Veteran singer-songwriter Neil Diamond talked to Neil McCormick of The Telegraph this week, and revealed that his true ambition in life was to become a doctor.
“I’m not so smart, ” Diamond said. “If I was smart, I’d have got through medical school, I’d be a biologist, and I’d have discovered the cure for cancer. I’m better at feeling things than understanding things. Wisdom only comes after many years of pondering. And if I have any wisdom, I put it in a song.”
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at office@jewishbusinessnews.com.
Thank you.
There’s greatness in humility, we think.
He makes no pretenses about his artistic work, either.
“You would think that after all these years of writing I would have learnt to do it quickly and gracefully and easily, but it doesn’t seem to work out that way. Every song is different, so it doesn’t help me very much to have had years of experience. It’s hard work, and it’s not getting any easier.”
And when McCormick asked if Diamond enjoyed the artistic process, his response was blunt:
“No, I hate it. I hate it. But all right, nobody told me it was gonna be easy. And so what? I’m a ditch- digger when I’m writing songs. My back hurts? Who cares? I gotta get that ditch dug deep and strong and it’s gotta serve its purpose. There are no short cuts. There are only long cuts. That’s what it is. But I’ve been doing it a long time now. I can’t find another way to make a living.”
