Permission to self-reveal, sir?
"Among the beliefs that he and I shared was a conviction that making public the intimately personal is a revolutionary act in an atomized society where many feel compelled to play so close to the chest that they can't read their own cards. Being emotionally naked before strangers extends to them a permission for self-revelation they badly need if they are to loosen the shackles of their own quiet desperations. It is a blow against the pursuit of loneliness."
John Perry Barlow, a friend of author Spalding Gray (missing and apparently presumed dead), has written some wonderful posts about him.
Via Tom, who equates the quote with weblogging.
My angle would be performance. This quote says something about what an artist can give to his audience. I've probably mentioned before that I'm interested in the psychology of performance, but I want to know more about what drives an artist to get up on a stage.
I'm always interested in reading material about this subject, links to relevant articles are very welcome.
Good story!