[tinkerdol]

> Occasionally, one gets the impression that this meticulous, sober man could be a little stuffy.

> when Mick Jagger wrote to “Maurits” asking for permission to reproduce one of his pictures on the cover of the Rolling Stones’ album Through the Past Darkly, Escher refused, informing the rock star’s assistant: “Please tell Mr Jagger I am not Maurits to him.”

Just want to point out, this could be a cultural difference and have nothing to do with his personality.

Note from the wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_customs_and_etiquette#Ad...), in the Netherlands formal address is used for people "one does not know, or is only slightly acquainted with."

For us Americans it is hard to understand why it'd be a problem being too friendly -- you are simply trying to be nice and signaling that you are cordial and open, right?

Imagine that a stranger at a bus stop wants to talk to you: instead of caustiously approaching, and trying from few feets' distance to get your attention first, they come in for a full hug like a close friend would greet you. You might not want to interact with them further from that point.

[icc97]

I've lived in England and the Dutch speaking (Flemish) half of Belgium. Certainly trying to appear you're someone's friend when you don't know them is frowned upon. But Mick Jagger's English so he knows the customs - and they're fairly similar between England and Holland. There's probably quite a few people that would love to be called by their first name by Mick Jagger, but clearly Meneer Escher wasn't one of them.

[oldmanjay]

now imagine that instead of going in for a hug, the stranger read your name off a name tag that you had on, and then cautioned you about how using hyperbole to bolster your point can, to eyes open enough to see, make your point actually appear weaker.