I have been thinking about this term during the last few days. It's an overused term, and I'm trying to figure out what it means to me.
Who would I call a genius? I see many works and strokes of genius. I think major artists at some point, usually in their youth, will hit a stride, a super pace where they are unstoppable; where they often create their defining works. I think part of this process is knowing you are in that zone.
Bowie, Prince, Elton John, Springsteen, Dylan get into the zone and ran with it. Then you the Beatles, the Stones who shaped generations with their output. The thing with Beatles/ Stones is that this is a collective genius. I don't know if I think of Paul McCartney as a genius. But I certainly think the Beatles work, of which he was a major contributor is genius. Or some of the Stone cuts from the Golden Era - the fusion of Mick and Keith was glorious.
But now I see that maybe it's just the impact of the songs that creates the genius. Or the fusion of individuals that was genius of fate.
What made me start thinking about 'genius' at all was Ween. We don't talk about them near enough. I don't even know how well they are known in Europe. But these two guys are simply amazing. I normally do not like musicians who will flit around from style to style. But they just do it so well. They are top, top songwriters. They have many beautiful songs that rank with Beatles tunes IMO. They can rock, shred, country, goof - but it's always convincing.
I apologize; I know this is a ramble. I am just scratching the surface of a topic, and am not making much sense. Plus I haven't touched on musicians from other styles and eras. I haven't touched on anything outside of music.
I ma trying to get an understanding what genius is. Any input?

Some people are born gifted Geniuses they show signs of it at a very early age and thats even before they can read and write and the cool thing about Geniuses is it doesn't matter if ya had a good education or even an education at all.

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ColonialstoneNZ
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the famous definition of "genius" is "1% inspiration and 99% perspiration"

but i don't think that's correct.

that's more of a definition of "success"

its the "inspiration" part , the "creativity" part, that defines "genius" and
that is a very mysterious subject in the social sciences.

its what keith calls picking it up on his antenna. like its always been there
but nobody's put their dial just right. until somebody does.

it is related to the natural hallucinogen that everybody produces in their
pineal gland, DMT. creative types seem to produce more of it.

but that's only a half-answer at best. because its not as though everybody
who takes DMT comes back from their trip with anything artistically viable.
most come back with just strange and pretty cliches and nonsense.

so what "geniuses" seem to do is come back, so to speak, from tripping on
their own DMT with something that was just out of reach. like it had been
sitting there ready to be discovered, and the world was sitting there ready, or
at least almost ready, to accept it. to love it in fact.

so its sort of a matter of timing. get there too soon and you're not a genius,
you're just crazy.

that's why something like "exile" took so long to sink in. it was a little
too strange, a little too advanced. until the world caught up, and then it
was just right.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2012-02-09 13:26 by superrevvy.

okay, so i guess i've solved the problem.

this is what a "genius" is:

an individual with 1) a high-level of DMT, plus 2) a skill set that allows them
to capture the new things they see or hear on DMT, plus 3) an intense desire to
delight and thrill others with what they've captured, so the "genius" shapes it
with his or her skill set just right.

next question.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-02-09 13:41 by superrevvy.

Quote
Palace Revolution 2000
I have been thinking about this term during the last few days.

the cool thing about these genius folks is that it would only take them a few seconds and then they'd move onto something else...

...Not quite.

check the thoughts of Elizabeth Gilbert on the matter; especialy from 6.00 onwards - (a.o.) the meaning of 'genius' in ancient (Greek) times... the days that originated the concept in the first place.

GENIUS

(For non-English speakers: there's loads of subtitles available with that video.)

genius
n pl
1. a person with exceptional ability, esp of a highly original kind
2. such ability or capacity Mozart's musical genius
3. the distinctive spirit or creative nature of a nation, era, language, etc.
4. a person considered as exerting great influence of a certain sort an evil genius
5. (Myth & Legend / Classical Myth & Legend) Roman myth
a. the guiding spirit who attends a person from birth to death
b. the guardian spirit of a place, group of people, or institution
6. (Myth & Legend / Non-European Myth & Legend) Arabic myth (usually plural) a demon; jinn



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-02-10 02:12 by tatters.

In the rock era, collective of the Stones and Beatles. Then you have Brian Wilson, Dylan, Aretha. There are alot of great artists - Stevie, Marvin, Sly - but not too many I would call geniuses. Geniuses are that one thing that is unstoppable, like they were destined to exist in our time, that kind of thing, a force of nature, I would even put Michael Jackson in that category.
Everything around them is just peripheral.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-02-10 03:28 by stupidguy2.

i use the term very little. only musicians i've ever used that term for are prince, dylan, brian wilson, sly stone, stevie wonder and maybe once for ray davies

Thanks for all the answers so far. Especially stupidguy2; "unstoppable"; that is great.

"only musicians i've ever used that term for are prince, dylan, brian wilson, sly stone, stevie wonder and maybe once for ray davies"

Make that Dylan, "Bird" and Hendrix?
The other names you quoted are filed under "very talented" no?

Besides myself I think of Dylan Lennon and my wife that can stand livin with one...

2 1 2 0

these guys