The Decline of Ideas

www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/07/26/people.steelydan.ap/

"Originality is undetected plagiarism." William Inge.

Let's say someone compares your work to a famous author, musician or artist you never read or listened to. Does that mean you are not original? If it came straight from your mind and onto a sheet of paper with artistic and creative competence is this not original work?

Editors will say 'that's been done' but what they won't say is that many writers succeed and exist on re-evaluating and re-interpreting 'what's been done.' Artists steal, outright or in conniving fashion, from each other all the time. How many columnists are truly 'original?' Some of the most popular writers out there are plain awful (Maureen Dowd for example.)

Everything we see follows a previous standard. I don't believe anyone has original ideas in Hollywood. You can tell who the cliques are in Hollywood as they are likely to collaborate on various projects. We see this especially in comedy. Often the result is hilarious and sometimes a disgusting showcase in pompous excess. There's easy money and then there's easy money to the point of sin.

If originality escapes us, we can revolutionize or reintroduce lost forms of techniques or interpret old ideas and inventions for a modern sensibility. For the most part, many do great work in this realm. It does not make the work any less valuable. Sometimes it falls in the genius category of human work.

I remember David Foster once demanding American Idols contestants to bring something 'original' to the table. I had no idea what that meant especially considering Foster is hardly an innovator. The successful artist will demand 'originality' of aspiring people. Yet, a lot that's on TV, on the radio or at the movies is recycled stuff. Originality has no friends in the mass produced world of corporate art. Being an original, not always but usually, means people won't understand you and that in turns suggests you will not profit from it immediately. Can't have that. Foster knows the game. He's certainly talented and is a successful pop musician but is he an original?

It's like the interview process. Experience only matters when the interviewer doesn't know you. At which point, you can bleed on the table and you'll probably not impress anyone.

I'm not surprised by this article. It does, however beg a few questions: Is there a dearth of talent out there? If so, is it because Hollywood is way to difficult to penetrate? Why is it so hard for artists? Something tells me there is talent out there but the environment and structure for artists in our age is not conducive to nurturing that talent. Hollywood is both a product and a form of art at the same time. It's also a terrible waste of talent and time.

Thank the Lord for HBO.

If anybody needs me, I do have a few original works to propose and present.