Did you ever see the documentary about the cave art, "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"? I always thought that some of that ancient art in the Chaauvet Cave must have been the product of a Master artist, How many centuries before Picasso?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauvet_Cave

sushipup, I love those too -- utterly amazing. My magic wish has been to go back in time to look over the shoulder of the artist who did the horses ... what else did she draw or sculpt or see and wonder over ....

embothrium -- Yes, there will always (one hopes) be another exceptional artist coming along. But some just 'ring your bell' more than others -- for me it's a personal thing, I'm not interested in how popular any artist is with the other 7 billion people on earth, lol.

eta: "There will never be another" ... like unto "you can't step in the same river twice" ... meaning things always change.

As Huell Howser used to say (on every show), "It doesn't get any better than this." Actually, you could say this once and get away with it, but after the second time, it has lost all meaning.

I do not pay that much attention to entertainers, and I especially do not have popular taste. I do not like what most people like, and I think most people do not like what I like. I've noticed this on the FNM threads. I am always happy when I find people who have similar taste, however.

It's just verbal pablum. It's become one of those things people say, that often don't really mean anything.

Hey Lars, don't go bad mouthing Huell I love him! Really, right here! I miss him, he could make an old abandoned gas station the most exciting place I must visit right now.

I disagree. Of course there will be newcomers compared with those who came before, but can you imagine another Judy Garland or Gene Kelly, for example? I can think of plenty of artists, entertainers and performers who were most certainly unique.

Or is this only referring to overuse of the phrase being applied to mediocre talent?

"I see this stated repeatedly about artistically successful entertainers in particular. How does anyone know? And why wouldn't there be other exceptional individuals coming down the pike indefinitely?"

The use of an extreme superlative, an intentional exaggeration, for effect and to convey the extent of an opinion at the far end of the spectrum. Not to be taken literally.

"Hey Lars, don't go bad mouthing Huell I love him!"

Me too. He found a niche for himself and executed it to the max. He had such an engaging and enthusiastic personality but I have to think he also had a great staff to help him find locations and develop the background for each program. Unless he was a one man band, so to speak, in which case, he was even more exceptional. There will never be another (said for effect but true).

I can think of plenty of artists, entertainers and performers who were most certainly unique

Never is a very long time.

Try snowflakes: "every one unique".

o j

I lot of people reached out to Huell Howser by sending him letters inviting him to visit their locations, museums, etc., and so he did have help in that respect, but otherwise I don't think he had a large staff. His shows always seemed to be on a shoestring budget, and they did not use expensive cameras, which is why Huell always said that he was not sure whether the camera could capture the scenes he was seeing. They were definitely not shot in Panavision!

I have watched pretty much all of his shows, and so I am also a big fan of his, despite some of his idiosyncrasies, or because of them. I also saw him in person one time in Hollywood at an erotic art show, but Luis (whom he mistakenly called Louie) was not with him for this, as I do not think PBS would have allowed video of that show. He was quite a bit taller than I expected him to be.

One of my favorite episodes of his was when he visited Beatrice Wyatt's yard in Ventura. I recorded that on VCR, but I cannot find it on YouTube.