Friday, July 8, 2011
MY Heroes
Greta Garbo, Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, Barbara Stanwyck, Jean Simmons, Elia Kazan, Edouard Manet, Frank Weston Benson, John Singer Sargent, Margaret Fitzhugh Browne, Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, Georges Rouault, Berthe Morisot, Van Morrison, Neko Case, Gram Parsons, Uncle Tupelo, Ralph Towner, Jan Garbarek (his stuff from the 70s more notably so), Bedrich Smetana, Modest Mussorgsky (for his music AND for his drinking!), Carrie Newcomer, Carson McCullers, Flannery O'Connor ("The Violent Bear it Away" is a nearly perfect book, in my opinion), Andre Gide ("Isabel" is nearly a perfect book, in my opinion), Samuel Beckett ("End Game" is nearly a perfect play, in my opinion), Samuel McIntire (just take a stroll down Chestnut Street in Salem MA, I invite you), Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Mort Sahl, Steven Wright (comedian - the son of a bitch makes me laugh), Robert F. Kennedy, Mahatma Gandhi.......Perhaps there are more. I cannot think of them now, though.
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30 comments:
Perhaps Khalil Gabran?
Actors, actress, musicians, authors and comedians are your heroes? Why? Because they entertained you? Or is there another reason?
Certainly considering people who entertained you to be heroes makes significantly less sense than naming a politician as a hero.
Politicians make important decisions that can (and do) have significant financial impacts on people's lives. What they do matters. Entertainers... not so much.
BTW, Robert F. Kennedy had flaws. Does these flaws not make him worthy of an "At Least She/He Ain't Got Locusts" post?
Willie Mays, John Brodie, Rick Berry, Jim Morrison, Bertolt Brecht, Jack Kerouac, Aristotle, Socrates, Jean Paul Sartre, Soren Kirkegaard, Dylan Thomas, Bob Dylan, Yvette Mimeaux, Bobby Fischer (just for chess, not his political views.), John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Stevie Ray Vaughn....and others too long too mention.
They're not entertainers, wd. They're artists (Barry Manilow and David Copperfield are entertainers). Politicians - all that they frigging do is spit out bullshit, self aggrandizing/serving statements, and piss away a large chunk of my hard-earned dollars. As for Mr. Kennedy, he was probably the greatest attorney general in U.S. history. That is why HE made the list............And if what artists do is so insignificant, am I to assume that you're for defunding the National Endowment of the Arts/Entertainers.
WD Try being an artist. Do an oil painting...trying playing a guitar, write poetry, get a short story published...I've done these things and it aint easy...
What are you talking about Will? Barry Manilow records primarily his OWN songs. That is, songs he wrote. That makes him an artist, not just a entertainer.
As for your assumption that I'd be in favor of defunding the National Endowment of the Arts/Entertainers... your assumption is wrong. Something isn't insignificant because those who participate in it don't rise to the level of hero. That's an utterly ridiculous suggestion.
Again, that you would call people who entertain you "heroes" genuinely confounds me.
Eliot Spitzer was a pretty great AG as well. Do you consider him a hero?
My heroes: Jimmy Carter, Bernie Sanders... and I think I'll add Thom Hartmann to that list as well, but that's all I got. Other people ARE heroes, just not my personal heroes.
Marcus, I think you should try making sense. What you say may be true (even the implication that you're awesome), but I fail to see what it has to do with heroes.
Anyway, because you asked for it, here is the link to a poem I wrote. Although it may not be that good, and it's definitely not published... but we can't all be as awesome as Marcus.
Dervish...Never said I was awesome or even implied it. Just saying that if you ever attempted these things it gives you an insight to the creative process...I wish I could paint like Camille Pissaro or Childe Hassam...I can't but these men inspire or are heroes to me...now feel free to twist that perspective...
I'd always thought that Manilow wrote "I Write the Songs", But he didn't, I just now found out.
I'd never call an entertainer a hero at all unless they did something heroic. Like Marion Anderson did.
Barry Manilow is one of the most insipid, pablum-producing schlockmeisters of all time. The only thing that's even remotely cool about him is the fact that you play around with his name.......Robert Kennedy inspired me greatly as a kid. Elliot Spitzer I was never significantly inspired by.
Jimmy Carter's your hero, wd - why? For single handedly inspiring the creation of the term, "misery index"? Seriously, though, if the guy was such an awesome President (and, no, not everything that happened was purely his fault), then why did Teddy Kennedy challenge him for the nomination and Eugene McCarthy end up endorsing Reagan?
"Elliot Spitzer I was never significantly inspired by."
Elliot Spitzer inspires one to keep their socks on while they commit crimes.
As for Carter, I do find him admirable for a few reasons. His Habitat for Humanity work first and foremost.
dmarks: As for Carter, I do find him admirable for a few reasons. His Habitat for Humanity work first and foremost.
Yes, this is one of the primary reasons I consider him a hero, but I also think he was a good president. I grew up during the 70s and I was not miserable.
I am not a huge Barry Manilow fan, but I think he has accomplished a lot he can be admired for. Your description of him is over the top (and inaccurate). Why not just say you don't like his music?
There are many other musicians whose works match your description. Most fade away. Few reach the level of stardom Mr. Manilow has.
I don't know what you mean by "you [can] play around with his name". Unless you mean replace the first letter of his name with an "F". Is this an anti-gay thing? (not that I think he is, but the rumor is out there).
It's not just my assessment, wd. It's the assessment of virtually every music critic who's ever lived.
Yes, he's popular (he gives the masses what they apparently long for - insipid music and lyrics that they don't have to think about) but what in the hell does popularity have to do with art. Schwarzenegger and Stallone were much bigger box office stars than Jeremy irons and Ralph Fienes. Are you telling me here that they were better actors? Come on!
I was glad to see Roberto Clemente on your list Will. I was lucky to be just old enough to have seen him play. I never saw mays or DiMaggio in their prime. I saw Clemente. The best baseball player I ever saw. And a great man. His loss on that plane flying relief supplies is a as great a tragedy among sports figures as there has ever been.
His wax figure in the Hall of Fame is haunting. Great man. Thanks again for mentioning him.
It's the assessment of virtually every music critic who's ever lived.
Oh you mean the people who CAN'T do so they bloviate about what others do?
Sorta like the hacks of the MSM you rail against so frequently.
BTW I have done numerous paintings, but do not consider my self anything but an amateur, but I still like what I paint and draw.;
I just don't listen to the can't do so spout off loads of crap crowd or hold their self important opionions in very high regard. I learned that studying painting, my professor simply stated a critic knows very little about real art just lots about the words to publish about what they think is great art, the 1840-1900 french academy (IE accdeptable critics of their time) is a very good case in point.
That academy attacked most of the important (historically) artists of the period until their collective folly as critics was overruled by the forces of history. IE Manet, Seaurt, Van Gogh etc are considered masters today, the crap their critics wrote about doesn't mention a peep or showing now a days.
And the thing is, Truth, the guy had another 3-4 good years left. He could have maybe gotten to 3,500 hits. That, and maybe another ring.............I hear what your saying about the critics, anon. But you're not seriously suggesting that we're someday going to look at Barry Manilow the same way that we look at Edouard Manet now? I don't know, I simply cannot envision that.
Will: Are you telling me here that they were better actors? Come on!
Yes Will, that is precisely what I meant. You nailed it. I was defending Barry Manilow, but what I really meant was that Schwarzenegger and Stallone are way better actors than Jeremy Irons and Ralph Fienes. Those two guys are no-talent hacks.
Will: It's not just my assessment, wd. It's the assessment of virtually every music critic who's ever lived.
That must explain why he's won so many awards... the critics hate him. Apparently Bob Dylan (another purveyor of pablum) told him, "Don't stop what you're doing, man. We're all inspired by you"... and Frank Sinatra (another no-talent) said, "He's next".
I was drawing an analogy, wd, the fact that popularity generally means nada, yada yada.............Oh, and, so, critical affirmation means nothing but dumb/stupid-assed award shows do? Very interesting.............Dylan must have been paid to say that.
Since you are a Jeremy Irons fan I take it you believe films like The Pink Panther 2 (2009), Eragon (2006), The Time Machine (2002), Dungeons & Dragons (2000), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), and Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) are among the finest movies ever made?
Is the 2010 remake of "Clash of the Titans" a film you consider a masterpiece? Ralph Fiennes lent his considerable talent to that one, as well as the Harry Potter films and "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit".
Are these movies you watch and re-watch because of their status as modern day classics?
Irons' most famous film, "The Lion King", is quite good actually, and bears up under repeated viewings.
But WD had a good point there. hehe.
DeNiro's made a lot of bad movies. Pacino's made a lot of bad movies. Brando made a shitload of bad movies. Hell, even Laurence O'Livier mad some real stinkers. Per usual, you missed my point. I was talking about acting ability, comparing these 2 classically trained stage actors to two guys who I can barely comprehend (but, yes, who can kick ass and run hard).............Actors make crappy movies for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is getting their face on the screen and putting some money in their pockets.
Will: Per usual, you missed my point.
Missed it... or ignored it.
Selective perception, bias confirmation, cherry-picking - the reading, riting, and rithmatic of the extremist left/right.
I'm an extremist because I defended Barry Manilow against your nonsense charges of his music being pablum? You believe he has no Moderate fans?
This must be one of the hallmarks of being a Moderate. You believe you are absolutely correct on every issue (including those having to do with matters of personal taste) and every other moderate agrees with you (because they are smarter than the average person... by virture of being a Moderate).
Barry Manilow has penned some of the vapid song lyrics/"poetry" in modern human history. Is that a metaphysical fact, or is it purely my opinion? It's purely my opinion. Just like what Siskel and Ebert said was purely their opinion.
It seems like you're progressive in everything but music, wd.
In my opinion your opinion is wrong. And I don't care what you think about my taste in music. I listen to what I like without concern for whether or not it is "progressive" or "cool".
If your taste was any lamer, you'd be limping.
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