serra and mingus...

"when i was in high school, i'd go to the jazz workshop in san francisco, and one night mingus was there playing a set. because it was hot, the ceiling fan was on, but at one point the bartender shut the fan off. and mingus  - who weighed about about 320 pounds and was six foot five - jumps over the bar, lands on the other side, grabs the bartender, slams him against the wall, and says, "turn that fan back on. that's one of my instruments" [laughter], and i'm sitting there - i'm sixteen, seventeen years old - and i'm thinking, holy shit! you have to pay attention to everything all the time. a lot of what making art is about is paying attention."

from an interview with richard serra (2010), in the book richard serra drawing