When asked who, of anyone in history, I would spend a day with, indulging in any diversions that I fancy, I first feel a sharp pang of guilt. Do I choose who would be most fun or a person who would teach me something? And for goodness sakes, which, of all the billions upon billions of people that have lived? Even narrowing the results down to some of my heroes leaves a great number. Plato or Preston Sturges? Oscar Wilde or Orson Welles? Jesus Christ or Julius Caesar? Dostoyevsky or Dylan? Malcolm X or Marx? Tennessee Williams or the Pillsbury doughboy? How can you even begin to contemplate the choice between the Olson twins? Of course this is a hypothetical situation so I really mustn’t get my feathers ruffled, but even the thought is quite perplexing. What would we do? Discuss the purpose of life on earth or go bowling? If we were getting together for a meal, I suppose Gandhi is out of the question and Emily Dickinson would be much safer. Sylvia Plath would not be one’s first choice of a shopping buddy, and you would most definitely not want to go sunbathing with Alfred Hitchcock. Charles Manson would not be a person with whom you’d want to share all your secrets and Lenin probably doesn’t eat Chinese.
Records. Yes those black, disc like things that look like they could have eminated from Judas' ass. As far as artists go, Dylan is God. I think Satan may be some of those 3dollar punk rock bands you kids listen to, but that's all debatable.
FILM LESSON OF THE WEEK BY EMMA: Cinema in America, which peaked in the late '30s and then again in the mid '70s always seems to follow trends and experimental standards set by the Europeans. For example, the reason film quality peaked at say 1939, was bacause the war had alreasy broken out in Europe but it was yet to do so in the states. So everyone, all the European directors, Renoir ect.. were in Los Angeles making pictures. Subsequently, in the 50's and 60's when cinema in Europe peaked, with the nouvelle vauge movement in France and neo realism in Italy, experimentation was at it's height and Godard, Truffaut, Fellini and such were the gods of the new film scene. When America was influenced by these trends, in the 70's, it came less as a new breath of life to the industry but rather a rebellion against old standards. The studio era was over and sex and violence stood tall over the classic reels..What is this saying about american society in general? Are we easily influenced by outside forces? Or do we dwell in shallow adolecence, waiting to rebel?