An artist creates a Thing.
It turns out to be a popular Thing.
The artist is acclaimed and praised for this Thing.
The artist follows up with another Thing.
This second Thing is also acclaimed and praised, but because it is somewhat similar to the first Thing, the artist now has a trademark: various different kinds of this Thing.
So the artist stays in the same neighborhood, creatively, turning that artist’s byline into a promise for more of that Thing.
Then the artist departs from formula.
People who loved the work before now are perturbed. How dare the artist depart from this Thing?
Okay, they say, you can do it this once, but go back to the Thing!
The artist goes back to the Thing, but eventually departs again. And again.
People say, I miss when the Artist was doing Thing!
Over a decade or more of further work, that artist completely reinvents his/her body of work, showing a level of versatility that no one even suspected.
Nothing the artist has done is a betrayal of Thing.
But a lot of people completely ignore all the recent work and snort that the artist was only good at doing variations of Thing.
Others say, I still wish the artist will go back to doing Thing full time.
The artist continues to refuse to be confined to the box.
Now you have people saying, the only good thing that artist ever did was Thing! Pressed on this point, they then say, oh, I stopped consuming the artist’s work with Thing Plus Two. No, I’m not familiar with anything the artist produced in the last thirty years. But I happen to know! Thing was the only good thing!
The people who say this imagine themselves experts. Bigger experts than those who have stayed with the artist, through thick and then, liking some Things, hating others. Their knowledge of the one Thing is superior, in their view, to the knowledge others have of multiple Things.
Any discussion of the artist’s new work, they will intrude to talk some more about The First Thing.
This is common.
And this is why we can’t have Nice Things.
Comment By: Adam-Troy Castro
July 10th, 2017 at 5:17 pm
Otherwise known as, “the earlier, funnier stuff.” Or, “I wish Cronenberg would go back to making horror movies.”
Comment By: Todd Austin Hunt
July 10th, 2017 at 5:17 pm
I wish they’d leave John Carpenter alone.
Comment By: Debra Wallace Day
July 10th, 2017 at 5:17 pm
Neil Young and Bob Dylan have been catching hell for this for decades.
Comment By: Todd Austin Hunt
July 10th, 2017 at 5:17 pm
It’s so annoying. God forbid an artist evolve creatively.
Comment By: Adam-Troy Castro
July 10th, 2017 at 5:17 pm
Others, too. Lots.
Comment By: Paul Guay
July 10th, 2017 at 5:17 pm
I conceived and co-wrote Liar Liar. For a time after the film came out, I’d get two comments on my new pitches:
1) “That’s too similar to Liar Liar.”
2) “That’s too different from Liar Liar.”
Comment By: Louann Miller
July 10th, 2017 at 5:17 pm
did the same pitch ever get both comments from different people?
Comment By: Paul Guay
July 10th, 2017 at 5:17 pm
Louann: No… but given the film industry, that’s an excellent question.
Comment By: Adam-Troy Castro
July 10th, 2017 at 6:17 pm
I did not know that, Paul.
Comment By: Adam-Troy Castro
July 10th, 2017 at 6:17 pm
I actually apologize for not knowing.
Comment By: Paul Guay
July 10th, 2017 at 6:17 pm
No reason you should know about the comments on my new pitches. 🙂
Comment By: David Gerrold
July 10th, 2017 at 5:17 pm
No, I don’t want to write another tribble story.
Comment By: Paul Guay
July 10th, 2017 at 5:17 pm
Still waiting for “When HARLIE Was Two.”
Comment By: Adam-Troy Castro
July 10th, 2017 at 6:17 pm
My Harley is five.
Comment By: Ethan Hobart
July 10th, 2017 at 7:21 pm
I occasionally encounter people who think Nick Cave(one of my favorite musicians) hasn’t done anything worth listening to since The Birthday Part broke up in 1983. I don’t even know how to respond.
Comment By: David Vineyard
July 10th, 2017 at 8:17 pm
Rex Miller hated writing about his character Chaingang who he originally killed off in SLOB but was forced by his publisher to save. How many books and plots can you come up with about a 6’4″ 500 lb serial killer traveling around the country unnoticed was his lament. Every book and story was like pulling teeth for him.
Comment By: Adam-Troy Castro
July 10th, 2017 at 8:17 pm
Wasn’t Rex Miller the pseudo of collaborators?
Comment By: Paul Guay
July 10th, 2017 at 8:17 pm
All this said, I’m happy Conan Doyle was “forced” to bring Sherlock back.