Why has it taken me this long properly to discover Camille Paglia? Is it merely because I am this side of the pond? Yes I had heard of her, but till I happened upon this speech I had not gone out of my way to probe beyond a vague awareness of her name. Now I have, and am castigating myself for many years wasted. She’s been around for all but about four months of my life and she’s my type of person, defined as one with whom I may certainly not always agree but will enjoy arguing.

Here she is talking at the Chicago Humanities Festival in 2012.

She speaks till 43:30. The rest is questions.

She’s promoting her book on visual art. She’s promoting the hell out of it. It is less than a month after publication. The book aims and claims to be groundbreaking. Where better for her to be promoting it than a Humanities Festival?

She tells us about the concept: she tells us about the content: she tells us about the tortured decision-making concerning its format. You may, like me, get so caught up in her self-ignoring, chaotic, stream of bullshit-free consciousness that you resolve to get a copy.

Bravo Camille: way to go: excellent selling job! One teensy detail…

What is it called?

Gentle reader, I have found it for you. It is called Glittering Images.

I have had trainees like her: natural communicators, unhampered by any of the inhibitions that hobble others. They have plenty to say, are eager to say it, have a punchy turn of phrase, a beautifully free style of delivery. They have everything going for them, except …

K.I.S.S.

Keep It Simple, Stupid.

She says it herself at 0:55. “Simplicity is hard.”

If I worked with her, that is where I would focus.