Turn Me On, Deadman
“was it worth it? wasn’t it better not to be in show business? no, no. who wants to be a gardener or a taxi driver? who wants to be a tax accountant? weren’t we all artists? weren’t our minds better than that? better to suffer this way rather than the other. at least it looks better.”
Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery — celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from — it’s where you take them to.”
“ I came up with a game show idea recently. It’s called The Old Game. You got three old guys with loaded guns onstage, they look back at their lives, see who they were, what they accomplished, how close they came to realising their dreams. The winner is the one who doesn’t blow his brains out. He gets a refrigerator ”
Chuck Barris
