[Harp-L] Raconteur: A POLITE WORD FOR LIAR

[The Iceman]

<<his storytelling was very obviously over the top, perhaps because it delighted his audiences and boosted his ego>>

I suppose that some can frame it as "boosting his ego" while others might see it as his love to entertain. Would you consider Red Skelton's love of delighting his audience as ego driven?


-----Original Message-----
From: Slim Heilpern <slim at xxxxx>
To: Richard Hunter <rhunter377 at xxxxx>; harp-l harp-l <harp-l at xxxxx>
Sent: Sun, Nov 11, 2018 10:07 am
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Raconteur: A POLITE WORD FOR LIAR

Thank you Richard for clearly expressing what I’ve long accepted, that if you dismiss someone’s art because their personality or actions aren't as attractive as the music they create, you will be missing out on a lot of wonderful stuff. I think we all strive to create music that is better than we are (at least those of us who admit we are flawed). Also worth remembering that not all the bad things we may read or hear about a famous person are told even-handidly. 

But with respect to Larry Adler (and I haven’t had a chance to listen to the podcast in question), I’ll just say that his storytelling was very obviously over the top, perhaps because it delighted his audiences and boosted his ego. But I grew up listening to his exceptional playing and there’s plenty of musical goodness there. And just like with so many other great talents, I idolize the musicianship, not the person.