# Who have been the greatest losses to the arts (not deceased)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262 "2020-09-22T21:38:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/41 "2020-09-24T05:43:48Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > If you really want to time travel… how about Rossini? Indeed. But what sort of Rossini would/could he have been in the era of revolutionary romanticism? ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/42 "2020-09-24T09:45:02Z")
There’s been a lot of great video game studios that had one flop that completely killed them and forced their employees to scatter unable to recreate their original magic. Factor 5 made a lot of great Star Wars video games in the N64 to GameCube era, only to get lured by the promise of a big paycheck by Sony, then had Sony put so many bad requirements on their new game that when it came out (Lair) it flopped hard because critics and audiences agreed the Sony requirements (motion controls) made the game borderline unplayable and the studio folded. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/43 "2020-09-24T10:09:18Z")
I’ve been wondering about Carly Simon. She had a string of single hits and hit albums back in the 1970s and 1980s, but we haven’t heard much from her lately. According to Wikipedia, she’s been active in various causes, penning children’s books and songs, and producing children’s music, but she’s basically given up on writing and recording Top-40 songs. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/44 "2020-09-24T10:38:50Z")
The dancer [Nijinsky ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaslav_Nijinsky). ---
**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:** [September 24, 2020, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/45 "2020-09-24T11:12:52Z")
First person who came to mind was Paddy McAloon, but it turns out there has been new Prefab Sprout stuff released lately I was unaware of. > [@Treppenwitz](#): > > but has been more-or-less inactive for many years now, He’s been gigging with The Shane Gang, and is recording with Cronin, so I would say still quite active for someone in a wheelchair. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/46 "2020-09-24T12:03:07Z")
Joni Mitchell had a hospital stay not long ago and it was very serious. probably still recovering ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/47 "2020-09-24T12:55:43Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Steve Martin, part of nearly anybody’s Mt. Rushmore of comedy, has largely phased out his comedy career in favor of his musical career. Martin did a pretty long running comedy tour with Martin Short the last couple years. But yes - his comedic acting career (and dramatic, for that matter) has drastically waned. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/48 "2020-09-24T16:54:18Z")
Kevin Spacey to Me Too. Linda Ronstadt to Parkinson’s. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/49 "2020-09-24T17:05:23Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Some would say Elvis Costello was lost to Angry Punkers when he got sober and happy. I disagree. He was lost when Bruce Thomas left The Attractions and he’s been lost ever since. Thomas’s bass was the driving melodic force behind all his best songs after his debut album, Pete Thomas was the driving rhythmic force, and E.C. was “just” the singer and lyricist. A good one, but he’d have been little more than an edgier version of Cat Stevens or Donovan without that killer band, and Bruce Thomas was 1/3 of that band. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/50 "2020-09-24T17:12:52Z")
Of course, though he is now deceased, for a long time obvious answer to this question was Syd Barrett. The original lead singer in Pink Floyd was overcome by mental illness in the late 1960s (often, but probably erroneously, blamed on drugs) and spent the rest of his life living quietly (and coping with his illness) in Cambridge (in the UK not MA) until his death in 2006. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/51 "2020-09-24T17:21:16Z")
This applies to Peter Green also. His “loss” to the world of music happened WAY before his recent death a few months ago. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/52 "2020-09-24T17:25:44Z")
Billy Joel hasn’t released an album of original songs since 1993. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/53 "2020-09-24T17:56:27Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > > [@digs](#): > > > > Some would say Elvis Costello was lost to Angry Punkers when he got sober and happy. I disagree. > > He was lost when Bruce Thomas left The Attractions and he’s been lost ever since. Thomas’s bass was the driving melodic force behind all his best songs after his debut album, Pete Thomas was the driving rhythmic force, and E.C. was “just” the singer and lyricist. A good one, but **he’d have been little more than an edgier version of Cat Stevens** or Donovan without that killer band, and Bruce Thomas was 1/3 of that band. (My Bolding) Steady on there - an edgier version of Cat Stevens sounds pretty damn good to me! 😉 j ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/54 "2020-09-24T20:49:01Z")
Not totally lost to art, but leaving one branch of art for another, was Captain Beefheart. He retired from music and turned exclusively to painting and sculpting in the mid-80s until his death in 2010. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/55 "2020-09-24T21:46:03Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Some would say Elvis Costello was lost to Angry Punkers when he got sober and happy. I disagree. And John Hiatt. Completely lost his edge when he sobered up. Do I really want to hear how he prefers the salad bar to the other kind? ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/56 "2020-09-24T22:31:28Z")
Neo-soul singer Lauryn Hill released her first and only solo studio album in 1998, when she was 23 years old. It sold 12 million copies worldwide, won her five Grammys, and was massively influential. She released a live album in 2002. Since then, she has released only a handful of singles and canceled numerous scheduled performances (due to a lot of personal issues). [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauryn\_Hill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauryn_Hill) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/57 "2020-09-24T22:44:35Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Not totally lost to art, but leaving one branch of art for another, was Captain Beefheart. He retired from music and turned exclusively to painting and sculpting in the mid-80s until his death in 2010. Despite his long association/history with Frank Zappa, no matter how hard I tried I could never “get” DVV’s music. My loss, I’m sure. But I was surprised by how much I like his paintings. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/58 "2020-09-24T23:03:29Z")
Yeah, Beefheart is an acquired taste. There are two extreme poles in his work, “Trout Mask Replica” and “Lick My Decals Off, Baby” , which are so abstract, avant-garde and atonal that I just can’t listen to them. Then there are “Unconditionally Guaranteed” and “Bluejeans And Moonbeams”, which both are sub-standard schlock for Beefheart, but everything else is sublime. And I also like his art I have seen. ---
**Author:** ![Dadtheinhaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dadtheinhaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dadtheinhaler)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/59 "2020-09-25T00:24:55Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Kate Bush has not put out an album since 2011. She did concerts in 2014 and the rumor was she did them because she needed money for repairs to her house. She is 62 and has not said she is retired. I heard Kate Bush a few years ago singing one of her old songs. I can’t remember the context. Her voice sounded really shaky and it was hard to listen to. I remember wondering why she would even release it. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262/60 "2020-09-25T04:27:12Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Yeah, Beefheart is an acquired taste. There are two extreme poles in his work, “Trout Mask Replica” and “Lick My Decals Off, Baby” , which are so abstract, avant-garde and atonal that I just can’t listen to them. Then there are “Unconditionally Guaranteed” and “Bluejeans And Moonbeams”, which both are sub-standard schlock for Beefheart, but everything else is sublime. And I also like his art I have seen. It frustrated me at times. I’ve owned or listened to most of CB’s albums, found some slightly more accessible than others, and could hear that there’s obviously something there. But for the life of me I simply couldn’t connect to it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-have-been-the-greatest-losses-to-the-arts-not-deceased/921262.md?page=4)