Topic: Famous eccentrics... | |
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After this whole thing about Michael Jackson I found myself wondering "How weird can ya' possibly get?" I started thinking about strange people throughout history and decided to make a list of the strangest.
The first ones that popped in my head were: Howard Hughes Elvis Presley Henry XIII Phil Spector.... Can you think of any other famous eccentrics? |
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Salvador Dali
Andy Warhol Peter Illitch Tchykovski Truman Capote |
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Edited by
Zentrum
on
Fri 09/25/09 03:09 PM
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I see four out of the five you cite at first as highly accomplished, whereas Henry was simply born into self-indulgence as King of England. "Eccentric" is a word that is almost negative; it has a patronizing tone. Any Beat could be called that back in the 50s but might be conservative by today's definitions, with an existentialist mind, a
love of jazz or Eastern disciplines back in the day of conformity. So it is all relative, isn't it? If Emily Dickinson never left the house or Henry David Thoreau built a shack out in the woods, they would be dismissed, if they were not two of the most original geniuses this nation has produced. Gandhi would be eccentric out of context, would he not, advocating nonviolence before his time? But he was an attorney, quite worldly and sophisticated, far more than the conventionals who might have dismissed him as a demagogue or nutcase. Indeed he saved many lives with his example of peaceful revolution. The four you cite all lost it in the end, much as did Citizen Kane or King Lear. Because of great wealth, they took the self-indulgence of the artist and drove it to their undoing. We all tend to unwind if we live long enough, as we give up on pleasing others -- or as the brain goes. I think the word is parochial, basically, since in the final analysis a life that influences others for the better is well-lived in the altruistic sense. It takes individuals to shift the crowd. |
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Edited by
earthytaurus76
on
Fri 09/25/09 03:07 PM
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Shirly Mcclaine.. (all though I think shes terrific)
Dion Warwick. Andy Warhol. Kathleen Turner. Woody Allen. Marlon Brando. Brian Wilson. (if only I had his sleeping talent) |
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I see four out of the five you cite has highly accomplished, whereas Henry was simply born into self-indulgence as King of England has it entered its own. "Eccentric" is a word that can be deemed negative, but has a certain patronizing tone. Any Beat could be called that back in the 50s but might be conservative by today's definitions, a love of jazz or Eastern disciplines back in the day of conformity. So it is all relative, isn't it? If Emily Dickinson never left the house or Henry David Thoreau built a shack out in the woods, they would be dismissed, if they were not two of the most original geniuses that nation has produced. Gandhi would be eccentric out of context, would he not, advocating nonviolence before his time? But he was an attorney, quite worldly and sophisticated, far more than the conventionals who might have dismissed him as a demagogue or nutcase. The four you cite all lost it in the end, much as did Citizen Kane or King Lear. Because of great wealth, they took the self-indulgence of the artist and drove it to their undoing. We all tend to unwind if we live long enough, as we give up on pleasing others -- or as the brain goes. I think the word is parochial, basically, since in the final analysis a life that influences others for the better is well-lived in the altruistic sense. It takes individuals to shift the crowd. |
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Thelonius Monk
William Burroughs Genesis P Orridge Joan Crawford |
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Edited by
CyPoet
on
Fri 09/25/09 03:11 PM
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Shirly Mcclaine.. (all though I think shes terrific) Dion Warwick. Andy Warhol. Kathleen Turner. Woody Allen. Marlon Brando. Brian Wilson. (if only I had his sleeping talent) |
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David Letterman.
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Way cool.
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Gretta Garbo
Napoleon Crispin Glover |
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Marilyn Monroe
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Joachin Phoenix
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Joachin Phoenix |
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Edited by
earthytaurus76
on
Fri 09/25/09 03:26 PM
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Gretta Garbo Napoleon Crispin Glover O ha, yeah for sure! Crispin. Lady Gaga |
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I see four out of the five you cite at first as highly accomplished, whereas Henry was simply born into self-indulgence as King of England. "Eccentric" is a word that is almost negative; it has a patronizing tone. Any Beat could be called that back in the 50s but might be conservative by today's definitions, with an existentialist mind, a love of jazz or Eastern disciplines back in the day of conformity. So it is all relative, isn't it? If Emily Dickinson never left the house or Henry David Thoreau built a shack out in the woods, they would be dismissed, if they were not two of the most original geniuses this nation has produced. Gandhi would be eccentric out of context, would he not, advocating nonviolence before his time? But he was an attorney, quite worldly and sophisticated, far more than the conventionals who might have dismissed him as a demagogue or nutcase. Indeed he saved many lives with his example of peaceful revolution. The four you cite all lost it in the end, much as did Citizen Kane or King Lear. Because of great wealth, they took the self-indulgence of the artist and drove it to their undoing. We all tend to unwind if we live long enough, as we give up on pleasing others -- or as the brain goes. I think the word is parochial, basically, since in the final analysis a life that influences others for the better is well-lived in the altruistic sense. It takes individuals to shift the crowd. |
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Joachin Phoenix I don't think even HE knows what he's doing! |
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Cyndi Lauper.
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