I really wanted to see one of my all time favorite contemporary authors, Haruki Murakami speak at the New Yorker Festival, but I couldn't get tickets (Tickets sold out in eleven minutes!).
On stage, the writer belied his rock-star reputation, glancing shyly at his feet. He began by telling the story of a jazzman who, when accused of playing “just like Charlie Parker,” handed his saxophone to his critic and said, “Here—you try playing like Charlie Parker.” He said that we should draw three conclusions from this...
Read more here.