Hi Ken ~
Leonard is a giant in many ways. One of the ironies is that the body he chose, or was placed in, for this time around [reincarnationally speaking], has always been slighter in size. I don't recall ever having seen a photo of a hefty, or even overweight, Leonard. As you may have noticed, as people get older, the tendency is for them to lose weight, become smaller... regardless of how large they ever were. Simply a part of the aging process. When I was in New York, I watched Leonard walk from the dressing room to the rear of the stage. He was hurrying and his walk was purposeful, steady, and strong. As he stepped up onto the darkened stage, he did so very carefully. In a crowd of people or in any other environment, it is wise for anyone, and particularly for older people, to be cautious about their physical space. If I had exercised greater caution in Berlin, I wouldn't have found myself virtually immobilized on Hydra. A minor twist of my foot while dancing here left me wrapped and hobbling for weeks. With Leonard nearly 10 years my senior, I feel it's a superfluous point to keep disrespectfully discussing his physicality at this point and stage of his life. He has always been far more than that to many/most/all of us; so why shift perspective now, when your idea seems to be only to diminish? His strength of purpose girds into irrelevance the rest, that which is simply a part of his humanity.
I remember reading Anjani's account of her performance at the festival in Ireland and how the sound system made it very difficult to hear each other and, as I recall, even herself. So, it seems to me, she was extremely fortunate to have done so well with her singing. I don't recall in which article/review/commentary I read that noted the sound difficulties at the Conversation at the Barbican, but there were some there, as well, including when questions were taken from the audience. If someone asking a question speaks unclearly or quietly, it will complicate things even further. If people are having a problem hearing each other, their facial expressions, their voices, and their responsiveness are going to be
de facto altered. They may hesitate; their face may take on a questioning or pondering look; and they may hesitate again before responding, as they try to make certain of what's been asked before they do. All are reasonable reactions when a sound system has created interference with the normal flow of verbal exchange. If a person has compromised hearing in one ear [as I believe someone once noted that Leonard has said] this will only add to the overall effect. In listening to Leonard's recent interviews or watching this video of Leonard's recitation, from memory, I can't imagine that anyone would question Leonard's clarity of mind. Leonard is as brilliant as he's ever been.
In the interviews I've watched with Leonard, it's in his nature to hesitate before answering. As a norm, he doesn't blurt out answers to questions. He engages the interviewers as well as the viewers by considering the question carefully before he responds in the most comprehensive/relevant/obfuscating
way with what
he chooses to say. He's never been at the mercy of interviewers; just because they ask questions quickly does not compel him to do the same and he knows it. Sometimes Leonard is light and quippy, and quick with his answers, and those times are equally clear as to how he's, by choice, approaching the questioning. Many of us should be so fortunate as to be able to engage in interviews in such splendid fashion.
~ Lizzy
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
~ Oscar Wilde
