Illustration by Cat Cao.

SAIC Beat is F Newsmagazine’s student-produced podcast, profiling members of the SAIC community. This season, we ask artists what it means to “make it.” Click here for more episodes of SAIC Beat. 

A run-in with the police caused Simon Anderson, associate professor in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)’s Art History Department, to grow skeptical of the concept of “making it.” The officer told Simon — at the time, a self-described ‘wannabe hippie’ — “You’ll never make it, son.” Our discussion with Simon touched on Diogenes, Frank Sinatra, Philip Corner’s destructive “Piano Activities,” the twin forces of creation and destruction, and ultimately, how it all converges on backyard homesteading.

Stream the episode below.