And My Yearbook 2025
“Don’t let the old man in.” This sentence holds various meanings for me. Today, I use it as a focal point, though I interpret it broadly. Apart from remarks on a disturbing topic, the second part of this post presents excerpts from my 2025 yearbook, which I have dedicated entirely to the theme of ZEN BRUT.
Many people know the line from Toby Keith’s song [1] — I, however, only stumbled upon it while writing this article. Funny enough, I had chosen a very similar directive for my own 2025: “Don’t listen to the old man” (though I won’t go into detail on that one). The specific English phrase came up during a video conference. The occasion was the 80th birthday of Prof. Wolfgang Kubin, whom I have mentioned before. Twelve of us gathered, and everyone conveyed their congratulations in their own way. Wolfgang’s brother actually sang this song.
For me, “Don’t let the old man in” serves as a directive that goes far beyond the lyrics. I want to start with a photo that dismayed me to a particular degree.
Don’t Let the Old Man In
Each year, I compile a personal shortlist of the most impressive photos—positive and negative, extraordinary and touching. As you can imagine, the 2025 shortlist became very long. However, the following image became the clear number one.
Although this photograph actually dates back to 2015, I only encountered it in 2025. It still felt shockingly current because this specific brand of low-level verbal attack has not faded; it has become the standard. The public insults and contempt have continued to trouble me. The date of the photo is less important than the consistency of the behavior. It’s more than a snapshot or a portrait of an individual, and more than a group photo.
As I’ve said before, like many others, I see a story in every picture. What follows is my imagined reading of the gesture, not a quotation from Trump: “Look at me, this old goat. I am a loser who has lost everything—if I ever truly possessed it—especially decency, dignity, and moral values. I can not only shoot someone on the street without consequences, but I can also rob the dignity of those who most deserve our help, compassion, and admiration for their daily struggle. And you won’t scream because I have you by the balls.” [2]
Setting aside the base level of this behavior—which some have seemingly become numb to—it shocks me particularly as a European. Perhaps we are accused of being a bit too “woke” over here sometimes. That pendulum will likely swing back, but I see nothing wrong with a fundamental stance of decency. I won’t dwell on this person further—that would be carrying coals to Newcastle. For me, this image symbolizes the ‘(sick) old man’: driven by resentment, hostility, and a complete disregard for human decency.
I have found the responses I encountered in the art world painfully inadequate. I wanted images that would tell posterity where artists stood. One work that stayed with me was Banksy’s mural at London’s Royal Courts of Justice in September 2025: a judge striking a protester. It addressed a different political setting, but its removal made the image even more forceful for me.
I also wanted a stronger, more visible response from churches, human rights organizations and women’s movements. This is my impression of the public debate I encountered, rather than a claim that nobody spoke out. Even allowing for the pressures on journalists and institutions, the quiet I perceived was disturbing.
I am pretty sure Frank Zappa would have come up with a song like “Bobby Brown” for this. And probably a few other things, too. But “Bobby Brown” hits the mark quite well.
The Contrast
However, the image gains additional explosive power for me because I immediately thought of something else: photos I took a few years ago. We spent a long weekend in Prague and visited the jazz club REDUTA one evening, which was surprisingly empty. The club features a few display cases on its history, and one caught my eye:
Bill Clinton with Václav Havel [3] and Václav Klaus [4]. The Clinton Presidential Library recalls his January 1994 visit to Reduta, where he played a saxophone given to him by Havel. Without wanting to comment deeply on Clinton—he probably wasn’t perfect in every respect—many of us in Europe welcomed him, at least in the beginning. For me, his appeal lay in what he embodied (similar to Barack Obama later): a young spirit, coolness, openness to the world, and a focus on international friendships. Above all, the ability to place what connects us above what divides us. The difference between the two men could not be greater.
Fun fact: Bill Clinton was my best salesperson many years ago 😊. That is only partially a joke. Many of us still remember the early days of the internet and banner exchanges. One of my ventures was collect.at (It still exists after more than 30 years, though I now manage it via eBay.) Back then, I created this banner, and I received masses of visitors through it.
Consequently, “Don’t let the old man in” is more of a mindset for me than an attempt to fight off the physical aches and pains that come with age. It is an attitude that simplifies my life and the lives of those around me.
The Yearbook 2025
“Don’t let the old man in” also set the tone to a certain extent for a series of works I completed in 2025. Breaking free from academic laws and prevailing norms reflects the motto well. Even though, as always, I spent most of the year quite dissatisfied with myself, enough material remains to fill a volume.
Minimalism had a particularly strong influence on my painting in 2025. In ZEN BRUT, I brought my interest in Zen into conversation with the freedom I associate with Art Brut; I use the name for my own approach, rather than as a definition of either tradition.
Images of the environment, the destruction of nature, and natural forces also shaped my year 2025, as they had the years before.
I have already shown most of the pictures throughout the year. Therefore, I want to single out one that hasn’t been presented yet, as I only painted it in November. It is part of a series on the theme of dreams. This one perhaps strongly recalls the world of late Surrealism. Related works appear in Before I Gotta Go.
And with that, Bobby Brown has the final word for today.
Footnotes
[1] “Don’t Let the Old Man In” by Toby Keith. Keith’s official account traces the song to a conversation with Clint Eastwood and its use in The Mule (2018).
[2] The Quote: “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.” January 23, 2016, Sioux Center, Iowa. A campaign rally at Dordt College
[3] Václav Havel (1936–2011): playwright, dissident, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992 and the first president of the independent Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003. He strongly supported his country’s integration into NATO, which it joined in 1999.
[4] Václav Klaus (born 1941): Czech prime minister from 1992 to 1997 and president from 2003 to 2013; a central figure in the country’s post-communist economic transition.
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