What, me crazy?
Answer me this: If I’m so “crazy,” then why did they choose me to be their spokesperson to the people of Earth?
Answer me this: If I’m so “crazy,” then why did they choose me to be their spokesperson to the people of Earth?
I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don’t even invite me.
— Dave Barry
In some ways, Dave Barry is saying the same thing, in his comedic genius sort of way, that John Morely said yesterday.
In a recent episode of The Talk Show, John Gruber opens with his brilliant observations on the true secrets of internet success. John says that the secret to fame and fortunate on the internet does not relate to what computer you have or what language you code in. Instead, there are three elements that are common to all successful people on the internet:
All power corrupts, but we need the electricity.
— Unknown
Sometimes in a man or a woman an awareness takes place — not very often and always inexplainable. There are no words for it because there is no one ever to tell. This is a secret not kept a secret, but locked in wordlessness. The craft or art of writing is the clumsy attempt to find symbols for the wordlessness. In utter loneliness a writer tries to explain the inexplainable. And sometimes if he is very fortunate and if the time is right, a very little of what he is trying to do trickles through.
— John Steinbeck, Journals of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters
This is another installment from Steinbeck’s journals written as he was giving birth to East of Eden. It has echos from my Julian Schnabel quote when he said “That is true about all art. The conflict is to try and take what is inside of you and put it inside somebody else.”