We were lucky to catch up with Boris Lemon recently and have shared our conversation below.
Boris, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Back when I was a young man in the former Soviet Union, we were told that the best way to get ahead was to blend in with the crowd and try to simply fail upward. Conformity was the easiest, greasiest way to succeed. When I immigrated to the United States, I was initiated into the cult of the American “self-made man.” Initiative, hard work, honesty, ingenuity, creativity, and gumption were the qualities that were stressed at school, on TV, in the movies, and in the press. Obviously, none of this binary nonsense is true. Shostakovich and Prokofiev are arguably two of the most consequential composers of the last century, while here in the U.S. The Bangles,The Monkees, and The Carpenters dominated musical culture. Here in the United States, the birthplace of Jazz, artists like Bud Powell found Europe much more hospitable. Americans talk about innovation but in fact, the recipe for success in this country is not much different than in Communist countries. Blend in, play ball, don’t make waves, go to work, keep your head down, and kiss-up to the boss.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have a good sense of humor. You have to to survive in this crazy, unstable world. I also have the gift of gab. I talked my way into my first teaching job and once I was in that profession, it was a piece of cake gaining a following. I’m an artist, which by definition make me a liar. So here I am, an immigrant with no connections, no family, no history, in a new country, trying to survive and succeed while still trying to master the English language. I thought to myself, “how can I apply all my skills so I could make a decent living?” Well here I am, a well-known educator, an accomplished artist and a TV writer all wrapped into one hideous package. I love this country!
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
I couldn’t achieve what I achieved without the help of my soulmate and business partner Orestia Shestov. Orestia is brilliant, savvy, cunning, and gorgeous. She could seduce anyone into handing over their most cherished possession. She can convince anyone to link their fate with hers. Sure, she’s something of a grifter, but aren’t we all. Anyway, I met Orestia at a Grateful Dead concert in Oakland. We shared a joint and fell in love before the first encore. It turned out later that neither one of us were a Deadhead and we both came to the concert out of curious boredom. We bonded over our cynicism. Orestia is my writing partner and my artistic collaborator. My teaching I do alone.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
No, I don’t have any particular goal other than to put one leg in front of the other and hope to god I can keep my pants dry. Missions and purpose are for people without poetry.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://borislemon.blogspot.com/2022/06/on-leadership.html
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plausibledeniabilityproject/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@borislemon4206
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/dahliadanton
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F56vAwb7jDw
