Osler's Razor

Last night I went down to Gruene Hall with some good friends to see Todd Snider. Gruene Hall is a great place to see a show, especially one that relies on some feedback from the audience. It was my first time to see Todd Snider, and he put on a strong show. I love it when you can tell the band loves what they do, and that was certainly true last night.

Growing up around artists and musicians, I know part of the anxiety that can precede a show like that. Performers and artists have to put their work out there, and there is a real vulnerability to it. When I see people liking what artists do, I always breathe a sigh of relief. Of course, I have never been an artist or musician myself.

Still, there is an aspect of performance to what I do. Every day in class I have an audience, and a really important one, each of whom is paying a lot to get into the show (much more than one has to pay for a show at Gruene Hall, even if you went every day). There is a duty that goes with that, a responsibility. And, sometimes, that anxiety comes with it, too.

When I write, there is that vulnerability, too. You send it out there and lose control over that thing-- anyone can take it and react to it, love it or hate it. People can think you are an idiot or a genius, call you a fundamentalist or a flaming liberal dope (I'm one of the few people who have been called both at one time or another). Sometimes, too, your thoughts can find a home in someplace you never expected.