Hi all,

Tonight's South Bank show looks interesting (ITV 11.05pm):

An unusual South Bank Show. Instead of showcasing an artist, here is a film that examines the relationship between madness and art, presented by the psychoanalyst Adam Phillips. Modern society, he suggests, has created a myth about the relationship between madness and creativity that glamorises mental illness and provides an alibi for destructive behaviour, whereas sanity has become equated with boredom and conformity. He believes the sane artist “can include their madness without being overwhelmed by it”.

Apprently this is an introduction to the ideas in Phillips' new book, Going Sane.

Cath

<Added>

This links in with the screwed-up rockstar/actor/whatever thing too. Look at all the attention bloody Pete Doherty is getting!

OK, I'll reply to myself!!

I guess no one caught the programme then? It did raise some interesting issues, although not in depth enough - guess you'd need to read the book for that.

There does seem to be an idea that to create truly great art the artist has to be insane - although, interestingly as the programme pointed out, no one sees Shakespeare as insane.

There was the idea of insanity almost giving people permission to let out the more nonsensical stuff that comes out of our minds if we don't check/censor ourselves. And let's face it, we do all censor ourselves in an effort to conform. No one talks in a stream-of-consciousness kind of way in day-to-day life for fear of being thought of as nutters.

It then looked at the idea that perhaps the sane people are the ones who aren't afraid to let that stuff out.

The glamourisation of insanity was then linked with capitalism. I'm not quite sure how (either it didn't get explained properly or I nipped out to make a cuppa at that point). I think it was too do with fame, though, with certain people standing out as different and more special than the rest of us.

At the end Phillips said that we need to get away from this sanity as glamourous/fame thing to make new true art. And he thought the ones to do this are the poets. That's because poetry doesn't sell, so poets can create their art without worrying about image or what their reader thinks of them.

That's my crude summary, anyway.

Opinions on any of that?

Cath

<Added>

(The Pete Doherty comment on the first post was meant to be down here!!)

Cath,
You know, talking to yourself is meant to be the first sign ; )
I didn't see the programme, sadly. But I did hear the other day that poets and writers are top of the list for losing the plot. I wonder whether it's got anything to do with frustration and the stress involved with trying to make a living out of it..

Els.

Yay! Someone replied! I'm not a Billy-no-mates any more!

But you're right, not doing the anti-madness theory any good by having virtual conversations with myself, am I?

Who said that?!