HN Theater @HNTheaterMonth

One that Conway didn't like much, saying (roughly) that it had all been explored and proved and other work of his was more interesting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8kUJL04ELA in this Numberphile interview with him.

⬐ idiotsecant

This reminds me a lot of the aging rockstar who hates the billboard top 10 hit that he always gets asked to play.

⬐ smoldesu

If you're Thom Yorke, you use that hatred to drive you to build your magnum opus. Though admittedly, I don't know how one could iterate on Game of Life. It's simplicity is part of what makes it so great.

⬐ djtriptych

Well kinda. The Bends was next after Pablo Honey, which contained "Creep", the song Radiohead famously learned to hate.

The "magnum opus" is typically said to be OK Computer, their 3rd album, 2 after Pablo. While it was certainly a departure, the band generally said they wanted a total artistic change in direction.

Interesting though is the song "Iron Lung" on The Bends, which is a song about "Creep" where they refer to it as, among other things, a "total waste of time".

⬐ isx726552

Like Jani Lane saying “I could shoot myself in the @#%*ing head” for writing “Cherry Pie” in the 80s:

https://youtu.be/dNNa8wbKGb4

I imagine there are a lot of people in this industry who feel that way about some their creations…

⬐ a4isms

Yes, and both have my sympathy. Sometimes, a musician revisits their earlier work and finds new things to explore. Joni Mitchell and Ryuchi Sakamoto come to mind.

But other times, a musician feels that although their earlier work may be new and exciting to you, they are finding other things more engaging today and tire of answering questions about the old work with the same rote, trite answers. Over and over again.

For someone constantly seeking fresh ground to cover, this attitude is an asset.

p.s. In this discussion about comedy, Louis CK talks about a tip he got from George Carlin, namely to throw the old material out after a year and start over again, forcing yourself to find new things to say about the Universe.

In the same discussion, Jerry Seinfeld explains that some of his material is ten years old, and he is still finding ways to sharpen and refine it. There is clearly no one right way about this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKY6BGcx37k

> I know Conway was slightly resentful that game of life overshadowed some of his other work in the public's imagination, but I've always been entranced by it.

He seems to have come to terms with it.[1]

[1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8kUJL04ELA&feature=youtu.be

⬐ eitland

I usually dislike videos but this made lunch break better.

John Conway talks about getting old and isolated, reduced capacity for hatred, being young and feeling useless, things that actually matters and possibly more. All in less than 8 minutes and in the context of game of life.

funny choice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8kUJL04ELA

VSauce tweeted a playlist of Conway's appearances on Numberphile, including that one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8kUJL04ELA&list=PLt5AfwLFPx...

I found the one you posted especially moving, but the others were good too.

⬐ brownbat

In the third video in the series he talks a bit about death, making his peace with it, understanding he won't get to see the solution to many difficult math problems, and the idea of unfinished business.

Conway is fascinating to listen to anytime, but I found this series especially moving right now.

I think it is funny, Conway doesn't really enjoy being solely associated with GOL and the fame it brings[0].. In stark contrast with Wolfram's ego. Perhaps this arrangement actually works out best for both of them.

[0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8kUJL04ELA

Numberphile, an awesome youtube channel on its own, has done some great interviews with John Conway that are definitely worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Plq-D1gEk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8kUJL04ELA, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOCe5HUObD4 He really comes across as a genuinely great guy.

⬐ oska

Thanks for mentioning those. Here's a single link to the YouTube playlist for the 5 Conway videos on that channel:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt5AfwLFPxWIL8XA1npoN...

⬐ the_cat_kittles

i love when he says "well, now im getting old, my capacity for hatred is getting less i suppose" ...i hope that happens to me too

⬐ 3rd3

That guy has an incredibly dry humor. In another video he says right out that he's horribly bored by the interview.

⬐ None

None

⬐ alphonse23

That's an awesome vid. God I'd love to have John Conway as a professor -- I wouldn't think anything badly of him.

That whole web series is actually pretty awesome: Numberphile. Also check out Computerphile and pretty much everything under Brady's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoxcjq-8xIDTYp3uz647V5A