Most Popular ArticlesThe Principles of Applied Stupidity
December 22, 2009
The most commercially successful musical conductor of all time was not Leonard Bernstein. It’s wasn’t Toscanini, von Karajan, or Boulez.
That honor goes to the Boston Pops’ Arthur Fiedler, who gained fame – and commercial success – by being different. Fiedler was known for chasing fire trucks through the streets of Boston, wearing outlandish costumes during performances, and combining fireworks with his music.
Fiedler succeeded, according to Justin Locke, at least in part through dumb luck and the willingness to experiment without fear of failure.
The Principles of Applied Stupidity, Locke’s second book, details 33 of his principles that can turn stupid decisions and questionable judgments into good fortune. From Principle #5 (Everyone Wants to Look and Feel Smart) to #22 (Stupidity is Better than Anxiety), Locke lays out his laws for “stupid” living.
“The original idea of the book was that it was going to be a joke,” laughs Locke. After a long career with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a job he says he got because he was “too dumb to know it was impossible,” Locke, a bass player, has put his accidental success into words.
“In its most common use,” Locke explains, “stupid is simply an expression of disapproval. A person can be absolutely brilliant … but if they do something that someone else finds to be confusing, frightening, threatening, or annoying, the brilliant person will be told they are ‘stupid.’”
Locke spent 18 years with the Boston Pops, starting at age 20. He calls himself largely self-taught, a distinction he maintained throughout subsequent careers as a video producer, lecturer, and author.
His many occupations are just as surprising to Locke himself. “I kept bumbling into jobs because I just didn’t know that I couldn’t do it.” And yet he has proven that he can, often by applying many of his own principles to situations that those who would have chosen the “smart” route might never have attempted.
Many of the stories Locke tells in The Principles of Applied Stupidity deal with his several careers. Most notably, he focuses on the “stupid” career decisions of his former boss, Fiedler.
“The reason why Arthur Fielder became so popular was very simple: he was able to distinguish himself from the rest of the herd by the simple fact that he was willing to risk ‘looking stupid,’” Locke writes. By dressing up in fantastic costumes and arranging music by the Beatles, Locke argues, Fielder found success doing the things conventional wisdom – conformity – deemed to be stupid.Display article as PDF for printing.
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