Eclectic Neuron Firings

Ann Lindbergh wrote that to write is to do more than live, it is to be conscious of living. I take this to mean that by writing we gain a deeper understanding of our own thoughts, expressing them through the funnel, if you will, that is coherent language.
You might know exactly how something feels, or looks - anyone in all of existence has been able to do that. But to express it as a knowable concept through other known concepts, thus broadening the range of available knowledge, is truly a feat to be admired.
The only definition of genius that I can come up and be satisfied with, is someone who contributes to human understanding in any meaningful way. The more it influences and contributes, the greater the genius is. I see genius as something which takes form in levels.
Example – Albert Einstein. Einstein is almost undisputedly denoted as a genius, because his contribution to knowledge and the way we see ourselves within the universe, was so monumental. His contribution was to influence what is now almost a century of revolutionary thinking.
Beethoven, Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, any rarely disputed holder of the title genius does so because of the level of influence. Beethoven’s music changed perceptions, endowed listeners with an inner power which changed them internally, thus changing the external world they influenced.
So genius can be construed as levels of contribution. I draw a circle on the pad of paper next to me, and have thus contributed to the universe, at the most insignificant level, this is an act of genius, just not very much. Circles have been drawn before, my circle presents no great new understandings of the circle, people who see my circle will not be changed in any meaningful way (i.e. – it affecting their actions or thoughts). Many people have written, and had published, novels. These contributions to the world are at a higher level of genius, but each has had a profoundly different influence. Allison Goodman wrote a novel that’s on my shelf of no great import at all. Few will ever read it, and those that do will not find anything greatly distinctive about it. Some genius involved though. Terry Pratchett has written novels of great importance to many people. Provided you find that sort of humour and social satire pleasing, you must acknowledge the powerful, extensive, and unique contribution he has made. Plenty of genius involved. James Joyce has so many essays written about his four central works that printed they would be over 2000 times longer than his actual body of writing. For every word he wrote, someone has written 2000 words about it. His influence on the English language, the teaching of English, human understanding of their own basic functions, observations on life, death, and dreaming, is massively important, bringing new concepts and processes to our world. This equates to being very high on the genius scale.
Murakami (Who you’ll remember as my recommended reading for this month) writes that a theory may be considered worth pursuing solely on the basis of a lack of counter-evidence. So provide me with some, dear readers, and I won’t blab on about my genius-o-meter any more.

Tim asked me the other day what my top 5 albums for the year are. i.e. Albums that have been released in 2006. It’s still only half-way, yes, bu some pretty strong contenders are emerging. So, in order:

1. The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday


2. The Strokes – First impressions of Earth


3. Augie March – Moo, You Bloody Choir


4. The Flaming Lips – At War with the Mystics


5. The Arctic Monkeys – Whatever people say I am that’s what I’m not

Very close contenders for the coveted spots for me included Pearl Jam’s latest, the Raconteurs album Broken Boy Soldiers, Fourth Floor Collapse’s utterly flooring (sorry) set Books with Broken Spines, The Grates album, and Morrissey’s return to form on Ringleader of the Tormentors. I’m still undecided about the Jose Gonzalez album, the Mates of State album and the Gnarls Barkley album. All too recent releases to judge properly. In conclusion, it’s been a good 6 months of
Music.
Oh, and I know that Separation Sunday is very technically a 2005 album, but it was only released legally in Australia in 2006. So it counts for me.

While I’m constructing pointless rankings, my top 10 songs of the year look like this:

1. “Trains to Brazil”, Guillemots


2. “Steady As She Goes”, the Raconteurs


3. “Cattle and the Creeping Things”, the Hold Steady


4. “The Cold Acre”, Augie March


5. “Drink til You Drown”, Fourth Floor Collapse


6. “Ghosts have the Best Times”, the Panda Band


7. “Mardy Bum”, the Arctic Monkeys


8. “Vision of Division”, The Strokes


9. “How a resurrection really feels”, The Hold Steady


10. “Alibi”, the Mountain Goats

But so many missed out on that list, for no good reason really. It’s a difficult, difficult time for us all, list making time.

If you haven’t already, I strongly suggest taking around 30 minutes of your time and booking in a session to read Kafka’s “In the Penal Colony”. It’s as absorbing as it is disturbing, and it’s very much both. If it doesn’t make you think for a considerable time, one of us is lying.
A free and legal copy can be found here:
http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/kafka/inthepenalcolony.htm

Now comment, bitches, by all means. What are your top album releases for 2006? What do you think of Kafka? Throw my genius theory askew. Let’s banter.