Almost all great art has a strong charge of the negative in it, and conversely, bland popular culture has little power for survival. Popular culture is a smoothing of the collective ego. In order to break that smoothness, the significant artist must step in and give it a one-two punch. Almost always the great artist straight-arms the reader at the beginning of his work; it is both a grabbing action and a statement of intent. This is done in many ways, but it stems from a primary disposition of restlessness. The great artist has a divine impatience with the way things are.

William Everson