders. There is NO difference between them and racist skinheads. They are the same breed of asshole.
08/03/97 - from USA

17) Are you racist, nazis, revisionist, anti-Jewish?
If you think to be that kind of person, I wish you to change your mind, to love people: this is the aim of the third millennium.
If you can't change your mind, please don't make more advertising of your dangerous mind.
If you can't be silent............please go in a desert and stay alone.
LOVE TO BE LOVED
06/18/97 - from USA

16) We are a japanese company which produces music of various artists from all over the world. We work with not only japanese market but throughout the world. We are also distributing Costes' CDs in Japan, and this letter is to express our feeling about Costes' music titled "Jap Jew".
words are important in everyday life and people do fight over words said. People also call ones racists because of the words mentionned. Wars were practiced over greed and anger. Often anger was originated from words written or mentionned. Words are measures of communication, and there are to be no racist words which create anger. Listening to Costes album "Jap Jew" and knowing Costes in person from the time he visited Japan, we know that Costes is a true avant-garde artist. He is questionning why "Jap and why "Jew". Thinking that these words are racist, you are admitting the racism. If people can call each other "Jap" and "Jew" without feeling racism in words, there maybe 1% less fight in the world. I think it's worth to challenge the possibility.
Costes has been challenging the controversy over years. This incident that is happening in court right now is exactly what Costes was questionning. There are always been avant-garde artists in any period of history. they were often blamed, criticized, sued and even killed. Real artists often challenge the taboo and question. without these avant-garde artists, a lot of things would have never been invented, created and changed.
Van Gogh challenged the tradition and opened up the new world for art. A lot of inventors hace challenged and questionned what was normally practiced; therefore, civilisation progressed.
Costes is a peace-lover. He wants to hace racism gone. therefore he deliberately used these two so-called "racist" words and trying to make people think "why". It is free for true artists in his or her own measures. Producing CDs is the way Costes chose to express his art.
We are here trying to help Costes because we think he is a great artist. Costes' work always make us think. We are glad to have this opportunity to express our thoughts on Costes. Artists should not be afraid to express themselves in any measures.
Costes has produced another album in which he sings in japanese. We, Japs, thought that he was very keen of a lot of issues in Japan, such as emporor system, family system, view of sex and attitude (prejudice one) towards the foreigners. his words are right to the point and we do understnad his point. This album really made us realize that Costes has been doing a good research on real japanese life style and issues. He is questionning, therefore he used our language, japanese, to sing and shout, so we japanese can understand what he is talking about. I know he has put out albums in french and other languages too; his point is for people in those country to realize about the problems, but not to hide them. Bring all the problems in the light and let's think about it.
We love peace and we love Japs, Jews and other people all over the world. there are a lot of things that need to be changed in the world. And as long as people in present period hold onto the bad tradition, things won't change.
I hope you understand because we do. Admitting "Jap" and "Jew" as racist words allow ones to create anger. But when you are free from it, i know it is not easy, you don't need to fight anymore.
05/13/97 - from Japan

15) I hope you will not suffer any harm from an hyper nervous group of people that do not (want to) listen integrally, but only selectively.
05/25/97 - from Holland

14) How is the court thing going with the retarded jewish kids? Piss on em. That's what I'd do. Piss on em and then toss em around a bit. (okay so maybe all I'd do is piss on em... if I was a guy... which I'm not. Oh man am I rambling AGAIN? They never should have let me out of the rubber room..)
05/13/97 - from USA

13) I find this situation ridiculous and sad. Costes has been doing very wild music and performance art "operas" for years now, and they are meant to question society and poke fun at everything. He is a nice, law-abiding neighbor and i hate to see anyone, especially a jewish group (i have studied Judaism extensively) attack his right to free Jewish students, most of all, remember that jews are taught to value liberty and to question everything. All the most sacred rites of Jewish faith are open to question by all Jews and non-Jews. Only when we stop to question, and blindly accept like sheep, are we doomed. All educated Jews know this.
05/05/97-American in Paris

12) If Costes looses this case, it will set dangerous precedents with regards to censorship of the Internet in France, the European Economic Community and finally, the United States and the rest of the world. Really scary!
05/05/97-American in Paris

11) I have known Jean-Louis Costes since 1984. I have, throughout the 13 years of our acquaintance, participated in a number of artistic projects with him. During these years, i have found him determined and genuine in his life and artistic ventures; thruthfull, honest and forthright in his opposition to intolerance and racism.
If he has used "insult", "popular language" and "rhetorical tropes" to capture the phenomenon he was trying to express, then it was for a dramatic or aesthetic purpose. The "personas" he incarnates are not him, and his handling is never without irony and detachment.
His art, it seems to me, strives for authenticity and the revealing of the world "as it is", not morally, as we would "like it to be". Also his art is not didactic, there is no simple message nor interpretation.
I believe him to be an exceptionnaly talented artist as well as a man of integrty and commitment.
05/03/97-from Australia

10) I'am japanese and musician.I sing (soprano) japanese songs traditional and composed by myself, acompanied by 2 kotos.
I support you in your fight for freedom and i hope you will overthrow this bad persons.
05/02/97 - from Japan

9) Screw you !
04/23/97 - from USA

8) Costes is well known as an artist in Europa and Japan since years. his arts to provoke is neither racistic or antisemistic. his art is subversive, like any avant-garde. That's implicit.
Costes is a direct descendant of the Vienna Activist's art - organization well-known then (1960) as "academic pigs", becaise of their provocating pro-sexual and anarchic performances of body-experience and dionysiac blood orgies. Their movement was not conceived to be a political and racist one. They interpreted their art as a counter-culture action and thus, put it in a social context.
Costes's radical aestheticism is concepted in a counter-cultural context, not in a political one. he translates our contemporary neurotic emotions into an equally extreme art form. And so, he continues the tradition "Grand Guignol" theater, and Antonin Artaud's "theater of cruelty", and, as said, the Vienna Activists.
Artware is dedicated to extreme cultures in audio and printmedia. Many of former radical aesthetics have established nowaday on the commercial art market, like Herman Nitsch for example. First loud, then expensive...Costes's time has yet to come.
04/20/97 - from Germany

7) We back Costes without question, for he... he is a genius.
04/16/97 - from USA

6) My name is Lisa Carver. I have been married to Jean-Louis Costes for nine years and have created live shows and music with him. Jean-Louis is not a racist, nor are his CDs racists. He is an artist. A racist seeks to close minds, an artist seeks to open minds. The job of the artist is to explore cultural mores; this Jean-Louis does. Jean-Louis explores the relationship between the sexes, the races, between dreams and reality. In his art, he explores the beliefs of all sorts of different people. He does not always mean every word on his CD. It's songs. No singer believes every word.
In our personal life, i have seen Jean-Louis attack any racist statement anyone has ever said, no matter how outnumbered he is. Jean-Louis and I have worked with and been friends with blacks, arabs, jews, and anyone else who is interesting, regardless of their race.
When we toured the United States, racist skinheads boycotted our shows. Now it seems the anti-racists want to boycott Jean-Louis' music. Why is this? How can something be both racist and anti-racist at the same time? It can't. And Jean-Louis' CDs are not. What they are is thought-provoking, which is exactly what art is and should be. To penalize Jean-Louis for creating exciting art would be doing what the racists do : closing minds.
04/14/97 - from USA

5) My name is Toshiyuki Hiraoka, aged 32, working for a company in Tokyo as an engineer.
I was surprised by the news that Jewish Students are angry at the text by my friend, Jean-Louis Costes. Then I decided to write this letter for trying to remove the misunderstanding.
I am Japanese and know the texts on "Jap Jew" CD. But I never thought Jean-Louis Costes is a RACIST. I met him in both of the countries, Japan and France, and spent lots of time together. Additionally, I played the guitar for his shows in Tokyo. I believe we understand each other well. So, Jean-Louis Costes is not Racist, absolutely! I know why he made "Jap Jew" CD. He did try to let people Face Up to the problem, existing Discrimination. He try to show the reality to people then let them think about it seriously, since he thinks Racism is stupid and hates it. He is a very honest and serious person. And he sends messages through show and music. I give high praise to his courage and acting power.
One good example, he was very nice and gentle to Japanese people when he stayed here in Japan. One of these days we found students asking money for people in Kobe after the big earthquake there. He gave them some money in spite of his lack of money. So, he doesn't hate Japaneses, and of course Jews!!
Just before closing this letter, please let me say something about his music. Jean-Louis Costes is one of the best French artists. He is a historical and legendary figure. I had classical piano lesson for 15 years and jazz piano lessons for 5 years. I mean, I understand music. His music is sometimes very original like John Cage, and sometimes very natural and beautiful like Mozart. I always look forward to new release from Costes. Please do not take my pleasure away.
04/13/97-from Japan

4) What the fuck are these Jew students up to. Strange how they become more and more the fascists of the 90ies. Don't let them silence you. Everyone, no exceptions, has to be able to say whatever they want. Also on the net. I will pass your mail around to who is interested. Don't let them grind you down. Fuck censorship, in the ass.
04/10/97-from Belgium

3) WHAT!!! This is incredibly depressing. Of all the people to complain about this! Of all the things I fear most, I fear the legitimization of censorship by it being allied with a "Good cause". No good cause enlists censorship. Where do I go to complain?!
04/09/97-from USA

2) Sorry about conflict with Jewish people. We know what you are doing and who you are. We support you because you are the great artist!!!!!
04/06/97 - from Japan

1) I am sorry to hear you are having trouble. At least two of the submissions on your tribute are in fact by men of Jewish background. You should use this as character witness in your case. People in our era seem to have lost the ability to laugh at themselves. Everyone shouts for tolerance with one mouth and screams against anyone forcing this tolerance with the other. You would think that those with a history of persecution would not want to continue the cycle, in any manner. If I can help you in anyway let me know.
04/03/97 - From USA

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