Jazz and Soul

"I would only consider myself outside the norm because of the way other people live. . . I could never bear to live the dull lives that most people live, locked up in offices. I live in absolute freedom. I do what I want because I want to do it. What's wrong with making a living doing something interesting?" - Bud Freeman, page 457, Working

Bud Freeman seems like a very paradoxical character - in some ways he seems like a bum who just wants to play music, and in other ways he seems like a brilliant, hardworking artist. I wonder if he really has a good point of view that just seems ridiculous because of society's value of "hard work" equaling packed days, or if he actually is lazy and won't take responsibility for his life.

While I tend to agree with him on the idea of finding a job that interests you and gives you opportunities for freedom, I feel like he has a bad attitude when it comes to his views of other people. He throws around terms like "dull lives" and states that he would be miserable as a "nine-to-five-man." I wonder if he ever allowed himself to take his focus off of himself long enough to look at other people. Supposedly, he "can't handle other people," so perhaps not.

PS. Regarding the Arendt reading, I'm really struggling with it. I'm looking forward to deciphering it in discussion tomorrow.