Tracing Quotations
Neil Gaiman? Jerry Garcia? Elizabeth McCracken? Robert Burton? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I have heard two fascinating adages about artistic style: Both statements were made by the prominent fantasist Neil Gaiman who writes short stories, novels, comic books, and screenplays. Yet, Gaiman credited both phrases to acclaimed guitarist Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Style Is the Stuff You Get Wrong”
Jerry Garcia? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Celebrities often use their charisma to highlight social or environmental movements. The prominent guitarist Jerry Garcia of “The Grateful Dead” rock band advocated for the preservation of the world’s rain forests, and he apparently spoke with a mixture of candor, humility, and sadness about his involvement: Someone has to …
Continue reading “Somebody Has To Do Something. . . It Seems Pathetic That It Has To Be Us”