“The question is,” he begins, “the question is, does an artist need an audience?”
“I think…” I begin.
“I know,” he says, “and that’s the problem. Let me illustrate the point. There’s this little guy who meets this nice girl and they decide to get married. One day they’re driving through the desert and they come across this ghost town. In the middle of the town is a theatre. They both love the place and decide to stay.
The girl is a dancer and actress. The guy plays the piano. They’re not exactly household names but she can dance and he can play so every Saturday night at eight sharp he switches off the houselights and trains a single spot centre stage.
The curtains slowly open and he sits down at an old piano and begins to play. She steps into the spotlight on the bare white stage and dances.
Now, are they artists or merely insane?”
“Is that true?” I ask.
“Does it matter?” he says.
Kevin McCann
Illustration Nick Victor