Geniuses

The Wednesday Mind Hump from a couple of weeks ago had to do with geniuses. We are asked to name geniuses in a few categories.

Movie director: I think Errol Morris is a genius. I've only seen a few of his movies, but they're impressive for the way that they convey their message. In contrast to documentarians like Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock, Morris' own physical voice is absent but he speaks through his medium nonetheless. (Honorable mention: whoever got that incredible performance out of David Schwimmer in "Band of Brothers." I mean, come on...David Schwimmer?)

Author: Eleanor Taylor Bland. Whenever I read one of her books, I am struck by how real the characters are. Not "realistic"--real. I have never gotten that impression from any other author. I don't know how she does it, but I hope she keeps on doing it. (Honorable mention: Robert Heinlein. Yes, even the later stuff.)

Musician: There are so many, but when a person says "Musical Genius" I say "Prince." It's like when the doctor hits your knee with that little mallet. (Honorable mention: My favorite saxophonist, Eric Dolphy. He played so far out that it was in again.)

Historical figure: Guh. Well, that's kind of broad, don't you think? After all, history goes back a ways. The first person that came to mind was Thomas Jefferson, so let's go with that. He was the architect of the very principles this country was built on, the same principles that Monkey W. Asshole ignores today. He crystallized most of the important ideas of the Revolution; this nation was born due in large part to his writing and thinking. Sounds pretty genius to me. (Honorable mention: Benjamin Franklin.)