Take My AdviceBy James L. Harmon
Simon & Schuster/$18
One gives nothing so freely as advice. —La Rochefoucauld
Ain't it the truth? Whether solicited or not, we all love to weigh in on the lives of everyone we know. We all think we know best, and the phrase take it from me is one of the most abused in the English language. A good example of this is Harmon's paean to pearls of wisdom, Take My Advice.
Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, Harmon began writing letters and soliciting advice from major thinkers, social gadflies, underground artists, provocateurs, raconteurs, novelists, poets and others. The results are interesting, illuminating and extremely varied, with contributors reflecting on everything from love and sex to the virtues of living responsibly and wildly. But perhaps the best any reviewer could do for books of this type is to allow them to speak for themselves. To wit, a few reflections from Take My Advice that might allow you to decide for yourself whether you wish to read further:
Richard Meltzer (music critic, novelist): Unplug from the cyber lifeline. Don't read (Kerouac's) On the Road. See the movie Mesa of Lost Women.
Mary McCarthy (writer, critic): Be truthful, within the limits of possibility, and pay attention. I would also recommend the avoidance of credit cards.
Valerie Martin (writer): Read more, talk less.
Howard Zinn (historian). Aside from suggesting several must-read books, Zinn urges readers to watch yourself, and Only shoplift at the stores that you shop at.
Lydia Lunch (confrontationist, artist): Shop very carefully if you're considering student loans.
Spalding Gray (performer): Gray suggests you get in touch with your own mortality by visiting morgues and seeing as many dead bodies as possible.
Camille Paglia (author, critic): Ms. Paglia offers the advice of others, in the form of her favorite quotes from everyone from Jesus Christ to John Lennon.
Bettie Page (legendary pin-up): Show your parents you love them stop thinking you know it all.
Abbie Hoffman (American dissident): when all is said and done, don't lose your sense of humor.
William S. Burroughs (writer, aesthetic terrorist): Among other bits of wisdom, Burroughs advises us to Never interfere in a boy and girl fight.
Katherine Hepburn (actress): The first to respond to Harmon's query, Hepburn was given the last entry in his book. She used that space to say, Work as hard as you can, whatever you do, and try to spread generosity of spirit.
This article appears in Apr 10-16, 2002.