These videocams are amazing! I see Bob, and you, trying to escape the guy with the trumpet, Em - I'm raising the flute, standing in front of Bob. What a delightful and refined evening it has been!
--- In [email protected], "emilymae.reyn" <emilymae.reyn@...> wrote: > > Bob, welcome back - are you here to restore musicality? Raise the bar a > bit? > > > [File:Watschenkonzert Karikatur in Die Zeit vom 6. April 1913.jpg] > > > > > --- In [email protected], Bob Price wrote: > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: turquoiseb [email protected] > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2013 7:58:43 AM > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: The Prerequisites for Enlightenment > > > > >>>And for your information, I dash off things here and send them > without > > editing them because most of the time I'm just having fun with them. > > That, and the audience I'm writing for doesn't meet my standards for > > deserving edited copy -- they're not paying me. > > > > >>>For paying customers, I edit. Non-paying customers who don't like > > my unedited posts can go suck eggs. Non-paying editors who get off > > on editing my posts for me should pay *me*, for providing them with > > something to do on those days when they're off work and thus not > > busy...uh...editing.  :-) > > > > ****** > > > > I was thrilled with last weeks *posting without limits*, > > it gave me a sense of power and control knowing that I could > > respond to any and all of the 1500+ posts that I just finished > reading. > > > > One of our illustrious contributors suggested that we might consider a > *Best of FFL* > > going forward, and with that in mind I set myself the difficult task > of picking > > my favorite subject for the week; it was a challenge (how could anyone > best Share's attempt > > to prove she speaks in tongues), but a decision had to be made and I'm > going with: > > > > "Is Voldemort a hack?" > > > > When I read Voldemort's posts I ask myself: "Where's the art?". For > someone with his > > considerable output on FFL, who puts so much effort into selling > himself to us as > > > > a creative writer, art seems conspicuously absent from his > contributions; this might > > be less true if you consider manual (or phonebook) writing a creative > act. > > > > As he makes clear above, Voldemort is a writer of manuals, and, IMO, > when he attempts > > > > anything more than that, the word "hack" pretty much nails what he > becomes. > > > > For something to be considered art it's imperative that it have the > ability to defamiliarize* > > by making the familiar, unfamiliar and *new*; Voldemort's posts > completely fail at this. > > OTOH, Judy's choice of the word "hack", to describe Voldemort, is a > great example of effective > > defamiliarization---it gave me a new experience of something that was > familiar about him. > > > > I also must agree with Judy that irony is the life blood of creative > writing > > > > (writing phonebooks, not as much), and reading Voldemort's attempts at > writing creatively > > > > ---when he is so handicapped in the irony department (narcissism will > do that), is like watching > > > > someone with no hands attempt to show off his penmanship (no "My left > foot" jokes please). He also > > appears to be unable to go beyond cliche and what Martin Amis calls > "heard words", which make > > > > his offerings, on this forum at least, quite artless. Anyone who > considers Voldemort a creative writer > > might consider rereading Hemingway (if you are interested in > understanding some of Kerouac's limitations, > > who Voldemort attempts to emulate---without demonstrating any of > Kerouac's talent as an artist). > > > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abc819rT6wI > > > > > > The film "The Master" was an example for me of the way art can make > the familiar *new*; the whole film > > > > delivered artistically, but the scene where Lancaster Dodd (Philip > Seymour Hoffman) "Processes" Freddie > > > > Quell (Joaquin Phoenix)---for the first time, felt in some way like > the first time I meditated; my experience of > > > > the scene was familiar and at the same time completely new; part of it > was the suggestiveness of Dodd's > > voice, but more was the scene's transition from Dodd's voice to Quell > *living* a previous experience > > as if for the first time, and the familiarity it had to my first > meditation and the first superlative > > > > clarity of the thought (engram or, if you will, un-stressing) that > reported or noticed an artifact of my > > > > awareness that had just existed without thinking. > > > > > > The art of the writing, acting, and editing were part of it, but I > believe it was the cinematography, > > with its use of 70mm film (which is rare today), that more than > anything else was essential to making > > > > the experience possible for me. > > > > > > Another component of the film that worked the same way for me was > Joaquin Phoenix's characterization > > of Freddie Quell, which allowed me to experience---as if for the first > time---character types that I > > met as a child who were friends of my father that had served with him > in WW2; JP's characterization > > > > of Quell had the same effect on me as a number of characters Jim > Thompson (writer of "The Getaway" and > > > > "The Grifters") created that felt as new, when I read about them in > his novels, but reminded me of some > > psychopathic cowboy's my father socialized with. > > > > > > I wouldn't disagree that Voldemort's posts are full of conflict (more > than one detective has found creative > > uses for the Yellow Pages, when interviewing a suspect)---and that > conflict is essential to drama, but conflict > > > > without art is no more than conflict; Voldemort is also capable of > irony, although I've yet to read anything > > ironic in his posts that was not inadvertent and ended up making him > look vacuous. I'm sure most of us have > > favorites of his inadvertent irony, my personal favorite is his > declaration that he can type as fast as he > > thinks (smile). > > > > Share, lets imagine that Voldemort is not pushing 70---with the > emotional palette of an 8 year old; lets > > imagine he has some class and wants to apologize for his abusive post > to you, and lets imagine a song he > > would apologize with: > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjZmSkUL6Ws > > > > > > *Reference: Victor Shklovsky - "Art as Technique" > > > > > http://web.fmk.edu.rs/files/blogs/2010-11/MI/Misliti_film/Viktor_Sklovsk\ > i_Art_as_Technique.pdf > > > >  > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >  > > > > > > > > > > > >  > > >
