In this day of list obsession, I thought I might write down the top 10 things that have influenced my life (not necessarily in this order):
1. Women - first my Mother, then girlfriends and now my Wife of 35 years.
2. The I Ching or Book of Changes: for teaching my young mind about the meaning of life, our relationship to nature and the timescale of the Universe. (some judicious use of marijuana might have helped..)
3. Tai-Chi - for teaching my body how to move.. although it doesn't seem to move as well as it did.
4. Bob Dylan - because I wanted to be him when I was 18.. nothing much has changed.
5. Leonard Cohen - for saying on stage in London when he was 70: "I was last here 10 year ago - just a kid with a crazy dream." ..and making 5 decades of sublime songs..
6. JS Bach & other classical music - beyond what I can understand.
7. Edward Weston (Photographer) - his Daybooks offer inspiration to any Artist in any field..
8. Clint Eastwood - For making one of my all time favourite movies: The Outlaw Josie Wales.. A Real Man... maybe I wanted to be him and not Bob Dylan.
9. Nelson Mandela - for proving you don't have to be bitter and vengeful in the face of oppression.. and.. saving an entire country from mayhem.
10. All Writers who have "something to say" and.. say it so the rest of us understand a little more..especially if they are entertaining at the same time (no mean feat)..
So go on, let's hear the Top 10 from the Mad Members of the Morgan Forum.. Cars not allowed!
Oliver S.
