Thursday, July 25, 2024
I had a friend called Woody, who died in 2018. What a character, a piece of work as you might say. He was a retired medical doctor who dabbled in organ playing. He had a pipe organ in his house and would host these lavish parties on Bach’s birthday. He’d dress up like a pompous, 18th-century figure with tights, a high-chested vest and coattails, shoes with buckles, and a long, curly wig. At the onset of his organ “recital,” he’d descend down the stairs with Handel’s “Zadock the Priest” blaring on the high-fi. I will miss him, and I shall never forget that persona in a million years. Persona is a Latin word that literally means ‘mask; character played by an actor.’
I’ve known several individuals like this, all very eccentric, cartoon-like figures. They were “larger than life,” a masterpiece of expressive animation. “What a character!” one might say. The word character is from Middle English: from Old French caractere, via Latin from Greek kharaktēr “a stamping tool.” This is a distinguishing mark – a copyright if you will.
It makes me wonder who is responsible for this branding, this distinguishing mark. OK, I see the persona, I see the “piece of work,” and I see the “character.” But who or what is behind it? I see the animation, but who is the animator?
What a piece of work! Who is the worker, the expressive essence behind the work? You’re a character too, you know. Ever wonder who ‘the actor’ is? This “larger-than-life” figure that you see in others, what’s that all about? You might look into this “larger-than-life” idea. Wouldn’t you just love to know who or what is behind these masks we call “personas?” I see the masterpiece, but now I am more curious about The Master.