By Jack Canfora “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the … E Pluribus Screw ‘Em
Author Archives: Jack Canfora
A Sudden Glory:Thoughts On Humor
Like anything else humans are or do, humor is equally equipped to salve or savage, to poison or purify, to nurse wounds or grudges. But please, rest assured I will in no way attempt to explain the nature of comedy, or what makes something “funny.”
ONE OF THE MANY REASONS I’M NOT INVITED TO A LOT OF PARTIES
“HOW HARD IT IS TO BE SIMPLE!” – VINCENT VAN GOGH, IN A LETTER TO HIS BROTHER, THEO I start with this quote not merely to lend my post an unearned credibility by associating it with the sentiments of a genius, but because I find it an amazingly true insight into creativity and, ugh, I’llContinue reading “ONE OF THE MANY REASONS I’M NOT INVITED TO A LOT OF PARTIES”
Some Cliched Advice About Avoiding Cliches
Back in the waning days of the Coolidge Administration, I was but a young lad training to be a Shakespearean actor in London. We were taught by a man who presented himself in a way that suggested God decided to see just exactly how brilliantly quirky, quirkily brilliant and eccentrically, quintessentially ENGLISH a theater artistContinue reading “Some Cliched Advice About Avoiding Cliches”
I Didn’t Read The News Today, Oh Boy!
Why No News Is Sometimes Good News In my experience, there is only one true way to tackle a diet: failingly. This perhaps explains why I am becoming the answer to the seldom asked philosophical question, “What would Orson Welles have looked like if he weren’t a genius?” Having said that, I’m happy to reportContinue reading “I Didn’t Read The News Today, Oh Boy!”
A Sudden Glory
Funny is more than serious: it’s essential.
Hey There, Strangers!
Why I’ve Been Gone For So Long, And Why It’s Totally FINE You Didn’t Notice. Seriously. It feels like a long time since I’ve posted on here; it’s likely you, with your busy lives crammed with saving democracy, binging various food-themed shows, and (if you’re like me) binging on actual food haven’t noticed my absence,Continue reading “Hey There, Strangers!”
This Year, Let’s Keep The Days Out Of The Holidays
In a way, 2020 robbed us of our sense of community: time with our friends and family, the rubbing elbows with our neighbors and peers. But in a deeper sense, it’s given us a chance to reevaluate our priorities and sense of what constitutes our community, and where we fit in it. What we contribute to it, and how it enriches the quality of our lives.
Writing = Rejection
To be an artist or writer means to become intimately acquainted with rejection.
The Witty One
The Late, Great Johnny Ace John Lennon was 40 when he was killed; that murder took place 40 years ago today. Walter posted beautifully earlier about Lennon, but I figured if there were an artist worthy of two posts, it was, as Paul Simon called him, “The Late, Great Johnny Ace.” I spent most ofContinue reading “The Witty One”