Friday, April 19, 2013

Q is for Quién Más?

Or, in other words, "who else?"


This is the post in which I list a few runners-up... or honorable mentions...  Creative people about whom I initially thought to write in this A-Z series, but then didn't for one reason or another.  They deserve some love, too.  In no particular order,
  • Roger Dean, psychedelic artist of prog-rock album covers (Yes, Asia).
  • Terry Gilliam, ex-Python and visionary movie director.
  • Soror Nema (Maggie Ingalls), ceremonial magician who channeled some transcendent poetry about the dawning of a new aeon of human history.
  • Dunbar Aitkens, designer of a fascinating thing called the Glass Plate Game.
  • Don Cupitt, philosopher and inspiring author.
  • Robert Desnos, surrealist poet, dream-worker, and radio pioneer.
  • Gene Kelly, dancer extraordinaire.
  • Hildegard of Bingen, Christian mystic and designer of a secret alphabet (I just love those).
  • Ebony Anpu (Charles Reese), another ceremonial magician with some wild ideas.
  • Moebius (Jean Girard), dearly departed comic book artist.
  • C. L. Moore, sci-fi/fantasy author who created memorable action heroes Northwest Smith and Jirel of Joiry.
  • William Carlos Williams, master of quasi-surreal free verse that floats down the stream of consciousness...
  • Douglas Hofstadter, computer scientist and philosopher who taught me how to stop worrying and love my lack of fundamental free will.
  • Loren Eiseley, naturalist and evocative writer about science.
  • E. T. A. Hoffman, German Romantic author of eerie fictions.
  • Eric Bentley, playwright -- while watching one of his plays unfold, I whispered the most pretentious thing I've ever said in my life to my friend sitting next to me:  "This IS theater."
  • Alice Sheldon (James Tiptree Jr.), eclectic science fiction author who delved into tragic places to find transcendence.
  • Paschal Beverly Randolph, 19th century author, abolitionist, and sex-magician.
I suppose that I should have done this post last, since now you can see at least a few examples of who I won't be choosing for some of the letters R through Z...  :-)

6 comments:

  1. Tough to know who to comment on but I think including Gene Kelly sufficiently knocked you out of any kind of 'rut.' Pleasantly unexpected.

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    1. :-) I'm going to have to pick up "An American in Paris" on DVD one of these days. Till then, there's youtube!

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  2. Terry Gilliam! William Carlos Williams!

    I may not be making a lot of comments, but I'm thinking I may be using these posts as a guide at some point in the future.

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    1. Thanks! I may be assembling them into a single PDF, if I have time (and can figure out how to do nice looking hyperlinks in LaTeX).

      The alphabet is a harsh mistress... some letters were over-abundant with good ideas; some not so much. :-)

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  3. I can only suggest Cyd Charisse, who could do everything Kelly could do except backwards and in high heels.

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    1. Very fair point! I've heard that said about Ginger, re: Fred, too.

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