Alan Cumming

And, you know, we call the contemporary civilization ends up being called cocktail conversation because the idea is like, really, this is just about like, did you read Aristotle in college?

And, you know, it makes you sound smart, but I have to say it has come in handy.

Like it is really, I, there are plenty, especially like when it comes to like the Greek texts, I never would have read.

I never would have read a play by Aristophanes.

I wouldn't have, you know, there's, and instead I was forced to, and I loved a lot of this stuff.

And I do feel like it's come up, you know, in life where this, it's a good education.

I wouldn't have chosen some of these texts to read.

So I'm old school.

Like I'm kind of like, yeah, you know, and I'm all about dismantling or criticizing the canon, but you should know the canon first.

Sure.

You know what I mean?

Like, sure.

Of course.

Question these books, like, you know, especially because a lot of them are white men who, you know, didn't want to hear from anybody else in the world.

But you still should read their thoughts.

It's so good.

Anyway.

I mean, yeah, I would have died.

Swimming's great, man.

That's the thing.