The House that Roger Built
But if popular mind now understands the archetype of the Mad Scientist or the Mad Programmer as driven to create, it has a poorer understanding of those in thrall of the muse of literature. That is probably because it is easier to fake writing than it is to fake code; and the temple of that Muse is thronged with counterfeits. But to the true devotees in that crowd, Saul Bellow warned against the “unexpected intrusions of beauty.” For it would compel you to utter the things you had to say. It would take you to the place you had to go. Bellow compared answering that Muse to prayer:
I feel that art has something to do with the achievement of stillness in the midst of chaos. A stillness which characterizes prayer, too, and the eye of the storm. I think that art has something to do with an arrest of attention in the midst of distraction.
And that is one description of the voice that some people can never escape. So when Roger says, “I am going to return to my creative writing while I still, to be honest, have some ability to do it” he has in some sense no choice in the matter. There are some things he has to say before the curtain falls.
Thus began the Iliad:
Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus’ son Achilleus
and its devastation, which put pains thousandfold upon the Achaians,
hurled in their multitudes to the house of Hades strong souls
of heroes, but gave their bodies to be the delicate feasting
of dogs, of all birds, and the will of Zeus was accomplished
since that time when first there stood in division of conflict
Atreus’ son the lord of men and brilliant Achilleus.
And thus began the Odyssey:
Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
of that man skilled in all ways of contending,
the wanderer, harried for years on end,
after he plundered the stronghold
on the proud height of Troy.
Thus begins our life: sing. And never mind the path behind.
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“But if popular mind now understands the archetype of the Mad Scientist or the Mad Programmer as driven to create, it has a poorer understanding of those in thrall of the muse of literature.”
Best description of this I’ve ever heard was of Asimov, via a piece about Heinlein. They were at a party, and at one point Asimov excused himself to go write. “There,” said Heinlein, “goes a man with a monkey on his back.”
….While the Constitution requires juries ( 6th A. ), it doesn’t require 12 person juries. It’s unusual for Ol Andy to make a mistake like that.
Roger I don’t read often. But Wretchard I do.
That was one great paean to creativity, and the sources thereof.
There is a new theory afoot (I can’t recall the source) that posits that the problem with journalism today is that there are too few journalists who critique journalism.
In this regard, Roger’s departure will be a loss.
We are no more surprised to read of some eminent programmer found dead in a motel room, surrounded by empty boxes of pizza and hundreds of cans of Jolt Cola, expired of heart attack, one bony finger poised to type the final curly bracket of his life than the ancients would have been to find some pilgrim deceased on the path to a seer’s cave, or overcome by the smoke of the Oracle. A victim to the muse and wanderer along the way.
Not really. More a fool with a monkey on his back. The warrior must maintain his balance, as you say the artist must achieve stillness in the chaos. The hero must achieve before he falls.
Anyhow – whither now PJM? I guess it’s too late to recruit Chuck Hagel to take over here.
Roger see’s the writing on the wall, 0bama can now Murder any American for any reason… 0bama made it clear when he spoke to “La Raza” what he wants done to your “enemy” and 0bama is bringing a drone to the knife fight.
Dave D…
IIRC, English Common Law specifies that a jury consists of no less than twelve men.
[
The phrase, 'jury of one's peers' refers to the Common Law notion that only commoners can try commoners -- and only members of the peerage can judge fellow peers.
This last aspect came up when Parliament tried King Charles I. He was being judged by commoners -- and roundly protested it.
His contention was countered by the assertion that he was being tried by Parliament as a whole -- as a body, legal -- and that the sole issue was whether the Nation was above the King or the King above the Nation -- every Englishman.
What had started with King John was finished with King Charles I.
=====
The US Constitution prohibits the creation of any other type of man -- there can only be common men. Thus, the 'jury of one's peers' expression is now moot.
=====
The common law provision that only ecclesiastical courts can judge priests was knocked down centuries ago. (Henry II & Becket, et. al.) However, the notion that priests are only answerable to God's law and judgment still colors clerical views; witness Cardinal Rodger M. Mahoney's inaction and subsequent censure.
The medieval ecclesiastical courts were just another instance of trial by 'ones peers.'
]
We may, by Roger Simon following his muse, gain a screenplay for a movie that contains actual human characters, who think. That might change the culture.
The story of PJM needs to be told. It contains characters, Roger Simon and the improbable Charles Johnson among them. Who should play wretchard in the movie?
FWIW: Roger Simon is not a “conservative.” He is, rather, one of the millions whom the Democratic Party left behind in their pursuit of progressivism. He is, therefore, considered a “traitor” to the “principles” for which he once voted.
As pointed out in Wretchard’s previous post, Michelle Rhee is also in the process of splitting with her Democrat comrades.
Both have found that the liberal establishment and all its organs have become like a great mansion that reeks of a foul stench that doesn’t go away, and that the residents pretend is either not there, or “doesn’t matter.” Roger and Michelle lwould ove to hang out in those splendid-looking digs, but the smell drives them away.
“Who should play wretchard in the movie?”
My vote is for Tom Selleck.
Wretchard wrote:
Today most people don’t believe in the Muses any more. Not in the sense that the ancients did. The three — the goddesses of literarture, science and the arts — were at one time supposed to command men to speak. They have largely been replaced by the single all purpose modern deity: the Job. In modern political orthodoxy we do things for one rational reason only, which is to get paid.
Well, said, Wretchard. Worship at the altar of the false god of income security has turned the modern and postmodern man into a sickly simulacrum of that which most of our ancestors would call fully human. And you very correctly point out that it is only ONE rational reason to do something. That is key, because there are a) other rational reasons and b) reasons perhaps not fully rational but very, very important for doing things.
Not, however, if your entire being is caught up with arranging your surroundings, your family, your neighborhood or city or nation so that your “job” trumps everything and damn the consequences to anyone else or your civilization’s future. Yes, we all have to eat. Most Americans aren’t engaging in this perverted economic behavior to stave off starvation, but to have extra comforts and status and trinkets (see Whiskey) way beyond necessities or frugal comfort, to quote the Baltimore catechism.
10. MSO
“Who should play wretchard in the movie?”
Not Manny Paquiao?
@12 Blert -
Thus, the ‘jury of one’s peers’ expression is now moot.
=====
It is anything but moot today although considering it moot is the politically correct position. It is very, very hard for anyone who has any money or accomplishment in this Country to get a fair civil trial. I don’t consider twelve morons on welfare to be my peers. When I was working I was usually willing to put up six figures even when I had a meritorious position just to avoid facing 12 morons just dying to reach into the employer’s deep pockets to give a few hundred thousand or a few million to some scamming scumbag.
“Who should play Wretchard in the movie?”
Lou Diamond Phillips… or more appropriately Ken Leung (“Miles” from Lost) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504962/bio
Funny, when I first started reading Belmont Club way back when, for some reason I imagined Wretchard as the John Locke character.
Leung would also be a great lead if Wretchard ever made his novel into a movie.
“Who should play wretchard in the movie?”
Either Ben Affleck or Bruno Mars.
Ahh, the Muses, Music is what took me, and I make a bit of cash as well doing it.But Writing Music is my real addiction, even when no one hears it but me (and my small group of Fans) it is enough, til next time,
Bob
I wish Roger success.
When “Rathergate” broke I was in the middle of a brief email exchange with a Professor who taught “ethics in Journalism.” I told him about the possible forged National Guard documents and asked, “Who do I believe: Dan Rather or strangers on the internet?”
Well, I believed the strangers. A lot of them are not strangers anymore and I don’t regret the choice.
Josh, I’d like to thank you for the link to Russell’s story (And Then there Were None) in the previous thread. I described my own efforts at 92 — that’s the comment number, not my age. I finished reading it. Looks like someone thought it through before me.
Josh@15
Joshing again?
(shamelessly lifted from 17 hdgreene:) )Josh, I’d like to thank you for the link to Russell’s story (And Then there Were None) in the previous thread.I also loved that story, and I thank you for the Link, a great concept, the ob, but Humans are too greedy and lazy for it to work on a Global scale IMHO,
Bob
Alas, I found that with some effort that I could fake writing but in essence all I did was synthesize. My short story, “Heda Gabler Wildly Gooses a Duck,” was my last attempt. The last program that I got a good grade on left me bleeding out the ears. It takes a strange combination of creativity and obsessive compulsion disorder to bug stomp the product that I don’t have.
Yeah and verily let us praise those who suffer from the daemon and the muse, for they offer us mortals refuge from reality.
Well….. I can certainly understand Roger wanting to leave the helm of PJM but I can’t believe that he won’t still pen a column or two for us in the future. I have always been drawn to the writings of former Democrats who have chosen to leave the Dark Side and have always been intrigued by Roger’s comments on this phenomenon.
“Who should play wretchard in the movie?”
Steve Reeds or Charlton Heston.
all the best rog’
from someone who goes back the osm conference: u are awesome!
love pjm!
I owe to Roger my discovery of the Belmont Club. Several years ago, my brother referred me to Roger’s blog to read about some old L.A. hangout that my brother remembered. It was a ‘70s place, though, so it meant nothing to me. I lived in L.A. and Hollywood in the ‘60s. But I liked the tone of Roger’s writing and since it was the first blog I ever read and because I landed at Wretchard the Cat’s blog soon thereafter, I know it must have been through a link provided by Roger.
I was impressed by PJM when it started, and even more impressed when Wretchard joined it. Now, I hope Roger will continue his excellent work, whatever it is to be, and thank him for what he’s already done.
My vote is for Yun-Fat Chow. No, it is not cat food.
This guy,
http://www.starscolor.com/imgs/328-yun-fat-chow-4.html
but more Australian.
Who should play wretchard?
Lucy Liu, in drag. She should have a voice box in the form of a golden medallion on her chest to speak with. Something sonorous and golden toungued.
That’s correct. No excuse too small to promote Lucy Liu. Plus it would be kind of uncanny and villainous.
thank you for the link to Russell’s story
Glad you guys liked it, my pleasure to introduce new readers to the classics!
OTOH I’m having second thoughts, just clicking on that link probably puts you on a federal list of subversives. Though, come to think of it, reading PJM much less posting here probably has the same effect. Watch the sky for drones.
–
Or Justin Timberlake.
This is terrible, but I will keep blogging to make up for the loss. Let’s tell people the truth about everything.
“Who should play wretchard in the movie?”
Felis catus, of course.
I see Roger wants to get back into “creative” writing. Good for him. Woody Allen famously said something to the effect that 80% of life is just showing up. That is another way to say that to be creative, to “think outside the box”, you have to be a part of the 20% who do show up. You have to do something. Roger shows up. And if there is one thing you get at BC, it is stories from or about people who have done something, both in the columns and in the comments.
As the expression goes, you can’t make this stuff up. Roger ought to write a bio-pic about Wretchard and let Wretchard play himself. Roger is a screenwriter, so he knows the movie business and there is no one more qualified to tell people about W. than W. himself.
They should do some oral history together.
I’ll give Roger another idea for a documentary bio-pic, my former customer, Charlie Cretors. Most of the “hoi polloi” will not know who he is, but I guarantee the money men in Hollywood do. Right now Hollywood is facing an economic threat from NetFlix. This is not the first time. It’s happened before, with the introduction of the VHS video recorder, and recent first run movies available for rental to view in the comfort of your own home. Movie theaters were going broke because all the ticket receipts were being sent to the movie producers. But if the theaters went broke, that income stream to Hollywood would end. No more $10 million paydays for George Clooney!
So Charlie developed the 32 oz Diplomat popcorn machine http://www.cretors.com/store/products.asp?category_id=48 , which combined with the subdivision of old movie houses into multiplexes to allow one projectionist to do multiple films, re-established a positive cash flow for the theater owners and kept those box office receipts flowing into Hollywood. Hollywood was SAVED!!!
Charlie bought his electric heaters and thermostats for the Diplomat from me.
Charlie is about the nicest guy I’ve ever met, a Methodist, he does not drink. But he let his employees come out for our annual Christmas lunch together, complete with wine and chocolate desserts for the girls. Hey, it’s CHRISTMAS!
The thing about “creative writing” or fiction writing, is that it is largely self –directed. The writing directs itself. I have been astonished when I have written some fiction and things turn out differently than I originally envisioned. The amazing, almost spooky, thing is that it is exactly like reading in reverse! The words on the paper are coming out of your mind in much the same way that they go into you mind when reading. That’s when the “muse” has you in her grip.
On the other hand, I have so many things I would like to write in the way of fiction but there is the pick and shovel work of getting there, setting up the scene, so to speak. You know how to do it, how to arrive at the really good part of the action and dialogue, but it’s a real effort to put that stuff down, to build the ramp you need to run up so you can soar through space effortlessly. I have even taken to writing those parts and then planning to fill in the boring part later. Cartoonists have other artists who color for them; perhaps fiction writers should have other writers who fill in the gaps between the “good parts.”
Nonfiction wiring is rather more difficult. A must be followed by B and 2+2 must equal 4 or at least it has to be explained why not. And there is only so much “juice” up there to use for writing.
On the other hand, I found that fiction writing did help my nonfiction writing. The first fiction I ever wrote got rejected (a very good thing; I might be in jail now if it had) but the next thing I had to write for work was terrific, and I was told so by my boss’s boss.
Good luck Roger, and thanks. But drop back in sometime, will you?
RWE @ 33 – Picking up on Leo’s theme about forming groups, one of the best things you can do is hang around with smart people. That way you have a sounding board for your ideas. Don’t retreat to the garret for a solo brainstorming session. LIVE. TURN OFF THE DAMN TV!!!!!!!
If you have ever seen the light in a kid’s eyes as they start to really understand something, you’ll seen the rewards of creativity. Charlie Cretors and I would get together and pool our knowledge and experience to solve the daunting problems of expanding from a 16 oz popper design to do a 32 oz. It took some cut and try, but when it works, you’ve gone where no one has ever gone before. We were like two kids on the playground imaging great things. Except we then made them real.
And saved Hollywood in the process.
Picking up on another recent thread, the problem with Hollywood today is that it is under the thrall of some pretty boy actors (paging George Clooney!) and actresses who don’t have the kind of talent their forebears had (paging Rosemary Clooney!).
Hollywood’s Golden Era was during the waning phase of the influence of Edward Albee II, who like Reagan with PATCO, had kept the inmates from taking over the asylum with his strikebreaking efforts against The White Rats http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Rats
It’s been increasing entropy ever since.
I spend a lot of time reading posts to political blogs. As a liberal, I generally focus on conservative blogs for two reasons. First, there’s no value in just hearing what I think reflected back to me. Second, when I read conservative potato-heads it gives me a sense of superiority. Reading liberal potato-heads makes me feel bad.
I came to PJ Media on a link from Real Clear Politics, following a title that sounded like typical clap-trap. I was surprised by what I found. There is a lot of silly pandering and self-satisfaction, but many columns are well thought out and well expressed. In particular, I am impressed by the thoughtful and civil comments sections. No fun at all.
T Clark @ 36 – Not having any fun? Just put on some Fred Astaire music!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItJTf5kNTuc
Welcome to THE BELMONT CLUB!
36. T Clark:
You must have a strong constitution.
Wait. You do believe in a strong Constitution, don’t you?
PJMedia is a fantastic site, so thank you Roger. And thank you to the fantastic writers contributing. Wretchard is one of the amazing writers. Your work is that difficult to achieve blend of skillful, gorgeous writing together with knowledge of the subject at hand. The resulting wisdom is a joy to read. I always learn something and admire your writing.
Before reading the comments, Richard, you have done it again. You wrote a turn of phrase that made my heart sing:
“…For each thing in our physical lives seeks a correspondence in the life of the mind. Thus ideas need a home just as much as physical bodies do. That’s what Roger built. A mental hearth, a place where you could agree, argue or sometimes quarrel, but where you always felt among friends. …”
I generally lurk here, occasionally commenting, but mostly in praise, rather than actual input as the Host and BC’ers are a wise, albeit a trifle intimidating crowd – this is not a blog to be taken lightly, which is why I promote it so strongly. Recently, I girded my loins, screwed my courage to the sticking point and began my own blog, having avoided it for two years despite calls from the Muses and friends. What could I say that has not already been said and better? I am utterly stunned at the sense of joy I get from writing a blog. For the first time, I worry not at all whether a publisher will like it, will it make it money, is the writing crisp, short and to the point? I write for the pure joy of it and the payback has been more grace than I could have imagined… I feel like my seven year old self again with no limits, no boundaries “to go where no man has ever gone before!”
I have enjoyed PJMedia from its inception, and your original Belmont Club and its transition to this environ. My thanks and gratitude to Roger Simon and everyone who has made it possible.
Josh @ 5
Spoken by a not-fool, without a Muse. Your loss.