On Blogging

I have a hard time thinking of myself as a “blogger.” I think that, at some point, one must question whether another voice in the screaming multitudes is a helpful addition to the dialogue. What is unique about my perspective? Can I contribute more than reposting my favorite link of the day?

I’m not sure I have the answers to those questions just yet. But for me, the biggest inspirations have been the bloggers who use their vehicle as a means to explore ideas in unique ways. Specifically, I’d like to pay a debt of intellectual gratitude to the recently-ended Click Opera, the smart and fascinating notebook of Momus (otherwise known as Nick Currie).

I came to his work several years ago through this article in Wired. Since that time, I have been a regular follower of his blog. While I haven’t always shared his interests, I’ve always been impressed with the range of topics he engages, the depth of his insight and the magnitude of his creative prolificacy.

As much as I love his writing, I am not interested in trying to write click opera v2. I’d guess that he isn’t very interested in that either. But I have learned a lot from his writing, and many of my interests have been shaped by his discussions.

What I learned most clearly from his work is that negotiating the currents of modernity requires a curious soul and a passionate heart. The democratizing power of the internet means that I can share ideas with people around the world who I will never even know have followed my work; I can stretch the tendrils of my mind through countless sites and videos and songs and communities, flitting in and out of lives whose content I can scarcely imagine; and I can build a home in this most temporary of spaces. It’s not a very new concept anymore, but I still think it’s pretty cool.

I’ll probably never have the chance to meet Momus outside the confines of my laptop. I’ll probably never even exchange words with him inside those confines. But despite that distance, it somehow feels right to send off his wonderful blog by saying “thanks, friend.”