If You Open Your Mind Too Much Your Brain Will Fall Out

226078 Resource 187691 21 21 1234330364884 1234371157368 Controlled A Tim Minchin Mention

I recently discovered Tim Minchin; and boy am I glad I did.

<p>Every once in a while, if you're lucky, you discover someone—perhaps an artist, an author, poet, musician, philosopher, or just a friend—who really speaks to you, or for you.  Someone who makes you think, "Exactly right!"  Or just someone who makes you think.  And when you do, you feel you're life is a little bit richer.</p><p>I have been lucky that way, many times.  And recently I felt that way again when I discovered (via a <a title="Podcast 184 - January 28, 2009 - Skeptics Guide to the Universe" href="http://www.theskepticsguide.org/archive/podcastinfo.aspx?mid=1&pid=184" target="_blank">recent interview</a> on the <a title="Skeptics Guide to the Universe (SGU)" href="http://www.theskepticsguide.org/" target="_blank">Skeptics Guide to the Universe</a> podcast) the enlightened, intelligent, and enormously talented Australian musician, songwriter, poet, and comedian, <strong>Tim Minchin</strong>.</p><p> </p><div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:5bd3bca0-f18c-40a9-8783-725b0bb1482e" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; DISPLAY: inline; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FLOAT: left; PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 5px"><div id="f3a4e08b-c1a0-4f93-a2fe-a4c612d6b6e6" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><div><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RFO6ZhUW38w&hl=en" width="298" height="248" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" /></embed /></div></div><div style="CLEAR: both; FONT-SIZE: 0.8em">If You Open Your Mind Too Much...</div></div>Tim puts into words—funny, intelligent, words—and music—wonderfully composed and performed music—thoughts and ideas that are a as deeply true as they are entertaining.  He says exactly what I would say… if I were 100 times more articulate. <p> </p><p>Tim's podcast interview opened with a recording of the brief (but not briefly titled), <em><strong>If You Open Your Mind Too Much, Your Brain Will Fall Out</strong></em>.  My reaction was, "Wow, who is this guy?  He gets it and he's good."  After the podcast I spent some time on <a title="Tim Minchin Web Site" href="http://timminchin.com/" target="_blank">timminchin.com</a> and on You Tube perusing his various works and found that <em>If You Open Your Mind…</em> is my second favorite work, right behind <em><strong>Storm</strong></em>.</p><p><em>Storm</em> is a 9-minute poem set to musical accompaniment that tells the story of a dinner party where Tim and his wife are invited to the home of another couple, close friends with whom they have dined and partied many times.  But there is a fifth guest, a beautiful young woman named, Storm, who does not share Tim's world view.  The conversation is priceless.</p><p> </p><div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:07b7a754-8792-433e-819a-50410413f5b1" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; PADDING-LEFT: 10px; FLOAT: right; PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 5px"><div id="75b68c15-6055-4d83-9304-2950b9c23dc5" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><div><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UB_htqDCP-s&hl=en" width="296" height="246" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" /></embed /></div></div><div style="CLEAR: both; FONT-SIZE: 0.8em">Storm | Tim Minchin</div></div>The world needs more rational, thinking people like Tim Minchin.  Tim's talents as performance artist may help break down the walls of superstitions and dogma built up around so many people's minds.  I've had many great discussions on topics like psychics and ESP, or homeopathy, God and angels (and devils), or religions, or evolution, or "intelligent design"—with people who agree with me.  But it seems that with (most) people who don't share a skeptical (I prefer, "reality-based") world view, it is very difficult to have a meaningful discussion. <p> </p><p>By being so darn entertaining, Tim can fill a theater—physical or virtual—with folks that just want a great show.  And they'll get one.  But they'll also get, if only by osmosis, something else.  They'll get a little injection of reality, of critical thinking, that may, if we are all lucky, ever so slightly raise their immunity to memes of dogmatic blindness.</p><p>And that's a good thing, for everyone.  The sooner everyone understands that this life we all share is… well, just what it is and it is fantastic and wonderful and should not be wasted believing fairy tales, the better off we all will be.  We're the lucky ones.  We have all this.  Just this.</p> 9 application/xml false critical thinking skeptic Tim Minchin If You Open Your Mind Too Much Your Brain Will Fall Out You Tube: Tim Mention http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFO6ZhUW38w Storm You Tube: Tim Minchin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB_htqDCP-s Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; GTB5; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 2.0.50727) 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 aseidl 68.40.167.222 false true false false true 188081 false false true false false false true 226132 Resource 188081 173239 21 1234403451225 1234404278734 Controlled RE: A Tim Minchin Mention

Did storm ask what the difference between a river and a lake was?

Couldn't resist that one. A lot of people have been impressed by the brain falling out song. Nice find. I may go back and look later. Time is short. 10 application/xml false Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9.1b2) Gecko/20081201 Firefox/3.1b2 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 68.40.197.110 false true false false true 226156 Resource 188081 173239 21 1234454812252 1234454985036 Controlled RE: A Tim Minchin Mention

I'm a huge Tim Minchin fan - enjoyed your write-up. :) He's funny and articulate and an all-around nice guy - he really does need to be seen/heard by more people! 10 application/xml false Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727) 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 206.166.83.50 false true false false true 226361 Resource 188081 173239 21 1234570981261 1234666328313 Controlled RE: A Tim Minchin Mention

I hope he comes to the US soon.  We don't get a lot of that kind of thinking here. 10 application/xml false Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; GTB5; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 2.0.50727) 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 aseidl 68.40.167.222 false true false false true 187691 blog blogsite/FASeidl/web