Starting Musicophilia

I like to think I'm smart. The trouble, though, is that I occasionally have to do something that I would consider smart in order to maintain the illusion. Since making intelligent decisions aren't really my thing (as evidenced by my choice in scholarly pursuits and the results of most haircuts), I usually just opt to read a book that makes me look smart.

So yesterday I started reading Oliver Sacks's Musicophilia, a book that analyzes the interaction between music and neuropsychology. So far the focus has been on abnormal reactions to music, but there was one peculiar story right at the beginning that caught my attention.

The very first story in the book involves a man who survived getting struck by lightning. He experienced marginal memory loss for a few weeks, but nothing major, and eventually fully recovered. However, after the lightning strike, this man noted an increased interest in music - to the point where he started teaching himself to play the piano and composing. Eventually, he performed his music in concert, where many in the audience expressed the wish that they could get struck by lightning, too.

Hmm, I wonder...