On our morning rides, Jeff Wong and I pass one point that has recently been covered with geese resting on their migration south. We've been wondering why here? and Why a "V"?
Turns out the theories about this have changed over time. This fascinating article reminds me of the great Simon Frith essay, "Why Do Songs Have Words?" Frith posited that pop song lyrics teach the young men of our decidedly unpoetic era the language of courtship.
Mohsin Hamid, author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, was asked on a book tour, "So tell me, sir. Why do they hate us?" Having spent half his life in America, the Pakistani writer had to think about who "us" and "they" were. This fine essay is the result of that thinking.
I think it's because he's a dangerous psychotic who probably has about a zillion injunctions forbidding him anywhere close to children. . . . Wait, was that a trick question?
I do believe in copyright and I do believe that creators deserve to benefit from their creations. However, very few works of literature remain popular even 20 years after their creation–and the current standard, recently extended by another 20 years, merely prevents legitimate uses, such as this case, where James Joyce's grandson is being pompous little pimple about who is "worthy" to write about his uncle.
Because you get websites like Paul's Boutique Samples and References List, which, of course, attempts to codify every sample, quote, and homage from the Beastie Boys album Paul's Boutique. Probably more than you ever wanted to know, but (IMO) that's what makes it so cool: It was done out of love, pure and simple.