So, if you haven't heard the news J. D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye, is dead. He died peacefully in his sleep hidden away in his fortress of solitude (read about it HERE).
Now, based on the title of this article, you might think I'm about to bash the guy and his books. But, I'm not! The Catcher in the Rye is a phenomanal book and it'd be kind of rude to make fun of the guy just for dying.
But, his dead did get me thinking about a topic that I think about quite frequently: the idea of the speed at which things get old. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to say that J. D. Salinger wasn't important or anything like that. What I do mean is that in this digital world where powerful computers pass lots of information back and forth from FUCKING space, ideas seem to come and go... quickly.
When we started The Cherokee Indian, our intention was to make the BEST GAME EVER. Obviously, we failed at that. But, more importantly, I've been thinking more and more that even if it was possible to make the best game ever, it really wouldn't matter that much. It's, like, life moves on and people are still getting older. What you think is going to be a big deal just doesn't seem to matter much in life even a year from now...
In the end, it seems like all anyone artist can do is hope that they make art that really inspires other people. Not everyone will see it (well, probably, most people won't see it), but the work has to get finished to begin with and you have to have faith that what you're doing will appeal to people.
If you're lucky when you die, you'll be able to have an impact so big that you'll be able to read about yourself on Yahoo news from the fiery pits of hell.
(That was a joke by the way.)
I have yet to read a book with more intricate symbolism then ' The Catcher in the Rye. " RIP
Really? Are you a big reader? What other stuff have you read?
The Great Gatsby was pretty heavy in it.
But, yeah, The Catcher is phenominal!