I don't think there are any known genetic markers for "music" in the way there are for eye color. But I'm unsure how that would be defined, anyway.

Well, there's perfect pitch, which doesn't guarantee musical talent, but certainly makes learning a lot of the technical things a lot easier.

I'm told that the literature consensus is that there is no "talent," only hard work and varying degrees of intelligence.

That's got to be bullshit, I'm sorry. Unless you believe in different kinds of intelligence, and then that's the same thing as talent, I think. I mean, maybe my friend who is brilliant with numbers could work really hard and learn how to write a comprehensible sentence, but I can't believe she would ever be a brilliant writer.

I'm having a really interesting discussion about whether or not talent actually exists, or if it is all just hard work. I'm told that the literature consensus is that there is no "talent," only hard work and varying degrees of intelligence.

Wasn't there a NY Times article on this recently? Something titled "Sorry Strivers" saying that talent was essential.

Having coached Little League for six years I'm confident that talent exists in widely various ways. Some of it is about physical gifts, but isn't that talent? Quick-twitch muscles and reflexes and eye-hand coordination.

Talent Matters too. Not enough to make up for a lack of hard work, but still.

I mean, maybe my friend who is brilliant with numbers could work really hard and learn how to write a comprehensible sentence, but I can't believe she would ever be a brilliant writer.

Yeah. I mean, I have worked pretty hard at music, because when I was a kid and teenager, it was important to me. I practiced a lot, and it led to me being somewhat proficient at a few different instruments, and decent at singing, but I know that I'm never going to be really great at any of them.

Okay, but show me talent under a microscope. Measure it. It's kind of like porn. Hard to define, but you know it when you see it?

So what is talent? I went with this: "Here's my punk ass hypothesis: You get eight copies of the gene for dexterity, plus a guitar, LSD, and some free time, and you get to be Hendrix. Kind of like cystic fibrosis, but with less coughing and more electric ladyland."

Now, see, that's a great couple of sentences. That's a FUCKING GIFT.

Or, I practiced for ten thousand hours to deliver those two sentences to you, ala Gladwell.

-t, can you share pictures of your kitchen sometime?

Sure! Uh, next time it's sufficiently tidy, which it is not today.

Okay, but show me talent under a microscope. Measure it. It's kind of like porn. Hard to define, but you know it when you see it?

Sure. Like beauty. You can give me all of the symmetry and ratios you want, but there's something ineffable. But still, like you say -- there's got to be a combination of innate things including ability and desire.

Skipping way-too-much-and-a-Thanksgiving because, according to the Buffista Calendar, today is Daisy Jane's birthday.

Happy birthday, DJ! With lots of wishes for a great day and a wonderful year!

there's got to be a combination of innate things including ability and desire

Like creativity and curiosity, for instance. There are a lot of people who can be taught to write a perfectly good essay, or even a novel. There are not a lot of people who are going to come with ideas for them the way, say, Neil Gaiman does.