howl
I recently watched Howl and was thoroughly impressed with James Franco's portrayal of Allen Ginsberg. He brought just the right amount of vulnerability to the role, and I could listen to him recite Ginsberg's poetry for days on end without ever tiring of it. There was a quote in the film during the "interview" bits, and, though I don't know if it is an actual documented quote from the man himself, I am immensely fond of it:
In San Francisco, I had a year of psychotherapy with Dr. Hicks. I was blocked, I couldn’t write. I was still trying to act normal. I was afraid I was crazy. I was sure that I was supposed to be heterosexual and that something was wrong with me.
And Dr. Hicks kept saying, "What do you want to do? What is your heart’s desire?" So, finally I said, well, what I’d really like to do is to just quit all this and get a small room with Peter and devote myself to my writing and contemplation and (BEEP) and smoking pot and doing whatever I wanted.
He said: "Why don’t you do it, then?" I mean, what’ll happen if I grow old and I have pee stains in my underwear, and I’m living in some furnished room, and nobody loves me, and I’m white-haired and I have no money and bread crumbs are falling on the floor? And he said, ah, don’t worry about that. You’re very charming and lovable, and people will always love you.
What a relief to hear that. I very soon realized that it was all a fear trap, just illusory.
In other news, I am in the process of striving desperately to finish Pride and Prejudice, and, quite honestly, just wishing Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy would get on with it already.
In San Francisco, I had a year of psychotherapy with Dr. Hicks. I was blocked, I couldn’t write. I was still trying to act normal. I was afraid I was crazy. I was sure that I was supposed to be heterosexual and that something was wrong with me.
And Dr. Hicks kept saying, "What do you want to do? What is your heart’s desire?" So, finally I said, well, what I’d really like to do is to just quit all this and get a small room with Peter and devote myself to my writing and contemplation and (BEEP) and smoking pot and doing whatever I wanted.
He said: "Why don’t you do it, then?" I mean, what’ll happen if I grow old and I have pee stains in my underwear, and I’m living in some furnished room, and nobody loves me, and I’m white-haired and I have no money and bread crumbs are falling on the floor? And he said, ah, don’t worry about that. You’re very charming and lovable, and people will always love you.
What a relief to hear that. I very soon realized that it was all a fear trap, just illusory.
In other news, I am in the process of striving desperately to finish Pride and Prejudice, and, quite honestly, just wishing Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy would get on with it already.