That Barton Fink Feeling

New at Reason: Finally, somebody has the courage to say what we all secretly realize—the only way to win the war on terrorism is through better public support for the arts. Tom Peyser goes backstage with pampered star of yesteryear Peter Sellars.

Comments

[Warren]

"There was some question as to whethur the begger or his minkey was braking the law"
Inspector Clouseau

[Anonymous]

Should've been titled, "That Barfin' Sinking Feeling"

[Plutarck]

...and yet the degree to which I am "cultured" as risen exponentially thanks to things like Dictionaries, cooking shows (Iron Chefs! Alton Brown! Iron Chefs! Alton Brown!), *shock* various fashion media (especially TV shows - I'm as surprised as anyone about that), and books - which I bought through various capitalistic enterprises like Barnes & Nobles and Amazon.com, with my (and my families) own private funds.

Indeed, what shall become of the arts if not for the government? Well, for one thing, they are getting a whole hell of a lot more popular. And I, for one, think that if you want to hear the egomaniacal head-way-stuffed-up-his-own-ass bastard, then you can pay him. I fail to see the societal benefit of the expenditure of societal funds, seing how as he could just...oh, I don't know, get his own damn money - or not, which would be no grand tragedy.

I do like how the government harbors art in times when the market might have let them fall away, especially in less and less affluent and cultured times, but the neccessity for such incubation has consistently decreased, and, with the internet and various economic and technological realities in the post^x-modern age, may either be almost totally unneccessary now, or can become so in the future. I am, perhaps conspicuously, in favor of very limited wealth redistribution and subsidies to permit those of piddling means to consume more than they otherwise could, so that they might improve themselves...but I find such targetted "poor people are just too stupid to spend their money properly, and so we must spend it for them...on shit they never use nor want" funding of "you call this art?" to be entirely undesirable.

[Rodin]

Pluto, put that bottle down. Sober up. Maybe then we can hear you speak proper English.

You slurred (uhm, asked), "I fail to see the societal benefit of the expenditure of societal funds [for the arts]"

Well, don't you think that putting elephant dung all over a religious icon in a New York museum is a societal benefit? Or how about making a statue of nothing but penises and putting them on display ... isn't THAT a societal benefit?

C'mon, have heart.

[Plutarck]

"Well, don't you think that putting elephant dung all over a religious icon in a New York museum is a societal benefit? Or how about making a statue of nothing but penises and putting them on display ... isn't THAT a societal benefit?"

Well hell, I'd pay to see those sorts of things. I can't imagine they could be so terribly expensive that even a rather small paying audience and an enterprising individual couldn't support them.

If not...well, perhaps government incubation of unpopular art isn't quite ready for complete extinction. Then again, Usenet does a pretty darn good job...

[Cultured Thespian]

That's Sir Peter Sellars to you plebeian bitches. Fo shizzle.

[Yaron]

Wait, this isn't the guy who was in Dr. Strangelove and the Pink Panther movies, is it? I think his last name was spelled "Sellers", so I guess not. That guy was a genius, not like this douchebag.

"Mein Fuhrer, I can walk!"