"Shame about the comments."
Not really. I remember talking to a religious prosyletizer--soapbox-preacher type--at the University of Maryland a number of years ago. He was being heckled relentlessly by a few students and I wanted to know if he minded. He said, "Oh no. The hecklers are where all the converts come from." His notion was that the hecklers were engaged and passionate; the people who listened silently, shrugged, and wandered away were the ones he wasn't getting through to.
I'm not saying any of the comments here amount to heckling, nor am I saying that Simon's art is something anyone needs to be--or could be--"converted" to. All I'm saying is that rejecting art is a valid way of engaging with it, as far as I'm concerned.
This is from TOP, by Mike Johnson; a comment in the comments section. The idea of any publicity or comment is good, is sort of a cliche of Hollywood, though I had never thought of negative comments about art in this way; as an actual engagement with the art.
An interesting comment, thought provoking for me. Requires more thought.
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