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shivanataraja
Snowy Owl
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06 Dec 2007, 6:33 pm

Just saw the Wikipedia entry for Sun Ra: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Ra

I haven't heard any of his stuff, but now i really want to... anyone here into him?

From certain stuff in the Wikipedia article, i strongly suspect he may have been an Aspie:

- "routinely gave evasive, contradictory or seemingly nonsensical answers to personal questions"
- Child prodigy
- Could listen to a performance and write down a note-perfect transcription of it (savant type skill?)
- "had few or no close friends in high school, but was remembered as kind-natured and quiet, an honor roll student and a voracious reader"
- Obsessively into obscure and esoteric areas of knowledge
- "wanted nothing to do with leadership."
- May have been asexual
- known as "singularly devoted" to his music
- Rarely slept (insomnia?)
- Described by the same psychiatrist as "a psychopathic personality" and as "a well-educated colored intellectual"
- "somewhat introverted and lacked business sense"
- Did not take drugs, despite being a psychedelic jazz musician, into fringe spirituality and an influence on the hippy scene
- Liked to play with words, for example spelling "free" as "phre" in reference to an ancient Egyptian language
- Refused to describe his worldview as a "philosophy", but instead called it an "equation" because it was "based on logic and pragmatism"

Anyone here know much more about him?



Spaceplayer
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06 Dec 2007, 6:45 pm

I don't know if he's aspie, but he's definately a fellow Space Cadet. Predated Pink Floyd and Star Wars. After reading his biography, I was shocked by how similar his ideas were to mine about space and music, considering our age and cultural differences...I had a character called the Space Cadet and his enemy was the Overlord. Sun Ra had, well, Sun Ra, and his villian's name was...the Overseer (in SPACE IS THE PLACE.) And set to music, nonetheless...

Some of his music is beyond me, other albums I like. Worth a listen, if you're adventurous.



aguales
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08 Dec 2007, 1:23 am

I'd like to think the Free Jazz innovators were aspies heh I mean you think an NT can pull off a Sun Ra, or totally mock "group think jazz" like Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz album, or play the piano like this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP5L8tjnB6w[/youtube]
Dude's making the piano stim. I also like his outfit. It's like he's saying, "It's not enough that I jogged a couple of miles in the cold, but I gotta exercise my fingers as well."



Deus_ex_machina
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08 Dec 2007, 1:43 am

Although you did point out some traits I don't really think of him as being an Aspie. Then if any of the great Jazz musicians does have AS it has to be him.


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