In my solitude, I converse with dead people. Spirits, really, ghosts, strongly felt yet invisible presences of those who continue to haunt my footsteps past, present, future. Here are some things that my own, particular, favorite soul, freed from his earthly body, has replied back.
The following two excerpts from Glenn Gould Interviews Glenn Gould About Glenn Gould:
GG: Let's say, for example, that I had been privileged to reside in a town in which all the houses were painted battleship gray.
gg: Why battleship gray?
GG: It's my favorite color.
gg: It's a rather negative color, isn't it?
GG: That's why I like it.
gg: Apart from being a frustrated member of the board of censors, is any other career of interest to you?
GG: I've often thought that I'd like to try my hand at being a prisoner.
gg: You regard THAT as a career?
GG: Oh certainly--on the understanding, of course, that I would be entirely innocent of all charges brought against me.
gg: Mr. Gould, has anyone suggested that you could be suffereing from a Myshkin complex?
"Every artist is in a state of flux or he wouldn't be an artist."
And on a more serious note:
"I believe that the justification of art is the internal combustion it ignites in the hearts of men and not its shallow, externalized, public manifestations. The purpose of art is not the release of a momentary ejection of adrenaline but is, rather, the gradual, lifelong construction of a state of wonder and serenity."
Play on, Mr. Gould, play on.
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2 comments:
that last quote is beautiful. where is it from?
It's from an article Gould wrote called "Let's Ban Applause." He certainly had his moments. I've been reading "The Glenn Gould Reader," which I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend if you want something hilarious and profound at the same time.
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