What Paul Simon said

[Doreen Peri]

I saw Paul Simon the other night being interviewed by Charlie Rose. Charlie asked him why some people continue to write songs & poems throughout the years and others write for a time and then stop. He was complimenting Paul Simon on his long, successful career.

Simon answered, "Well they usually stop because they're not any good at it."



I was all alone watching this show and when he said that, I cracked up laughing aloud!

I stopped writing a while back, myself. I wonder if I'll ever start again.

[Lightning Rod]

doreen,

any artist faces this
the question: Am I good enough to continue torturing myself like this?

any artist worth his salt will have asked himself this hundreds of times

I gave up painting when I was in my teens because the fact was obvious
I was not Rembrandt
and I liked my ears too much to be VanGogh

I'm told that the wise bridge player plays to his long suits
I'm not a bridge player so I wouldn't know

but there is profit in doing what you do best
as opposed to what you wish you could do

I guess it's about discovering who we are
I wish I could figure skate
but the nearer your destination
the more you're slip sliding away

[Doreen Peri]

I understand what Paul Simon said better than what Lightning Rod said.

I read it 3x and still don't get it.



But I do what I do best.

And what I do best is to say.... "huh? I don't understand."

I understand what you said about not being a painter and so you stopped doing it because you weren't any good at it.

I don't understand the first sentence. When I write, I LOVE to write. When I play music, I LOVE to play music. When I paint, I LOVE to paint. Whether I'm any good at any of it is a matter of subjective judgment. It doesn't matter to me if I'm not good at it. What matters is that I love to do it. It's certainly not self torture! Just the opposite. It's bliss. It's LIVING.

I don't know what playing your long suits means in bridge because I don't play bridge either, so I don't understand that part.

I do get the discovering who we are part. I'm continually discovering who I am.

I love that slip-sliding away song. Hey, I love almost every one of his songs.

As I'm typing this, I realize that I disagree with Paul Simon. I think many people continue writing even though they suck at it.

lol

[izeveryboyin]

D, that makes me want to plant myself in front of a notebook with a pen in me hand and never move, I swear it does. I haven't really written anything in ages and I don't feel inspired to either. Does that mean I'm not any good? It would certainly answer a few questions, like why all those people at that open mic a year ago were more interested in what flavor coffee to get than in my latest piece. hmmm

[jimboloco]

somebody in a motivational course once said
anything worth doing is worth doing badly
guess that's why people tell me to keep my day job

need to read more
listen better
appreciate the flavor of others
savor the moment
one never knows when one's time is up
just riding this body to the ground

[Artguy]

Doreen continue your poetic ways...they are enlightening....

[WIREMAN]

Paul Simon sounds like Nick Nolte in New York Stories playing the painter
Lionel Dolby........art's in ya, in all of it's forms, and it's gotta come out, when it dries up????? even the rains return to the bleakest deserts.....D you are a talented writer never doubt this......and yes Paul Simon was just
rambling in an interview......

[Lightning Rod]

you'll love this, wired

watch it till the end

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[judih]

wow.
just plain open-mouthed amazing.

[Doreen Peri]

you'll love this, wired

watch it till the end

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I don't understand the relevence to the topic??????????

But TY for replying! love you!

[Doreen Peri]

Thank you, dear WiredOne.. you are a very special friend. And I appreciate your kind comments.

Artguy - if i could only figure out what poetry is, I'd keep doing it.....

izzy- Never take somebody like Paul Simon seriously. He's way too successful. You are a fine writer!

jimbo - I've been practicing doing everything badly enough so that I accept the fact it is the best I can do and THAT, my friend, is an art and I love me for it.

judih - I've been open-mouthed amazed from the beginning of the first daze and the end of the sunset, never yet to forget how you are my sister.