I got turned on to Jimmy Breslin when I read his novel Table Money many years ago. Later, I read his biography of Damon Runyon — a real masterpiece in my opinion. I was looking forward to his new book about Eppolito and Carracappa, the crooked NYPD homicide detectives. I didn’t see how it could miss but it turned out to be a disappointment. There are, however, some interesting ideas…
Breslin says he can hardly stand to be around “legitimate” people anymore because they’re so goddamned boring. Specifically he cites Warren Buffett as the “second richest and first most boring person in the world.” Breslin says if he had to listen to Buffett talk for twenty minutes he would go out of his mind…
But does that mean listening to Warren Buffett can make us better poets? Is it possible, from a creative perspective, to go out of your mind “in a good way” by listening to Warren Buffett? Rimbaud prescribed “zee systematique derangement of zee senses,” non? So how hard are you willing to work in order to be a great writer? How much are you willing to risk? Ask yourself those questions and then click (or don’t) on the clip below. (It’s only ten minutes, well under Breslin’s limit.) You’ll hear Warren Buffett say things like, “The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they’re too heavy to be broken.” He’s a great Polonius, plus whatever else. You’ll get your money’s worth! (yuk yuk!)
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Author: The Best American Poetry
