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RE: (TV) Sensitivity/Bizarre Best Buy



Re:  "The VHI special on the 100 greatest rock albums, shown at least ten times, and the related advertising of "Marquee Moon" by US chain store Best Buy has sparked enough interest in Television to bring forth a
tour."

Has anyone seen or heard about this Best Buy "related advertising" of Marquee Moon?  It seems more than a bit bizarre.

Leo

-----Original Message-----
From: secretX@webtv.net [mailto:secretX@webtv.net]
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2001 4:15 AM
To: tv@obbard.com
Subject: (TV) Sensitivity


The VHI special on the 100 greatest rock albums, shown at least ten
times, and the related advertising of "Marquee Moon" by US chain store
Best Buy has sparked enough interest in Television to bring forth a
tour.

Since I, perhaps irresponsibly, brought up the topic of paranoia, I will
attempt to destigmatize it. Paranoia is a form of hyper-sensitivity or
heightened awareness. The most extreme type of this sensitivity occurs
in musicians and poets, according to a 1984 study by the University of
California. The study established a strong statistical link between
paranoia and creative genius. The very factors that produce paranoia
inspire a genius to channel his sensitivity and vulnerability into
positive outlets. The genius who experiences frequent dreams and
nightmares is said to have "thin boundaries". He is open and
defenseless, not having the psychological protections most people have.
Unable to toss off everyday annoyances that others would ignore, he
experiences the world more directly and painfully than others. That is
why he lashes out so passionately. "Neuroscientists speculate that one
source of paranoia is the brain circuit that detects when something is
awry. If this circuit misfires, the feeling that something's wrong may
occur, causing the person to search for an explanation when there's none
to be found. The person attaches huge significance to bits of trivia."
Tom turns bits of trivia into magnificent songs. He's well aware of his
hyper-sensitivity. People have been pointing it out to him all his life.
He told me he saw faces at the window when he was a child, and after
that he had to sleep in a windowless room. He realizes that his
sensitivity and the resulting "tactlessness" (his word) sometimes get
him into trouble. (It's not indiscreet for me to tell you this. He said
it into my tape recorder and he knew it would be published.) I seldom
thought his paranoia was a  problem. I didn't try to calm him or soothe
him. I never said, "Mellow out." Instead I tried to push his paranoia to
the limit. I prodded him and I provoked him so that his music would be
raw and screaming. That's how I like it. Was I being cruel? No, because
he knew I was only joking. Tom has a great sense of humor and he is man
enough to play with his own paranoia and to read about it in the press
and laugh. That's what I failed to convey to you before when I mentioned
paranoia. He has an unusual sense of humor. It was mutual provocation.
If I sent him insulting notes about his paranoia or about his high &
mighty attitude ("You're too steep", "You're not so smooth, Buddy") he'd
turn them into tunes. (By the way, if a songwriter quotes you in a song
are you entitled to a credit? It was Bryan Ferry's use of the words
"This case is closed" that Tom was sensitive about, and a chirping
bird.) He is able to laugh at insults and provocations and use them to
his advantage. He is not a wimp. My favorite examples of
hyper-sensitivity pushed to the edge are "Tom Verlaine", "Flashlight",
"Dreamtime", "Cover". "Call Mr. Lee" involves secrecy and codes, two of
his favorite subjects which are important in the realm of creative
paranoia. I'm reminiscing here. I haven't tried to provoke him in years,
unless this qualifies (this is tame).

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