April Fools: Genius or a Fool

Jonatha Brooke: Genius or a Fool

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I respect comedians immensely. I think it's such a talent to be able to understand what is funny and what is not, what crosses the line between funny and inappropriate and the timing to pull it all off and get the best result. Someone might make an ass of themselves and look ridiculous, but it's when they know exactly what they're doing and to what affect (specifically, I enjoy it when they can make everyone in a room laugh without hurting anyone's feelings or simply out of shock value) that it becomes not foolish and instead is genius.

In the same regard, most of the groundbreaking innovations in thought and invention have been scoffed at when they first came on the scene. Those willing to step out of the painting and re-position the frame are the ones that take the biggest risks and also have the potential for the most gain. Only when people think differently and question what is normal do we ever change anything. Einstein was considered a dunce as a child and went on to be the genius of an era, and in his day, Socrates was made fun of by the nobleman for being ugly and full of nonsense.

In "Genius or a Fool", off of the brilliant album "10 cent Wings", Jonatha Brooke discusses this dichotomy. All great new things have to begin somewhere, and so when we take that leap of faith and go against the grain, we may be a fool for not doing it the way it's always been done that makes sense to everyone else, or we may be a genius for discovering something new. It may all simply depend on the perspective on which you look at this new path.