Gillian Martin, WKCP-FM

July 26, 2009

Gillian Martin
WKCP-FM
330 SW 2nd Street #207
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33312

RE: “Ignorance madam, pure ignorance.”

Ms. Martin,

Try to imagine Beethoven’s 5th without the Da Da Dum opening line. Without it, quien sabe, the Hun might still be in Paris.

On Saturday, July 11th, ca. 10:45 AM, you mentioned the old joke about a dog walking on its hind legs. “It’s not a question of how well it does it but why does it do it all.”

#1 – It wasn’t a joke.
#2 – You left out the opening line.

Samuel Johnson, the original Dr. J., was making a point about what he thought was impossibility. “A woman preaching” is like a dog walking on its hind legs changes the joke into a maxim

You are neither a blockish blowze nor a hoyden, perhaps a bit sciolous and giving to vendidation with an eye to the Holy Grail of being a virago, so I shall refrain from calling you a jobbernowl.

Full disclosure requires that I tell you that Johnson had a tin ear. His friends arranged for a private concert by noted artists. At the end of it he was unmoved. When being told how difficult it was to play the instruments well he replied, “Difficult? I wish it was impossible.”

I sense that you are unfamiliar with Johnson. Imagine someone who loves the cello but has never heard of Bach. Go and find him. Great pleasure and greater wisdom await.


Kevin Smith