In a message dated 9/8/12 1:29:19 AM, [email protected] writes: "As a professional, I think we're not being judged solely on technical > ability anymore. People really want to be entertained and enjoy what > they're watching." (Kristi Yamaguchi)
> - The job of mass entertainment is to cajole, seduce and flatter > consumers > to let them know that what they thought was right is right, and that their > tastes and their immediate gratification are of the utmost concern of the > purveyor. The job of the artist, on the other hand, is to say, wait a > second, to the contrary, everything that we have thought is wrong. Let's > reexamine it. > DAVID MAMET, *Salon* interview, 1997 > > The Mamet quote does not apply to Yamaguchi, who is an ice-skater. And the Mamet quote is flat wrong, or uselessly narrow. The job of dancers, musicians, painters, and even playwrights is very seldom say "everything that we have thought is wrong". Mamet is a very smart guy, but often too glibly, disdainfully careless.
