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• Dorothy Moore wrote on November 03, 2009 report

  It's so interesting--and such a relief--to hear the voice of reason about the collective ideas we hold about both genius and mental illness. As the family member of a person whose has cycled in and out of a lot of these kinds of diagnoses, I've made my own private, and often contrarian observations, which I was delighted to find reflected in statements like, "Before psychiatry made everything a [reimbur$able] flaw, "cyclothymic" people were simply considered "moody"; they didn't suffer from any inherent mental disorder. When people experienced negative life events, they were able to panic, rant, rail at the gods, weep, and even act bizarrely for a bit without incurring a dark diagnosis that subsequently followed them to the grave (and beyond)," and "Think, folks: is it really "proof" of pathology when someone who has an angry, public, drunken outburst becomes withdrawn and depressed afterward? How about humiliation and shame as logical reasons to hide?"
  
  My guy may not be a 'genius,' however we define that, but he is one of those larger than-life personalities for whom "crazy like a fox" is standard operating procedure. And you know what? No matter what happens, how bad or good it gets, he loves his life. I suspect it's because he feels every bit of it so intensely. And isn't that what we expect of our artist/geniuses, so that they can communicate some of that intensity to the rest of us 'normals' through their work?
  
  I don't know. Maybe we need to label (and thereby, somehow to 'reduce') our genius artists because we envy their inner freedom to feel, to act, to create in ways that we cannot or dare not?

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  Dr. Judith Schlesinger wrote on November 03, 2009 report

  Thanks for the incisive comments, Dorothy. Intensity can be very intimidating - particularly to the non-intense! - but that doesn't make it crazy. Meanwhile, the urge to reduce geniuses to mortal level is definitely part of the motivation for labelling them. Many people enjoy the sight of icons falling off their pedestals (see, for instance, any episode of "Behind the Music"). There's also less reason to envy their talent when you believe they have to suffer so terribly for it. So although there's no real scientific basis for it, the mad genius idea serves too many functions for it to go away.

• Bill Gibson wrote on February 28, 2010 report

  I appreciate Dr. Judith Schlesinger's review. I think Monk was playing his version of mad genius to those watching. Recall Miles ranted racist comments about "whitey" to reporters while working closely and on good terms with white musicians and producers.
  The review contains some errors about mental illness. One meaning of hypo is under, but it can also mean smaller or minor. Hypo-manics still can have manic periods, but they are typically of less severity. I know. Real mania can be very destructive to things and people and there's no good evidence of that in Monk's case. His musicians for example were extremely loyal. If he was manic, some would not have been able to stick around. If he was manic he probably would have quite music many times only to eventually return, but he never left it. The review says lithium WAS the drug of choice to treat mania. It still is the first choice for patients who do not have kidney problems. Finally, it is said mentally ill people are less likely to be violent. No. I have reviewed the statistics. Mentally ill people are no more or less likely to be violent except for those with schizophrenia who are slightly more likely to become violent if symptomatic and especially if using drugs like alcohol, cocaine or meth.
  Some might think I'd wish Monk had been bi-polar. It makes no difference at all to appreciating his music.

• Max Garner wrote on March 02, 2012 report

  Excellent piece!
  For anyone interested, there is a new one-act play making its world premiere this month in Baltimore: SPHERE: THE THELONIOUS MONK STORY. It runs March 10th through 25th at Arena Players.
  Specific dates, times, and directions to the theater at
  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/228836