And that's in every book and comic you've ever read. You're holding the book, you know the ending is already written, there's no way it can change. And yet you're so anxious about what's going to happen to Batman or Pierre or whoever it is.
Yeah! And that's remarkable. And yet, while youre having that big experience, you're still sitting at the bus stop on a bench. What the hell's that? You know what I mean? When I look at stuff this way, then it becomes very interesting. And then to me, every human being has the potential to use this image world, and we do. And it's also this thing that advertisers and the internt — not that there's anyone behind it, it's our species, we're rolling towards this tthing —that's the stuff I feel really plays on our sweet tooth. You know? It convinces us that we can get all our nuttrition from gummy bears, just becuase they look like they're the same color as vegetables. [Laughter] So you don't need this "art" stuff. And it's weird because [art] really is the first thing that's phased out when there are budget cuts, and it's sort of, to me, like phasing out your kidneys, like " I don't know why I have those things, I never use them." So that's the thing — that, and this thing that happens over an over again, that's I meet ppl when I'm traveling, and they don't know what I do, and then I tell them, and they say, "I wish I could draw," or "I wish I could write." And everyone feels that way. And I keep thinking, "Why?" Why. It's an interesting question. It seems obvious at first, but it isn't obvious at all.
No, no one ever says, "Oh, I wish I could sell paint. I've always wanted to sell paint, but I didn't have the gift." But everyone wants to write and to draw. . .
And to sing! That's right. And every two-year-old can do those things. And what's interesting is, his uncle — who might be the crabbiest old dude in the family — if he likes that nephew, he'll do all of them with him. Without hesitation. And then I say to people, "Why do you think that is?" This is the guy who can't draw, but he'll draw with this kid. And he'll sing and make sculptures of blocks to knock over. And I'll say, "Why do you think that is?" And people always say, "Well, children aren't that intimidating." And it's like — [laughter] I don't think it has anything to do with intimidation. I think it has to do with the fact that it's a recognized language that they both speak. And people go right into it. Strangers go right into it, if they like kids. And the image world is somewhere in there, and I don't know if I'm going to live long enough to track this sucker down, you know? [Laughter] But that's how I feel; I feel like I'm this bounty hunter, you know — and I don't know what the bounty wil be. I have a hope. The way I'm trying to figure it out now, I can only do so much on my own, so the way I get closer to it is by teaching and being around people. . . . Didn't somebody ask Leonard Cohen where he got his ideas, and he said that if he knew, he'd go there more often? [Laughter] What I'm trying to do is find a way to get into that place. And I can do it on my own, but it's been really interesting being around other people, trying to show them about it, because it really is just showing somebody where the path is down to the curvy river. And people think I'm a genie at first, and then they realize, no, I just knew where the trailhead was.
