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Free Form vs. Rulebound: How Fair Needs Foul
My interest in behavior that is impromptu and free form means that strict, rulebound social behavior interests me almost as much. Even more interesting is when the two come together, fighting for dominance: will the perfect rightness or the just-as-perfect disruption of perfection win the day?
So Leonard Cohen thought, too. In “Anthem” on the 1992 album The Future he sings, "Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in."
Race and the Politics of Joy
Kamala’s sudden transformation from a — let’s admit it — somewhat disappointing vice president to a presidential candidate fully self-possessed displays all the marks of her African heritage. It is perfectly in tune with the Black Joy movement.
Of course the transition would look effortless, a sign of its deep authenticity. Like 8-year-old Louis at the Iroquois Theater, like Robert Johnson at the crossroads, Kamala has been touched by Eshu. With a laugh at once warm and cool — blessed by itutu — she rebuilds the Obama and Biden coalitions, and then some. Kamala’s community puts aside Trump’s fear mongering, embracing generosity and joy.
Impromptu? The Goldilocks Problem
This is a question people often wonder, pushing back against improv’s claim of being composed in the moment of presentation. Then there are those who object that this or that improv is too improvised, too formless, lacking art. Such objections put me in mind of old Miss Goldilocks’s quest of the just right porridge, chair, and bed. Isn’t all writing and creativity a spontaneous act to some degree? Isn’t all writing and creativity a premeditated act to some degree?
Advice from New Orleans’s Great Drummer Johnny Vidacovich
There’s a story in the New Orleans music world about one of our great drummers, Johnny Vidacovich. The story goes, a student comes for his first lesson. Johnny listens. He says, hey man, you’re a very proficient drummer. My job is going to be to slop you up … To slop you up. That verb captures improvisation’s appeal: while much of the world values craft and virtuosity, there is also a value in apparent artlessness.
Jon Batiste’s Call and Response at NYC’s Beacon
In Winging It, I quote New Orleans Jon Batiste’s reflections on the central role of “call and response” in the arts (and in comic improv’s “Yes, and…”). In speaking with Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air, Jon remarked of a Bach Two-Part Invention: