Re: The Who Mailing List Digest V8 #85

["L. Bird" <pkeets@hotmail.com>]

>I am at a point in one of my master's classes that talks about brain 
>activity in learning and creativity.  It has nothing to do with age..unless 
>maybe when you're in your 80's and 90's.  But even then, It has more to do 
>with not using or exercising your brain.  Many painters as well as writers 
>do great work in their later years!

That's true, but I do think there's a difference in the product, and likely 
it has to do with hormones.  There really are changes that take place in the 
brain as one gets older.  Children have "learning windows" for reading and 
math, for example, and anyone who misses them has serious problems in 
literacy.  Just recently there's been some interesting press about how 
brains completely restructure during the teen years--this means whatever 
you're doing then is what's programmed into your brain forever.  There are 
also documented changes in the brain during middle age, when the brain 
actually shrinks in size.  Later on there might be other problems, depending 
on whatever health difficulties older folk encounter.

All this means that Pete's early and constant exposure to music set him up 
to be a musician, and that TED programmed the music in by heavy practice 
during their teen years.  Pete may have killed a few brain cells by heavy 
drinking and drug use during his youth, but I think the real change set in 
during WHO BY NUMBERS and WHO ARE YOU--when the style of his writing 
changed.  He began to intellectualize the song lyrics rather than feel them, 
which signals a change in the way his creativity was working.  About this 
same time, he complained about the way the page stayed blank, even after 
several brandies.


keets
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com