Media Diet: Thomas Moore
(Page 3 of 3)
November/December 1996
By Joshua Glenn, Utne Reader
I am just about at my wit's end with the mainstream media, a feeling that stems from my own bad experiences with it. I do lots of interviews, and it bothers me that the writers who interview me have an agenda, a certain cynical way of looking at things that is totally immersed in the values of the modern world. Whenever someone tries to step outside those values, the only way they can write about it is to make fun of it or translate it into what they know, which completely misrepresents it. I wish that journalists were a little more thoughtful and better educated and not so totally given over to the popular culture. That's why the magazines I read, which aren't willing to reproduce that culture, are a great gift.
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What are the sources of your best and most original ideas?
Quiet time. Being a writer is not a matter of just walking around all day getting great ideas and then sitting down and writing. The success of my books has provided lots of wonderful opportunities, but I'm really lucky if I get two or three hours to myself each day. The moment I get away from all that busyness the ideas rush into my head. And if I ever feel that I don't have enough to write, all I have to do is sit down and play the piano. If I play Bach, the ideas come right away.
What are your most creative spaces?
Country roads. We live in the country near farms, and there's something inspiring about walking in the morning with my dog past all these fields. I also get a lot of my best ideas taking a shower. Earth and water inspire me. Air and fire don't do much for me.
Where do you find the most trouble living up to the ideals set forth in your writing?
I don't think that what I'm writing about is so idealistic; it's actually quite down-to-earth. There aren't just two options--being spiritual on the one hand, or a porno king on the other. If there's any goal in my work it's to recover our very ordinary humanity, which we've lost. We all want to be celebrities or icons of purity; that has no relationship to me. I make no bones about just going along and making a lot of mistakes. The spirituality that I talk about is quite commonplace. I advocate window-shopping as a form of contemplation! Living a mindful life isn't my point; I just live.
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