The Plaza of the Mind Interview with Bob Dobbs - Part One

The Plaza of the Mind Interview with Bob Dobbs!

'The Real Deal'

This is the Bob Dobbs interview that I have been waiting to read since 1993 and I am thrilled that Mr. Dobbs was willing to answer some of the questions that have been bouncing around in the plaza of my mind since I first heard the record Bob's Media Ecology Squared.

The following interview was conducted between February 5th and March 25th, 2007 through electronic mail.

Due to the length of the interview, it will be presented as a PDF file rather than published in its entirety here. Casual visitors to the Plaza or for those who are on the fence as to whether or not they want to commit to such a lengthy read are urged to check out the following excerpts:

[The Plaza of the Mind quotes appear in Bold-type, Mr. Dobb's in normal-type]

I have always been fascinated and comforted by the situation comedy. As a matter of fact I am now producing one entitled 'look out below!' I was wondering if you could explain to me why I am emotionally comforted by situation comedies and why I enjoy them much more than watching the news?

Because they show the drama of cognition for life under electronic conditions.
I have often enjoyed reading articles about artists and architecture more than I enjoy poetry. I read them like poetry actually, repeatedly, and your articles are no exception. Any insights?

As visual space and its pleasures of linear thinking recedes into our perceptual unconscious, it acquires archetypal status. This means any act of reading seems "poetic" to anyone who gets insights from it.

Do you have your groceries delivered?

No. I pick them up where they're delivered. I don't shop in regular supermarkets.

I enjoyed the radio call where Bob Marshall phoned up CKLN. He stated that he had been possessed by you. Do you do this sort of thing on a regular basis?

No, I did it on that particular day because I knew it was going to be the last show.
Daniel, the cohost, always claimed I was Bob Marshall. So I thought I'd humor him. It was
successful. He genuinely fell for my "mistake" - as you can hear.

When did you receive the title as the Worlds Greatest Artist?

Nelson Thall pronounced that in the late Eighties. He had experienced enough of
me to know it was a sane wager.

I used to be enthralled by the back-lit screen of my parents magic chef stove. Why?

It's the glow of light-through rather than light-on. All Americans since TV are
fascinated by a form that contradicts the educational establishment's
preference for light-on, i.e., the structure of the printed book.

[CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE INTERVIEW!]

Enjoy!