Eraser Head

[slinkster]

Did anyone else watch that programme on TV about the man who lost all his memory? He just woke up on the NEw York subway with no recollection of anything at all and has basically had to start from scratch.

It's so wierd... he was a whole different person understandably,which was hard for his friends, but it must have been incredible to see things you'd never seen before and relearning stuff. I mean I can't remember how it felt to first see fireworks or snow or the ocean, probably because I was so small... but to relive that again must have been amazing and scary. It's amazing how much of our personality rests on our responses to experiences...

It got me thinking, if there was anything I'd want to erase from my memory, like in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind.... and I decided no. I decided I'm much better off having learnt from everything, even the bad stuff, than forget it all and wipe it all out.

Got anything you want to erase from your memory??

[Drew]

Damn, I missed it, I saw the adverts and really wanted to see it

Was it worth it then?

[slinkster]

I missed the very start but the rest of it was interesting yeah... kinda sad in many ways but amazing in others. The guy who did the documentary was an old friend of the guy who lost his memory... so it had a very personal edge to it.

[grassrootsracer]

Aww. From the thread title, I was hoping you were going to be talking about a David Lynch film. Off topic - Eternal Sunshine was a great film, imho.

There's really nothing I want to erase from my memory because experiences are part of a person. I want to remember my mistakes so that I hopefully don't repeat them, and remember the good times for the obvious reasons.

[slinkster]

Aaah David Lynch... a master... takes me back to my film studies lectures. :)

[MrJan]

I also thought this thread was about the Lynch film and was very, very glad it wasn't. Saw half of it in Film Studies once and have never wanted to stop watching a film more, which says quite a lot. Anything surreal I can't be bothered with, like Un Chien Andalou, what was all that about?

Anyway back on topic I saw the program about the guy who lost his memory. I wasn;t quite sure if it was all real or not, seemed so strange, especially the way he could remember how to swim but not what the sea looked or felt like, seems like the same type of memory to me.
Anyway it really got me thinking though, about how I would be if it happened to me, and how I would feel about the new me if I got my old memory back. Like if I walked into my room, all memory lossed up, not knowing who I am, and thought that all the pictures of cars were stupid and motorsport was boring. Then as the old memory seeps back would I have changed suffieciently in that time to stop liking cars, or would my old memory erase the new ones and I'd be back to normal?

It's creates all kinds of questions like that, many which are easier to understand :D

I don't think I'd actually want anything deleted from my mind. I've had nights out where I've drunk so much that I completely forget what has happened, so much so that I don't even have a hazy memory of it. it's a horrible feeling, people tell you what happened but you aren't sure if you can trust them, or you just plain don't believe that you would do what they say you have. Not nice.

[viper_man]

I so wish Id watched this programme but only managed to see the last few minutes due to work, looked really interesting. Freaky at the same time though.

Personally I dont think Id want things deleted just from my mind but some things from me entire life!