# Geniuses Who Are Currently Active **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 16, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829 "2015-04-16T14:19:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Waymore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Waymore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waymore)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/1 "2015-04-16T14:19:26Z")
Which authors, musicians, etc., that are still working today are geniuses in your opinion? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/2 "2015-04-16T14:21:05Z")
Hawking, for sure. Does Sarah Palin count? šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Waymore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Waymore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waymore)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/3 "2015-04-16T14:35:41Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Hawking, for sure. Does Sarah Palin count? šŸ˜ƒ I was thinking more along the lines of arts and litertuure, but Hawkings is a genius no doubt. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/4 "2015-04-16T14:51:42Z")
In science fiction, Iā€™d nominate Ted Chaing. Very small output, consistent critical and popular acclaim, and his stories all have ideas in them that blow you away. He has an impressive [slate of awards](http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/eaw.cgi?11251). Itā€™s even more impressive in that heā€™s only published 14 short stories. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/5 "2015-04-16T15:15:10Z")
Well, thereā€™s me, but Iā€™m kind of a couch potato, so Iā€™m not sure you can call me ā€œactive.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Waymore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Waymore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waymore)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/6 "2015-04-16T15:26:09Z")
Iā€™m hesitant to nominate a comic writer, but if ever there was a genius in the employ of DC and Marvel, itā€™s Grant Morrison. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/7 "2015-04-16T15:27:08Z")
[Well, thereā€™sā€¦](http://www.straightdope.com/pages/faq/cecil) Are you just looking for geniuses who are still working, or geniuses who are still producing genius-quality work? ---
**Author:** ![Waymore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Waymore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waymore)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/8 "2015-04-16T15:29:17Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > [Well, thereā€™sā€¦](http://www.straightdope.com/pages/faq/cecil) > Are you just looking for geniuses who are still working, or geniuses who are still producing genius-quality work? Iā€™ll take either. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/9 "2015-04-16T15:41:41Z")
Well then, in popular music, Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson are still actively producing new material, even though the work that led people to consider them geniuses was mainly done back in the sixties. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/10 "2015-04-16T15:43:08Z")
[David Hockney](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hockney) is the first painter who comes to mind that fits your criteria. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/11 "2015-04-16T15:46:36Z")
Oooh! and [Gerhard Richter](https://www.gerhard-richter.com/en/), and [Ron Mueck](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Mueck)! ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/12 "2015-04-16T15:50:41Z")
Bob Dylan certainly qualifies. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/13 "2015-04-16T16:12:55Z")
Contemporary Classical. First, a caveat. I think itā€™s too early to speak of geniuses. Only time will tell whether their music sticks. History shows time and time again that some huge names still end up being considered not all that great by the following generations. With that in mind, here are some whom Iā€™d consider contenders, listed alphabetically: **Pierre Boulez Pascal Dusapin Gyƶrgy KurtĆ”g James MacMillan Krzysztof Penderecki Wolfgang Rihm** ---
**Author:** ![Waymore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Waymore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waymore)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/14 "2015-04-16T16:22:52Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Well then, in popular music, Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson are still actively producing new material, even though the work that led people to consider them geniuses was mainly done back in the sixties. Good picks, especially Wilson. The Smile album didnā€™t come out _that_ long ago. I wouldnā€™t be surprised if he has brilliant material heā€™s working on now. But he takes his time, so who knows when it will come out. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/15 "2015-04-16T16:29:16Z")
Iā€™ll nominate [Robert Fripp](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Fripp). ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/16 "2015-04-16T16:39:20Z")
Heā€™s not on many peopleā€™s radar now admittedly, but Iā€™ll stick a nomination in for David Bowie. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/17 "2015-04-16T16:45:12Z")
Prince. Jeff Beck. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/18 "2015-04-16T17:29:53Z")
Ursula Le Guin (does 2008 count as still active? Iā€™d say so). ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/19 "2015-04-16T18:04:07Z")
Beyonce, of course, cause Kanye never lies to us. Serious answers - Haruki Murakami. Stephen Sondheim comes close. Wynton Marsalis maybe? ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829/20 "2015-04-16T20:45:28Z")
Itzhak Perlman [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geniuses-who-are-currently-active/717829.md?page=2)