My bud-in-blogging, Eric (the Noctornal Slacker) recently did a book report on Kurt's Timequake. We seem to share a love of Kurt's writing, as did many people.
Let's ruminate on this a second.......
- Does it really matter what kind of person Kurt was?
- After reading the review, it's pretty obvious why Kurt might have been a bit off.
- I submit to you that being a bit off is almost a requirement in the arts.
Quite frankly I never put together much of an opinion on what kind of person Kurt was. I was happy to enjoy his output.
I do admit to wondering what might be wrong with Kurt, specifically concerning the time-hopping exercises in his books. My wife and I wonder if he had multiple personality disorder; it would certainly explain the time-hopping. She loved his writing and said it made perfect sense to her.
If nothing else, the man certainly had a right to a bit of post-traumatic stress disorder.
As for being a bit off, I spent many years in comedy and rock and roll. My observation was that comics, as a rule, were among the more miserable human beings I had ever met. Pain transforms into comedy; both the performer and the audience win.
As a guitar player, performing in front of people is the cheapest and most effective therapy I can imagine. It has the added benefit of not requiring precertification, copays, or an hour in the waiting room.
And what do we have left? The legacy of Kurt's writing.
