7 ms·

Woody Allen: What I've learned

135 points by npalli 13y ago

sebkomianos 13y ago
Funny how I submitted the exact same link yesterday and it got zero votes: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6185131 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6185131
- stephanos2k 13y ago
  It's all about timing...
- pjscott 13y ago
  "A guy will say, 'Well, I make my luck.' And the same guy walks down the street and a piano that's been hoisted drops on his head. The truth of the matter is your life is very much out of your control." -Woody Allen
stevewilhelm 13y ago
Mr. Allen has been a student of Marshall McLuhan for quite a while http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wWUc8BZgWE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wWUc8BZgWE
- hudibras 13y ago
  Thanks for pointing that out, but it's one of the most famous scenes in his most famous movie. (I only snark on the weekends, sorry.)
baby 13y ago
I can't believe a nihilist would not eat enjoyable food.
- jh3 13y ago
  It seems like he rather enjoy his remaining time working being as healthy as possible. I know if I am unhealthy I cannot focus on anything until I am back to "normal."
nhebb 13y ago
> My two teenage girls think of me as ancient. But I'm up before them and wake them to go to school. His daughters are teenagers now. Considering he started his relationship with de facto stepdaughter Soon-Yi Previn when she was in her late teens, I'm not sure that is the most reassuring way to start an interview.
maayank 13y ago
He goes more in depth about his personal life philosophy here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKLFcpATPjI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKLFcpATPjI Very interesting if you're a fan or if the esquire interview piqued your interest.
stevewillows 13y ago
"Love works as a distraction. And work works as a distraction. You can distract yourself a billion different ways. But the key is to distract yourself." I loved this line.
NovaS1X 13y ago
>It's just an accident that we happen to be on earth, enjoying our silly little moments, distracting ourselves as often as possible so we don't have to really face up to the fact that, you know, we're just temporary people with a very short time in a universe that will eventually be completely gone. And everything that you value, whether it's Shakespeare, Beethoven, da Vinci, or whatever, will be gone. The earth will be gone. The sun will be gone. There'll be nothing. The best you can do to get through life is distraction. Love works as a distraction. And work works as a distraction. You can distract yourself a billion different ways. But the key is to distract yourself. I love this statement; there is so much truth in it. I find it is something that enters the realm of my thought quite often. The fact that at some time in my life the last event will rob me of everything I am, I know, and will render everything I have done useless to my then forgone reality. Between the truths of death of an individual and death of the universe, nihilism seems all too logical. However, knowing this,I'm in no way a depressed individual. I don't think I could be any happier in my life. Nihilism has given me freedom.
- nostromo 13y ago
  Me too. I find that facing that fact makes life seem more precious and valuable. And not in an, "omg time is running out!" way, but in a "appreciate this moment" way.
- cclogg 13y ago
  Me too, but I am secretly hoping Elon Musk or somebody figures out how to let this generation live infinitely via mind transplants or organ re-generation. Come onnn!!!
  - agumonkey 13y ago
    I'm under the impression that, pardon the sad thought, we'll be the con'd era. The last before major shift in medicine. We'll dream about it, maybe put our fingertips on it, but we'll go before it's there.
    - jafaku 13y ago
amasad 13y ago
> But the biggest lesson he imparted is that if you don't have your health, you have nothing. No matter how great things are going for you, if you have a toothache, if you have a sore throat, if you're nauseated, or, God forbid, you have some serious thing wrong with you — everything is ruined. Even though this sounds like common sense, I only really learned it this year when I started having annoying health issues from working all the time, not working out, and not eating healthy (startup food). Something as simple as enjoying a Sunday in the park would not be possible because of say back pains. And then I realized that it didn't really matter what I did or achieved unless I had my health to enjoy doing it and the rewards from it.
- gingerlime 13y ago
  But isn't a big, fat frankfurter, with the mustard, one of life's best rewards? > "I haven't had a frankfurter in, I would say, forty-five years. I don't eat enjoyable foods. I eat for my health." I admire woody allen, but reading this comment makes me a little sad.
  - toyg 13y ago
    especially considering it was him popularizing the famous line that "everything good in life is illegal, immoral, or makes you fat" (from"Annie Hall" iirc).
  - Sammi 13y ago
    Just because you drop one enjoyable thing for the sake of health doesn't mean than there is nothing left to enjoy. The world is filled with things to enjoy. Many of them are even healthy.
    - btilly 13y ago
      You mean like sex with his step daughter Soon-Yi? That exercise had to be great for his health! (And now I'm going to get depressed wondering how many on the website don't know what I am talking about because it happened before they were born.)
beloch 13y ago
"...if I'm on the treadmill and I'm surfing the channels and suddenly Manhattan or some other picture comes on, I go right past it. If I saw Manhattan again, I would only see the worst. I would say: "Oh, God, this is so embarrassing. I could have done this. I should have done that." So I spare myself." I'd probably say the same thing if, at the age of 44, I made a film starring myself as a guy in a relationship with an underage high-school kid. Of course if it were Mariel Hemingway (who was 18 darnit!) my biggest regret might have been not filming steamier sex-scenes...
- theorique 13y ago
  I'd probably say the same thing if, at the age of 44, I made a film starring myself as a guy in a relationship with an underage high-school kid. In his case life imitates / imitated art.
  - beloch 13y ago
    No offense to Soon-Yi Preven, but she's no Muriel Hemmingway!
danbmil99 13y ago
He's learned you can letch on your step-daughter from the age of 12 and fuck her the day she turns 17, and get away with it, if you're rich and famous.
- mark_integerdsv 13y ago
  ...and continue a meaningful relationship with her for 20 years, fathering two children and generally doing what people in love do. I'm not sure your rhetoric holds up when the full picture is presented. Love has its way with people.
  - danbmil99 13y ago
    He should have left the family, and attempted to create that relationship when the girl was at a reasonable adult age. But by then she would have been uninterested or otherwise engaged. He is simply a shitty father and husband, broke a covenant and destroyed a family to satisfy his own needs. That is not ameliorated or erased by making films.
    - mark_integerdsv 13y ago
      Sorry but I still feel like you are playing the man and not the ball. Forget fame, film and money. Tell me how spending 20 years with the same woman and having two kids together and finding great joy and satisfaction in your family is lechery and not love.
jtaggart 13y ago
> If you're born with a gift, to behave like it's an achievement is not right. Thinking about this quote made me realize something: By definition, anything received as a gift is not achieved whether or not it was received at birth. I think this quote could have been more elegantly stated as "A gift is not an achievement." Putting it this way seems to change the implications slightly.
dkrich 13y ago
A guy will say, "Well, I make my luck." And the same guy walks down the street and a piano that's been hoisted drops on his head. The truth of the matter is your life is very much out of your control. Does it have to be one or the other, though? A person can control aspects of their life and make themselves successful with hard work and discipline and still have many aspects of their life out of their control (genetics, random occurrences, etc.). I have huge respect for Woody Allen and think he's a genius but I don't really like this quote because it let's people off the hook for their own circumstances which in many instances they can control.
- dreamfactory 13y ago
  You can control a few parameters and improve your odds, but that's about it - you certainly can't control circumstances by definition. Becoming successful is never just a matter of hard or smart work (though it often requires at least the appearance of those as well). Otherwise most people would simply become successful - at which point we would redefine success in any case.
dreamfactory 13y ago
Amazing portrait - props to Mark Mann.

135 points by npalli 13y ago

Funny how I submitted the exact same link yesterday and it got zero votes: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6185131 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6185131

stephanos2k 13y ago
It's all about timing...
pjscott 13y ago
"A guy will say, 'Well, I make my luck.' And the same guy walks down the street and a piano that's been hoisted drops on his head. The truth of the matter is your life is very much out of your control." -Woody Allen

stevewilhelm 13y ago

Mr. Allen has been a student of Marshall McLuhan for quite a while http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wWUc8BZgWE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wWUc8BZgWE

hudibras 13y ago
Thanks for pointing that out, but it's one of the most famous scenes in his most famous movie. (I only snark on the weekends, sorry.)

baby 13y ago

I can't believe a nihilist would not eat enjoyable food.

jh3 13y ago
It seems like he rather enjoy his remaining time working being as healthy as possible. I know if I am unhealthy I cannot focus on anything until I am back to "normal."

nhebb 13y ago

> My two teenage girls think of me as ancient. But I'm up before them and wake them to go to school. His daughters are teenagers now. Considering he started his relationship with de facto stepdaughter Soon-Yi Previn when she was in her late teens, I'm not sure that is the most reassuring way to start an interview.

maayank 13y ago

He goes more in depth about his personal life philosophy here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKLFcpATPjI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKLFcpATPjI Very interesting if you're a fan or if the esquire interview piqued your interest.

stevewillows 13y ago

"Love works as a distraction. And work works as a distraction. You can distract yourself a billion different ways. But the key is to distract yourself." I loved this line.

NovaS1X 13y ago

>It's just an accident that we happen to be on earth, enjoying our silly little moments, distracting ourselves as often as possible so we don't have to really face up to the fact that, you know, we're just temporary people with a very short time in a universe that will eventually be completely gone. And everything that you value, whether it's Shakespeare, Beethoven, da Vinci, or whatever, will be gone. The earth will be gone. The sun will be gone. There'll be nothing. The best you can do to get through life is distraction. Love works as a distraction. And work works as a distraction. You can distract yourself a billion different ways. But the key is to distract yourself. I love this statement; there is so much truth in it. I find it is something that enters the realm of my thought quite often. The fact that at some time in my life the last event will rob me of everything I am, I know, and will render everything I have done useless to my then forgone reality. Between the truths of death of an individual and death of the universe, nihilism seems all too logical. However, knowing this,I'm in no way a depressed individual. I don't think I could be any happier in my life. Nihilism has given me freedom.

nostromo 13y ago
Me too. I find that facing that fact makes life seem more precious and valuable. And not in an, "omg time is running out!" way, but in a "appreciate this moment" way.
cclogg 13y ago
Me too, but I am secretly hoping Elon Musk or somebody figures out how to let this generation live infinitely via mind transplants or organ re-generation. Come onnn!!!
- agumonkey 13y ago
  I'm under the impression that, pardon the sad thought, we'll be the con'd era. The last before major shift in medicine. We'll dream about it, maybe put our fingertips on it, but we'll go before it's there.
  - jafaku 13y ago

amasad 13y ago

> But the biggest lesson he imparted is that if you don't have your health, you have nothing. No matter how great things are going for you, if you have a toothache, if you have a sore throat, if you're nauseated, or, God forbid, you have some serious thing wrong with you — everything is ruined. Even though this sounds like common sense, I only really learned it this year when I started having annoying health issues from working all the time, not working out, and not eating healthy (startup food). Something as simple as enjoying a Sunday in the park would not be possible because of say back pains. And then I realized that it didn't really matter what I did or achieved unless I had my health to enjoy doing it and the rewards from it.

gingerlime 13y ago
But isn't a big, fat frankfurter, with the mustard, one of life's best rewards? > "I haven't had a frankfurter in, I would say, forty-five years. I don't eat enjoyable foods. I eat for my health." I admire woody allen, but reading this comment makes me a little sad.
- toyg 13y ago
  especially considering it was him popularizing the famous line that "everything good in life is illegal, immoral, or makes you fat" (from"Annie Hall" iirc).
- Sammi 13y ago
  Just because you drop one enjoyable thing for the sake of health doesn't mean than there is nothing left to enjoy. The world is filled with things to enjoy. Many of them are even healthy.
  - btilly 13y ago
    You mean like sex with his step daughter Soon-Yi? That exercise had to be great for his health! (And now I'm going to get depressed wondering how many on the website don't know what I am talking about because it happened before they were born.)

beloch 13y ago

"...if I'm on the treadmill and I'm surfing the channels and suddenly Manhattan or some other picture comes on, I go right past it. If I saw Manhattan again, I would only see the worst. I would say: "Oh, God, this is so embarrassing. I could have done this. I should have done that." So I spare myself." I'd probably say the same thing if, at the age of 44, I made a film starring myself as a guy in a relationship with an underage high-school kid. Of course if it were Mariel Hemingway (who was 18 darnit!) my biggest regret might have been not filming steamier sex-scenes...

theorique 13y ago
I'd probably say the same thing if, at the age of 44, I made a film starring myself as a guy in a relationship with an underage high-school kid. In his case life imitates / imitated art.
- beloch 13y ago
  No offense to Soon-Yi Preven, but she's no Muriel Hemmingway!

danbmil99 13y ago

He's learned you can letch on your step-daughter from the age of 12 and fuck her the day she turns 17, and get away with it, if you're rich and famous.

mark_integerdsv 13y ago
...and continue a meaningful relationship with her for 20 years, fathering two children and generally doing what people in love do. I'm not sure your rhetoric holds up when the full picture is presented. Love has its way with people.
- danbmil99 13y ago
  He should have left the family, and attempted to create that relationship when the girl was at a reasonable adult age. But by then she would have been uninterested or otherwise engaged. He is simply a shitty father and husband, broke a covenant and destroyed a family to satisfy his own needs. That is not ameliorated or erased by making films.
  - mark_integerdsv 13y ago
    Sorry but I still feel like you are playing the man and not the ball. Forget fame, film and money. Tell me how spending 20 years with the same woman and having two kids together and finding great joy and satisfaction in your family is lechery and not love.

jtaggart 13y ago

> If you're born with a gift, to behave like it's an achievement is not right. Thinking about this quote made me realize something: By definition, anything received as a gift is not achieved whether or not it was received at birth. I think this quote could have been more elegantly stated as "A gift is not an achievement." Putting it this way seems to change the implications slightly.

dkrich 13y ago

A guy will say, "Well, I make my luck." And the same guy walks down the street and a piano that's been hoisted drops on his head. The truth of the matter is your life is very much out of your control. Does it have to be one or the other, though? A person can control aspects of their life and make themselves successful with hard work and discipline and still have many aspects of their life out of their control (genetics, random occurrences, etc.). I have huge respect for Woody Allen and think he's a genius but I don't really like this quote because it let's people off the hook for their own circumstances which in many instances they can control.

dreamfactory 13y ago
You can control a few parameters and improve your odds, but that's about it - you certainly can't control circumstances by definition. Becoming successful is never just a matter of hard or smart work (though it often requires at least the appearance of those as well). Otherwise most people would simply become successful - at which point we would redefine success in any case.

dreamfactory 13y ago

Amazing portrait - props to Mark Mann.