Sunday, February 6, 2011

Bathroom Monologue: Monologue for an Edward Norton who, for whatever reason, thinks he's Woody Allen

To hear today's monologue either click the triangle on the left to begin streaming audio or click this text to download the MP3.

I do think artists have a personal, moral, ethical, religious obligation to their audiences. Well, not most artists. Not Pablo Picasso or Oscar Wilde. In fact, only I have it. That's because I'm an irrational self-loather, and personal, moral, ethical, religious justification within my work is very difficult and not at all fun, and those are the sorts of things you do if you hate yourself.

A single person frowns in offense and I get a little electric twinge in my diaphragm. There's no way to convince me I don't have these obligations to them - I've tried convincing myself, read much in defense of the artist, and have listened to many persuasive arguments.

I mean, the speakers were thought to be persuasive.

Come to think of it the speakers were already convinced, so they couldn't be persuaded, and they didn't change my mind, so I wasn't persuaded, but we both came away thinking them very persuasive arguments. Perhaps these arguments actually possessed personal, moral, ethical, religious failures, disservices to me as the audience, but I don't begrudge my friends. I begrudge myself. I should have been convinced.

That's my philosophy of art, it's much like life: if there is fault, it's probably mine.

5 comments:

  1. That is a Woody Allen worthy ramble/rant. And the last line strikes home. We artists are geniuses in our minds and complete failures at the same time. self-loathing face

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  2. Oh my, definitely a Woody Allen monologue!

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  3. I'm sure you're right, as usual, John. ;-)

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  4. I'm not a Woody Allen fan, but I enjoyed this. Listening to your voice as you read it always makes it even more entertaining though!

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  5. Like Ganymeder, I'm not a huge woody allen fan, but this definitely sounded like something he would say ... it wasn't HIS fault, it was my fault - i should have been convinced. ;-)

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