The Reader Travels

When I read Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, I kept thinking, this is a man I would have enjoyed hanging out with. You know how people sometimes ask you to name three famous people living or dead you’d like to meet, I’d probably have him on my list.  I may not have agreed with all his politics, but I had a lot of respect for him, and I got the impression he was a great conversationalist. I just liked him, plain and simple.

Anyway, it made me think of the questions Woody Allen raised in Bullets Over Broadway, about knowing the difference between loving the artist and loving the man.  They’re good questions to ask, especially if you’re somebody like Woody Allen, a great artist with an all-too flawed persona.  Some people can’t get past the man to appreciate the artist, like in the case of Roman Polanski and that thing with the thirteen-year-old girl. Others find themselves disillusioned when the media persona is shattered by reality, the most recent example being with America’s favorite golfer, Tiger Woods.

And though I don’t know any of these people personally, here are some thoughts I have on the artist versus the man:

1. Alice Walker - I think I love the woman more than I love the artist, even if I don’t always agree with her politics. Her art is often a vehicle for her politics, but that’s OK, because I just love her. Can’t explain it.
2. Gary Oldman - Love the artist. I have a strong feeling I might not be able to tolerate the man.
3. Sean Penn - Same thing. Love the artist. Not so sure about the man. 
4. Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon - Wow, did they really break up? Love the artists, could have totally had a couples affair. Again with the politics, though.
5. Natalie Merchant - I used to love the artist, and I was in awe when I saw the 10,000 Maniacs in concert and she stood up there singing acapella. Then I just got too annoyed at all the smug dripping off her and her music, and I just can’t even listen to her anymore.
6. Ann Beattie - Love the writer, but after reading one or two interviews with her, she’s probably not much fun to talk to.
7. Matthew McConaughey - You know, I don’t care much for the artist, but I’d totally hang out with this dude, if only just to smell him and his no-deodorant-wearing self.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 21st, 2010 at 12:09 pm and is filed under meanderings, road tripping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.