tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post1599351943792385081..comments2024-03-22T05:48:33.690-07:00Comments on Uncensored John Simon: LapsesJohn Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876490457067235124noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-75344112975214603442018-10-18T11:21:32.756-07:002018-10-18T11:21:32.756-07:00Amazon has copies. Good book.Amazon has copies. Good book.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-13440019438101192162018-10-16T18:59:27.199-07:002018-10-16T18:59:27.199-07:00I believe John Simon's Paradigms Lost, which I...I believe John Simon's Paradigms Lost, which I remember as very amusing and instructive, is out of print. It should be reissued, at least in a Kindle or other e-book edition, with an updated Preface. The same for some of Simon's books of film, theatre and literary criticism. Xenophonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09664620430604622777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-68660812874539369012018-09-17T20:23:52.611-07:002018-09-17T20:23:52.611-07:00We, the working class plebeians , lack your erudit...We, the working class plebeians , lack your erudition. Yours seems like an elite club.I am not your sort of chap but I will never give up trying to be a better uhhh English Language Expresser ? Anyway you can count on me for not using phrases like " The Tight End caught the Screen Pass and then literally flew down the field ! "Dag Nabbithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07144902591127113747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-6919509292533935482018-09-06T02:09:37.683-07:002018-09-06T02:09:37.683-07:00I was privileged to be personally corrected by Mr....I was privileged to be personally corrected by Mr. Simon himself when I wrote "click on the below link" (which should be "the link below" -- too bad, I love the sound of "the above link").<br /><br />Speaking of populism & its manifestations, I highly recommend a book titled 'S.T.P.' by Robert Greenfield, about the Rolling Stones' 1972 North American tour:<br /><br />https://www.amazon.com/S-t-p-Journey-Through-America-Rolling/dp/0306811995noochinatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12584058407655395128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-31828612122033247192018-08-31T08:23:49.902-07:002018-08-31T08:23:49.902-07:00Raise your pointers!
What Simon says, goes;
But ...Raise your pointers!<br /><br />What Simon says, goes; <br />But when Simon goes, what?<br />Without his strictures prim,<br />Hell like Scriptures grim?<br /><br />Armies of wailing theirshees,<br />Ze of zir own singularities: <br />Cavalries of grammar impure,<br />Our John's Calvary ensure?<br /><br />But he will resurrect! <br />Simon's sermons we'll collect! <br />In one smart volume bound, <br />In every hostel found!Scott Whittakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03968186273740791074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-46512260666588162502018-08-30T05:26:57.931-07:002018-08-30T05:26:57.931-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Scott Whittakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03968186273740791074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-39894644404092488652018-08-28T09:34:16.317-07:002018-08-28T09:34:16.317-07:00Mr. Simon is the first violin on the Titanic's...Mr. Simon is the first violin on the Titanic's orchestra, bowing out that Paganini sonata as the ships lists and spills out its cargo.Mark Woldinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07753964314504524027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-76804896436644710222018-08-28T09:32:37.179-07:002018-08-28T09:32:37.179-07:00I don't see anything wrong with these -- not e...I don't see anything wrong with these -- not even aha moment. I guess 45 years of John Simon hasn't been enough.Mark Woldinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07753964314504524027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-83264541805883333672018-08-26T16:07:43.293-07:002018-08-26T16:07:43.293-07:00What about "aha moment", "very dysf...What about "aha moment", "very dysfunctional", "seriously though". Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01475256535178054494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-57726636244642657902018-08-26T16:06:57.512-07:002018-08-26T16:06:57.512-07:00What about "aha moment", "very dysf...What about "aha moment", "very dysfunctional", "seriously though". Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01475256535178054494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-56663934262848063962018-08-25T15:20:43.136-07:002018-08-25T15:20:43.136-07:00The only true universal language is music, which h...The only true universal language is music, which happens to be one of my areas of expertise. Simon (or you) could only dream of playing the classical guitar the way I do. However, I don't disparage you or him because of that lack of knowledge. In his essay, Simon seems to ridicule people who don't communicate with ALL the proper rules of grammar. My point was, you don't have to be exact with everything to be able to get your point across effectively. And, that people like him (professional writers) have had years of training which most of us haven't. Yes, it's preferable not to sound like a complete hillbilly, but a mistake here or there doesn't matter in the real world.<br /><br />There are over 6500 spoken languages in the world today. If I only spoke Mandarin, and you only spoke English, we'd still find a way to communicate. I'd give you a peck on the cheek.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-28375248851818541732018-08-25T14:03:54.098-07:002018-08-25T14:03:54.098-07:00Partridge called himself a New Zealander, I believ...Partridge called himself a New Zealander, I believe. I have a few of his books, but the unprepossessing book jackets don't indicate. I know he lived England after his university education, but since we are being precise ...Mark Woldinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07753964314504524027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-49094648582166071182018-08-25T13:59:45.552-07:002018-08-25T13:59:45.552-07:00No, I don't get the idea. Language is what we...No, I don't get the idea. Language is what we all share. Language is what we all have and use. Who does not use language every day, every waking hour, and even in sleep at times. We sometimes talk in our sleep. <br />Mathematics is a theoretical tool. One can live his whole life without using mathematics, with the sole exceptions of counting money or telling time. <br />Those who are deaf use language; those who are deaf and blind use language; those who are deaf, mute and blind use language. <br />So it's not at all like plumbing or even driving a car. I have lived most of my life without doing any plumbing (where I lived the plumbing always worked, and when it didn't one called the plumber. I was 30 before I knew what a washer was.) Nowadays it's very hard to work on one's car because it's all electrical or if it's combustion you can't reach the oil filter.<br />So in that sense language is the only thing, really, that we all share. We are called Homo sapiens but might as well be called Homo linguens.Mark Woldinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07753964314504524027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-91787256720069483022018-08-23T13:21:45.108-07:002018-08-23T13:21:45.108-07:00Thanks for mentioning the Young Fogey blog, it loo...Thanks for mentioning the Young Fogey blog, it looks like a good one:<br /><br />http://www.patheos.com/blogs/youngfogey/noochinatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12584058407655395128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-64284676068176496422018-08-22T01:11:13.724-07:002018-08-22T01:11:13.724-07:00Mr. Simon points out the "old crone" red...Mr. Simon points out the "old crone" redundancy:<br /><br />"“old geezer“ appears to be less frequent than “old crone.” This has to do with geezer being a less well known word than crone, less often heard (partly because it lacks that seductive assonance) and thus considered less guilty."<br /><br />I recently and adventitiously met with the blog of an up-and-coming (I cringe to think Simon might disapprove of that term too) good writer, one Esther O'Reilly, who calls her blog "Young Fogey".<br />Hesperadohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10394374828751466705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-80368720667011655382018-08-20T13:58:14.949-07:002018-08-20T13:58:14.949-07:00I enjoyed this essay and I agree with it, but most...I enjoyed this essay and I agree with it, but most people didn't major in English or Comparative Literature. We're computer programmers, plumbers, salesmen, musicians, taxi drivers, and other such workers. We know enough of the proper ways to speak and write to get by, but we're not full-blown experts. We're not professional writers or speakers. <br /><br />What if mathematicians held everyone around them to their high standards when it comes to numbers? I'm sure Simon has heard of E=mc squared and is familiar with the concepts, but it's probable that he doesn't know much else in the field of physics. I know enough about math so that I can balance my checkbook, but I don't remember much else beyond the basics.<br /><br />The average person can take photos without any problems, but could they work for National Geographic? No, they understand the basics, but they're not an authority. I'm sure historians know quite a bit more about the past than I do. That's what they do. I know a few of the important dates, but I'm nothing compared to them. I don't do it for a living.<br /><br />Anyway, like I said before, everyone has their area of expertise. People that studied writing, writers and communication for years are going to be more adept at the nuances in that particular field.<br /><br />You get the idea.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-82363995439627023382018-08-20T13:16:17.364-07:002018-08-20T13:16:17.364-07:00Folkin' eh?
A geezer is just an old man to me...Folkin' eh?<br /><br />A geezer is just an old man to me, <br />Possibly shaking a cane angrily;<br />In thinking more Grimm, a crone, <br />Than a senior gal, am I alone?<br /><br />And not a pout-frown or a holler, <br />By any street-cred or Rhodes scholar,<br />Whatever skin, the sam (sic) pallor,<br />Upon ear-y contact with "people of color"? Scott Whittakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03968186273740791074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752457333383090137.post-30042107213324610772018-08-20T12:58:47.627-07:002018-08-20T12:58:47.627-07:00Back to school.Back to school.Joe Carlsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10925042164233399553noreply@blogger.com