Caution: Brush With Greatness

[shereads]

"I was studying at a small school of architecture back East. Frank Lloyd Wright came to there to speak. Afterward, I waited to speak to him because I was an admirer of his. Wright told me, 'You'll never be an architect because you go to school in a shoe factory.' Then he hit me with his cane."

~ Anonymous architect, quoted in a Lonely Planet Guidebook

 

[neonlyte]

FLW was not a happy man. Legends abound of his mistreatment of students and clients. He had his own 'school' in the Arizona desert - Taliesin.

Favourite FLW quotes.

"Clear out 800,000 people and preserve it as a museum piece." - on Boston

"Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose honest arrogance and have seen no occasion to change."

"I feel coming on a strange disease -- humility."

 

[shereads]

"I feel coming on a strange disease -- humility."

Poor bastard. No wonder he was so cranky.

 

[Seattle Zack]

(True story, 1984)

During my college days, I was driving cab to make ends meet. One time, I had to deliver some Important Legal Documents to a firm in San Francisco ... it was a great fare, $150 to drive a file folder up to the City from Santa Cruz. I had to get a signature, so I couldn;t just leave it.

So I get there, and park, and get in the elevator with this incredibly hairy man. He was wearing a light blue polo shirt, hair poking through everywhere. We rode up in the elevator silently together, me going to the 44th floor with this folder.

Finally, I got up the courage to ask, "Aren't you Robin Williams?"

He said, "Why yes, I am."

"Would you give me an autograph?

"An autograph is so impersonal ... how about a quaalude?"

So that's my brush with greatness. I once got a quaalude from Robin Williams in a San Francisco elevator.

 

[Guest]

(True story, 1984)

During my college days, I was driving cab to make ends meet. One time, I had to deliver some Important Legal Documents to a firm in San Francisco ... it was a great fare, $150 to drive a file folder up to the City from Santa Cruz. I had to get a signature, so I couldn;t just leave it.

So I get there, and park, and get in the elevator with this incredibly hairy man. He was wearing a light blue polo shirt, hair poking through everywhere. We rode up in the elevator silently together, me going to the 44th floor with this folder.

Finally, I got up the courage to ask, "Aren't you Robin Williams?"

He said, "Why yes, I am."

"Would you give me an autograph?

"An autograph is so impersonal ... how about a quaalude?"

So that's my brush with greatness. I once got a quaalude from Robin Williams in a San Francisco elevator.

great story!

 

[impressive]

"Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose honest arrogance and have seen no occasion to change."

"I had no choice, Olgivanna. I was under oath." - Frank Lloyd Wright, immediately after a court appearance when he was asked his "occupation" and answered saying he was "the worlds greatest architect" - Oligvanna his wife was present in the courthouse and chided him on the answer.

 

[ABSTRUSE]

"I was studying at a small school of architecture back East. Frank Lloyd Wright came to there to speak. Afterward, I waited to speak to him because I was an admirer of his. Wright told me, 'You'll never be an architect because you go to school in a shoe factory.' Then he hit me with his cane."

~ Anonymous architect, quoted in a Lonely Planet Guidebook

And that young man turned out to be SubJoe.

 

[R. Richard]

Think what FLW might have accomplished if it had not been for the unfortunate attack of humility!

 

[shereads]

(True story, 1984)

During my college days, I was driving cab to make ends meet. One time, I had to deliver some Important Legal Documents to a firm in San Francisco ... it was a great fare, $150 to drive a file folder up to the City from Santa Cruz. I had to get a signature, so I couldn;t just leave it.

So I get there, and park, and get in the elevator with this incredibly hairy man. He was wearing a light blue polo shirt, hair poking through everywhere. We rode up in the elevator silently together, me going to the 44th floor with this folder.

Finally, I got up the courage to ask, "Aren't you Robin Williams?"

He said, "Why yes, I am."

"Would you give me an autograph?

"An autograph is so impersonal ... how about a quaalude?"

So that's my brush with greatness. I once got a quaalude from Robin Williams in a San Francisco elevator.

I hope you preserved it. That's a beautiful story. It's got me all emotional now...I met Mister Rogers in a parking lot once, and I thought we bonded. I realize now that it was meaningless to him, or he would have given me some of whatever he was on.

 

[shereads]

"Cocaine is God's way of telling you you have too much money." ~ Robin Williams

 

[rgraham666]

He would know.

 

[Subo97]

"Where are you from, son?"

Back in the early 70's I took a three year break from college to join the army, where I went to Germany to serve on an Army newspaper. In between Watergate and Reagan, Alexander Haig was made Commander of NATO. I spent a day with him, flying around the German countryside and taking his picture while he inspected missile batteries (no, not energizer-that's what they call artillery companies ). At every stop we made, he would inspect the troops, ask where they were from: "Iowa, Sir." Haig would reply, "I really like popcorn." or some platitude appropriate to the trooper's geographic status. I learned a lot about his eating habits that day. I wanted to ask him why he didn't shoot Nixon, but my Top Seargeant said he'd make me suffer if I did. I regret my cowardice ever since.

 

[amicus]

Biographical Sketch
Philip Gordon Wylie was born in Beverly, Mass., in 1902. He attended Princeton University during 1920-1923. A writer of fiction and nonfiction, his output included hundreds of short stories, articles, serials, syndicated newspaper columns, novels, and works of social criticism. He also wrote screenplays while in Hollywood, was an editor for Farrar & Rinehart, served on the Dade County (Fla.) Defense Council, was a director of the Lerner Marine Laboratory, and at one time was a special advisor to the chairman of the Joint Committee for Atomic Energy. Most of his major writings contain critical, though often philosophical, views on man and society as a result of his studies and interest in psychology, biology, ethnology, and physics. He died in 1971.


Philip Wylie wrote, among other things, "Essay on Morals", and "When Worlds Collide"; "After Worlds Collide"

Mr. Wylie, along with his daughter, ran a 'Sea World' kind of tourist attraction in Honolulu, in the 1960's.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Wylie as I was a great fan of his Science Fiction collaboration (later made into a movie) and his work, Essay on Morals.

It was not a long interview, perhaps fifteen minutes; he was very remote and seemed depressed.

He was not hopeful concerning the survival of humanity. in terms of the Cold War and Nuclear Weapons.

He questioned me as to why I was enthusiastic about the future and it was not an easy answer as the man was very educated and knowledgable.

I went away from that meeting a little sad that such a great writer had lost faith in the ability of mankind to survive.

Not that it matters....amicus...

 

[shereads]

Biographical Sketch

He questioned me as to why I was enthusiastic about the future and it was not an easy answer as the man was very educated and knowledgable.

I went away from that meeting a little sad that such a great writer had lost faith in the ability of mankind to survive.

Not that it matters....amicus...

Be happy that he didn't hit you with his cane.

 

[shereads]

In between Watergate and Reagan, Alexander Haig was made Commander of NATO.

What a busy boy he was!