A Genius is the one most like himself.

Thelonius Monk’s advice to saxophonist Steve Lacy (1960) via swissmiss.

The irony of Monk, of all people, writing, "Stop playing {all that bullshit /those wierd [sic] notes, play the melody!" really amuses me. Mixed in with such simple basic advice as tapping the rhythm are some gems. Back in the olden days, when I played saxophone in a jazz band, my neighbour used to tap out some other rhythm, utterly disconnected to the rhythm at hand (or, at foot, as the case may be). Used to fascinate and irritate me in equal measures. I can only think the cliched but true "takes one to know one" at Monk's insight "a genius is the one most like himself". And the final line made me laugh.