The Birthday Party
To Listen: Get Adobe Flash Player, or download an mp3 at the bottom of the post.
2006 has been a big year for big birthdays. We started the season with Mozart’s 250th and Beckett’s 100th — now it’s time to honor the young’uns. This year Queen Elizabeth II, Hugh Hefner and Fidel Castro turn 80 — as do Alan Greenspan, Jerry Lewis and Cloris Leachman. But there is something remarkable about the Windsor-Hefner-Castro triumvirate. Each one of them came to power nearly 50 years ago and they each did their part to define the second half of the 20th century…they continue to thrive in the 21st. So come raise a glass and join us at the intersection of Monarchism, Hedonism and Communism.
At Open Source we can’t afford to hire an event planner so we turn to you to help us come up with a guest list. Who do you think we should invite to commemorate this trio?
A NOTE FROM GRANT MCCRACKEN
Hef’s Place[Eggrollboy / Flickr]
Whenever we do a show that encompases history, economics, cultural trends, etc., we turn to blogger Grant McCracken. When pulling this show together we asked for his thoughts on the Windsor-Castro-Hefner triumvirate
Hefner, Castro and Elizabeth II have not quite outlived their claims to credibility but they are cutting it very, very fine.
Normally, people who don’t change are punished with accusations of self parody. But there is a more particular problem. Each of them have built their standing on shifting sands. They are actually outliving the ideology that brought them to power.
In a world ruled (more or less) by meritocracy, monarchies look increasingly odd.
In a world ruled (more or less) by the creativity of crowds (and mass cultural invention), those who claim to be inventors of lifestyle look increasingly implausible. And let’s face it, the blondes don’t help.
In a world ruled by dynamism, those who claim power through command economies and command cultures look entirely dubious.
Otherwise, they’re fine. Good fun for ceremonial occasions, the occasional photo opp, an endearingly unstable touchpoint in contemporary culture.
Grant McCracken, Blogger and Research Affiliate in the Comparative Media Studies at MIT
After reading this email to Open Source we called McCracken to get his thoughts on Hefner and the Playboy empire
To Listen: Get Adobe Flash Player, or download an mp3 at the bottom of the post.
Robert Thompson
-
Trustee Professor of Television and Popular Culture, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Founding Director, Center for the Study of Popular Television, Syracuse University
Georgie Anne Geyer
- Columnist and author, Guerilla Prince
Alex Cockburn
- Journalist and Editor, CounterPunch
- Extra Credit Reading
-
erratic_hippie, someday, i’ll tell my grandchildren…, LiveJournal, August 1 2006.
guy2k, Caring About Cuba’s Future Means Caring About Fidel’s, Capitolette, August 2 2006.
Mateo, Hugh Hefner Celebrates His Birthday Whenever He Feels, Useless Things, May 25 2006.
Katie Fretland, Pomp Marks Queen Elizabeth’s 80th Birthday, Newsvine, June 17 2006.
Charlie Bravo, Criminally bizarre birthday bash, KillCastro: A War Blog, July 8 2006.
Father Raymond J. de Souza, Smut’s Savvy Peddler, National Post, April 20 2006.
Jon Lee Anderson, Castro’s Last Battle, The New Yorker, July 24 2006.
British Monarchy Media Centre, British Monarchy Podcast.
Playboy, Happy Birthday Hef!, Playboy.com.
1926 Births, Wikipedia.
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April 26th, 2006 at 7:34 pm
Well, he’s not a young’un, but you certainly cannot allow 2006 to pass without celebrating the 150th birthday of Sigmund Freud – in about a week! He’s certainly deserving of his own hour of Open Source radio – perhaps you will do him the honor?
April 26th, 2006 at 8:02 pm
Historian Howard Zinn always seems to put milestones into perspective. I think he’d be an excellent guest for this birthday party.
And if you do decide to celebrate Sigmund Freud PLEASE invite Gloria Stienem. Her brilliant essay
What if Freud was a Woman? is one of the best things I’ve ever read in my life. Oh yeah, and how could I forget!? She also wrote a historic piece of investigative journalism about Hefner’s Playboy empire. It would be interesting to get her take on it now.
April 26th, 2006 at 8:09 pm
Goya’s 260th birthday was March 30th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goya
Marilyn Monroe would turn 80 on June 1st (hubba hubba): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe
Robert McNamara’s 90th is June 9th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_McNamara
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 195th is June 14th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Beecher_Stowe
Mata Hari’s 130th is August 7th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mata_Hari
And one day later Dave Howell Evans (a guitarist I enjoy) turns 45: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Edge
Alex Haley’s 85th is August 11th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Haley
Emerson Fittipaldi turns 60 on December 12th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson_Fittipaldi
This is fun!…
…but that’s enough for now.
April 26th, 2006 at 8:41 pm
OOOPS! I forgot about the link limit. Which means a post from me will magically appear above this one sooner or later…
Here’s a different way to do it:
On January 1st:
1. it was Harriet Brooks’s 130th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Brooks
2. Hank Greenburg’s 95th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Greenberg
3. and Ismail Raji al-Faruqi’s 85th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isma%27il_Raji%27_al-Faruqi
April 26th, 2006 at 8:50 pm
On January 2nd:
1. it was Mendele Mocher Sforim’s 170th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendele_Moykher_Sforim
2. (The other Jan. 2nd birthdays ending in 1’s and 6’s aren’t very noteworthy, so…) “1991 – Sharon Pratt Dixon is sworn in as mayor of Washington, DC becoming the first African American woman to lead a city of that size and importance.â€? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2#Events
and the 85th Anniversary of 1921 – “The first religious radio broadcast (KDKA AM in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) .� http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2#Events
April 26th, 2006 at 8:58 pm
On January 3rd:
1. It was the 1900th birthday of Cicero: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicero
2. Betty Furness’s 90th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Furness
3. and John Paul Jones’s 60th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Furness
April 26th, 2006 at 9:08 pm
Jan. 4th was a dud, so…
On January 5th, it was:
1. Hosea Williams’s 80th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosea_Williams
2. Alfred Brendel’s 75th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Brendel
3. and Diane Keaton’s 60th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Keaton
April 26th, 2006 at 9:12 pm
When’s Open Source’s birthday?
Can we have a party?
April 26th, 2006 at 9:21 pm
On January 6th it was:
1. Thomas Fincke’s 445th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Fincke (which, after reading the Wikipedia link, got me to wondering if the schoolyard slur ‘fink’ was inspired by him!)
2. E.L. Doctorow’s 75th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._L._Doctorow
3. and Syd Barrett’s 60th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syd_Barrett
April 26th, 2006 at 9:30 pm
Thank You, Lisa Williams (and your favorite god or goddess), for interrupting my madness. (That’s a plea for help, folks. Start blogging, please!!!)
On January 7th it was:
1. the 2005th of this beloved mythological figure: “1 BC (O.S.) – Jesus of Nazareth, central figure of Christianity, date celebrated by Eastern Orthodox churches as Christmas (d. circa 30)â€? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_7#Births
2. Zora Neale Hurston’s 115th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zora_Neale_Hurston
3. and Butterfly McQueen’s 95th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_McQueen
April 26th, 2006 at 9:39 pm
On January 8th, it was
1. Baltasar Gracián y Morales’s 405th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltasar_Graci%C3%A1n_y_Morales
2. Bill Graham’s 75th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Graham_%28promoter%29
3. and Graham Chapman’s 65th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Chapman
April 26th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
On January 9th, it was:
1. Joan Baez’s 65th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Baez
2. Anne Rivers Siddon’s 70th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Rivers_Siddons
3. and Gilbert Abbott à Beckett’s 195th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Abbott_%C3%A0_Beckett
April 26th, 2006 at 10:03 pm
On January 10th, ‘twas Peter Barnes’s 65th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Barnes
On January 11th, it was: Albert Hofmann’s (the “Father of LSD!�) 100th!!! : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann
On January 12 it was: Jack London’s 130th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_London
April 26th, 2006 at 10:13 pm
On January 13th, it was Jan van Goyen’s 410th (click the link just to see the painting): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_van_Goyen
On January 14th, it was
1. Berthe Morisot’s 165th (again, click the link just to see the painting): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berthe_Morisot
2. and Faye Dunaway’s 65th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faye_Dunaway
April 26th, 2006 at 10:23 pm
On January 15th, it was Marie LaFarge’s 190th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_LaFarge
(and the five-year anniversary of Wikipedia!)
On January 16th, it was Lucas Achtschellinck’s 380th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucas_Achtschellinck and
http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/images/gallery/f37c687c.html
April 26th, 2006 at 10:30 pm
This one’s worth its own solo post:
January 17th was the 95th birthday of George Joseph Stigler
“(January 17, 1911 – December 1, 1991) was a U.S. economist. He won the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 1982.
Stigler is best known for developing the Economic Theory of Regulation, also known as ‘capture’, which says that interest groups and other political participants will use the regulatory and coercive powers of government to shape laws and regulations in a way that is beneficial to them. This theory is an important component of the Public Choice field of economics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Joseph_Stigler
April 26th, 2006 at 10:32 pm
I don’t think OS is asking who else is having a birthday but who should be on the show to celebrate Castro, Hefner and the Queen. If I were throwing this party I’d invite Georgianne Geyer–a reporter who spent a lot of time with Castro.
April 26th, 2006 at 10:42 pm
Jan. 18 was a dud.
On January 19th, it was the 155th of Jacobus Kapteyn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobus_Kapteyn
January 20th was Bill Maher’s 50th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Maher
January 21st was Geena Davis’s 50th, too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geena_Davis
April 26th, 2006 at 11:03 pm
BJ, you’re a buzz-killer, dude.
Besides, I want some of these folks on the show, dead or alive! Especially Marilyn Monroe and Geena Davis. Even though it’s only radio.
(But don’t worry, I’m starting to run out of steam anyway. I just gotta get to the end of January…)
January 22nd was the 75th of Sam Cooke: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Cooke
Jan.23 was a dud.
January 24th was the 1930th of Hadrian, one of the ‘Five Good Emperors’ of Rome, whose reign was like Bill Clinton’s Presidency: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian
January 25th was the 270th of Joseph Louis Lagrange: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Louis_Lagrange (of the ‘Lagrange points’)
April 26th, 2006 at 11:05 pm
oOpS!
“whose reign was like Bill Clinton’s Presidency: “a faltering beginning, a glorious middle but a tragic conclusion.â€?
Hadrian, that is…
April 26th, 2006 at 11:11 pm
The first person who popped into my mind was Camille Paglia. She is so great at making connections between high and low brow.
Couldn’t Brendan find a picture on flicker of the Queen mother in a saucy negligee smoking a Cohiba cigar? There has to be a picture of that somewhere.
April 26th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
On January 26th, it was the 95th of Polykarp Kusch (who’s worthy of inclusion into the blog party for his name alone – even though he’s more importantly another Nobel laureate): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polykarp_Kusch
On January 27th, it was my favorite composer’s 250th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart
–who ROS should hire to supply the party music.
–and the 45th of Margo Timmins (who could sing some Mozartean arias at the party…slow arias, anyway): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margo_Timmins
April 26th, 2006 at 11:59 pm
January 28th didn’t have an interesting birthday in a hear ending in a 1 or a 6, but it did have: this year was the 133rd of Colette: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colette
January 29th was the 150th of Nobel Laureate Romain Rolland: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romain_Rolland
January 31th was the 50th of Johnny Rotten. Yup, FIFTY! : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Rotten
—who wrote – or snarled – a perfectly prescient song on the body politic of the USA 30 years ahead of time:
Pretty Vacant
There’s no point in asking you’ll get no reply
Oh just remember I don’t decide
I got no reason it’s too all much
You’ll always find us out to lunch
Oh we’re so pretty
Oh so pretty we’re vacant
Oh we’re so pretty
Oh so pretty
A vacant
Don’t ask us to attend ‘cos we’re not all there
Oh don’t pretend ‘cos I don’t care
I don’t believe illusions ‘cos too much is real
So stop you’re cheap comment ‘cos we know what we feel
Oh we’re so pretty
Oh so pretty we’re vacant
Oh we’re so pretty
Oh so pretty we’re vacant
Ah but now and we don’t care
There’s no point in asking you’ll get no reply
Oh just remember a don’t decide
I got no reason it’s too all much
You’ll always find me out to lunch
We’re out on lunch
Oh we’re so pretty
Oh so pretty we’re vacant
Oh we’re so pretty
Oh so pretty we’re vacant
Oh we’re so pretty
Oh so pretty ah
But now and we don’t care
We’re pretty
A pretty vacant
We’re pretty
A pretty vacant
We’re pretty
A pretty vacant
We’re pretty
A pretty vacant
And we don’t care
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1099212&style=music&cart=334152410&BAB=M
Maybe he can sing it at the party with Margo Timmins!
April 27th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Did I forget January 30th?
Uh…only on purpose… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Cheney
April 27th, 2006 at 7:18 am
I would have loved to hear Joespeh Campbell’s perspective on the use of these three as the icons of the 2nd half of the twentieth century.
Or Perhaps Wendell Berry.
Why don’t we invite JFK and MLK, Jr?
And a few artists such as Georgia O’Keefe or Picasso.
Perhaps the best person to be in the room with them all and give a sense of 20th century relevance would be Andy Warhol!
Maybe Pete Seeger could write a birthday song?
April 27th, 2006 at 7:30 am
[...] , 2006
A joint birthday party for “the Castro-Hefner-Windsor triumvirate“?! Fantastic.
Entry Filed under: General
[...]
April 27th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
What abour Buddha?
April 27th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
correction: I spelled Steinem incorrectly above….. way above
April 27th, 2006 at 7:16 pm
I’d like to suggest that Philip Roth be invited to talk about his life work as well as his new novel which the British writer Byatt called a modern classic.
May 1st, 2006 at 8:58 am
Should Martha bake the cake? It seems fitting since she is the Queen of Quiche, dearly follows the pleasure principle and, like Fidel, is an outlaw rebel with a cause.
Now here’s a cake that is perfect for the occasion. It is royal, decadent and thorny all at once.
http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=recipe3133
May 2nd, 2006 at 9:02 am
THAT is an amazing cake! Thank you sidewalker for sharing that recipe.
May 2nd, 2006 at 11:40 am
Rather than have guests on the program to talk ABOUT the birthday celebrities, I’d suggest doing one of your trademark ROS quasi-fiction hours: Hire actors/impersonators to assume the roles of as many luminaries as you think could carry on a conversation with each other during the program. It could have elements of your classic Thomas Jefferson alter ego and also of the Michael Brown play. I’m also reminded here of Steve Martin’s play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, and Tom Stoppard’s play, Travesties, in which real historical personnages are given the opportunity to relate to each other in previously uncharted territories. Your choice as to how to strike the balance between scripted and ad lib. This could be a Birthday Party to remember for a long time to come!
May 2nd, 2006 at 11:48 am
Jon, that’s a great idea.
It’s only drawback is that it will surely inspire me to begin my ‘birthday carpet bombing’ again.
(I’ll wait a few days for others to give theirs first though…)
May 6th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
I would love to say I’ve followed this thread, but it has been rendered unreadable. ahem.
I think the 80th birthday idea is a great plan, and no coincidence, as many of the technologies which were put to use were maturing when they came into power. (Windsor – television, Hefner – photoquality print, and Castro – nuclear weapons (by proxy)).
The list could go on. and on and on and on. and on. But in an effort to communicate, effectively, it doesn’t.
ahem.
May 6th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
madhatter: just skip all the posts from that idiot ‘Nikos’!
Other folks have left good posts worth reading.
(And if I add any more interesting birthdays with links, I’ll do it in one monster post that EVERYBODY can skip EASILY — and that Brendan can BLOCK!)
May 9th, 2006 at 2:02 pm
Yesterday was Albert Hoffman’s 100th birthday. He’s still alive and well. I thank him for his great discovery, it changed my life.
May 10th, 2006 at 1:06 pm
Um, well, what about an obvious b-day – good ol’ Doc Freud. And have the great Adam Phillips as a guest to help with the proceedings, the unorthodox British psychoanalyst turned essayist (I’m not sure if he practices anymore). And, if not for this specific show, please try to get him on sometime soon. Any excuse will do. A show on psychotherapy in the age of pharmacology and neuroscience, finding a place for the ideas of someone like Freud, as well as the problems of incorporating therapy into health care management and delivery, would be a good place to start, I think. John Banville and Frank Kermode both have praised his writing, the former calling him, perhaps piquing Chris’s interest, “an Emerson for our time.” Anyway, just an idea.
May 10th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
A perfect guest for this show would be a British Comedian.
How about Eddie Izzard http://www.eddieizzard.com/home.izz A bi-sexual brit whose comments are topical. He would be great. If not him maybe Billy Connolly, a man who does not pull any punches. http://www.billyconnolly.com/
Tracey Ullman would be great! http://www.rreini.com/tracey/
May 11th, 2006 at 5:50 pm
Hwally: If Hoffman changed your life, I presume you now know where reality originates (if you didn’t already know.)
May 24th, 2006 at 1:12 am
Invite Stephen Colbert, except he’s probably booked ’til 2010.
July 20th, 2006 at 5:07 pm
Howard Zinn would likely ruffle some feathers but an interesting angle might very well be from those who reported it. How about Walter Cronkite, Bob Woodward or the like?
August 8th, 2006 at 7:59 pm
So what do these three have in common? My take: each presides over a castle in the air–though, admittedly, Elizabeth’s castles and Heffner’s mansion have a superficial appearance of stony substance. How deluded Castro’s lifework will prove to be may be determined in the weeks and months ahead.
August 9th, 2006 at 8:29 am
Chris odd taste is showing again. From hosting the crazy Juan Cole to perpetually inebriated Alex Cockburn.
Alex Cockburn? Why on earth does any sane man want to interview a loony tunes like him.
Oh, I forgot he like Cole believes in conspiracy theories.
August 9th, 2006 at 11:40 am
Get with the program everyone! Anyone who doesn’t believe in the pre-chewed regurgitate dropped into our receptive mouths is a ‘conspiracy theorist’, a ‘nut case’ if you will.
This line of attack is so 2003 .. haven’t the retreating false-patriot wingnuts informed their true believers yet? tsk tsk.. how sad!
August 9th, 2006 at 1:09 pm
Y
“Get with the program everyone!”
Ha, and he call others “wing nuts!”
What is it you believe in Yo? Is th US the problem and Islam the solution?
August 9th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
mdhatter Says:
May 6th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
I agree – it would be great to have someone who could put the changes (both technological and social) of the last 80 years into some kind of context. Someone above suggested Howard Zinn, who might have an interesting take. Someone else suggested a psychologist – a very interesting idea. I don’t think I want to listen to Camille Paglia, however.
August 9th, 2006 at 2:26 pm
[...] d Brit’s Radio Broadcast Premier … Our friend This Old Brit is going to be on Christopher Lydon’s Open Source tonight at 7:00PM. Woo!
T [...]
August 9th, 2006 at 3:56 pm
I had more than enough of Old Brits and New Brits on NPR
August 9th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
Then don’t bother bringing Brits up. Give yourself a break – and the rest of us.
August 9th, 2006 at 6:31 pm
My birthday was on June 25th. That is all that’s important.
Oh, and Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln share the same birthdate of February 12th, 1809. That would put them both at 197 years old or so. I don’t know why I think that’s cool. In three years, Open Source should have a party commemorating them.
August 9th, 2006 at 6:32 pm
The US leads the world in one very important element. that is the culture of youth and this perspective has slowly moved up the food chain of authority in terms of both government and business. An interesting topics on the show u have not really discussed is the change of perception of these icons as a result of the cultural change (in terms of the new demographic that creates the national opinion) how these icons seem to reprecent totally different ideas in the US of today
August 9th, 2006 at 6:35 pm
The Cuban revolution may have thrived if the USA had not imposed a war-like embargo upon the Island for the past 50 yrs.
August 9th, 2006 at 6:52 pm
Folks, I urge all here to do some research on Cuba pre-castro. It was NOT a “third world” nation as Mr. Lydon , et al, and all of these non-Cuban johnny come latelies to tha Cuba party would have you believe.
oh, and Id like to ask Mr. Lydon, publicly, if he’s ever had anyone in Cuba call and ask for anesthetic, gauze, aspirin, even bed sheets, because a family member needed surgery in Cuba.
August 9th, 2006 at 7:00 pm
I have to agree that Hef can look at both Castro and the Queen and say, “I won�. He changed an entire culture almost single handedly and had a lot of fun doing it.
August 9th, 2006 at 9:47 pm
I just heard Mr. Lydon’s experience in Cuba – and I have to say it reflected my own experiences visiting Cuba in 2001 – twice actually, once in June and once in September (shortly after 9/11). I’m not going to deny there’s a certain level of fear and police state in the air, but Havana had a great vibe w/ music and people and drink. Especially visiting after 9/11 there was something wonderful about the alternative Cuba and Castro provided of a romantic, rebellious, joy)ous culture in opposition to some of the most ridiculous U.S. policies (e.g., the embargo). Indeed, many of the socialist slogans plastered everywhere had a quaint quality to them, like the cars. And the health did seem impressive in several ways, for a “third world” country everyone had really good teeth.
Contrast Cuba to the Islamic fundamentalists of today, worse and more threatening than Fidel ever has been post Missle Crisis. I wish we had opened up to the island and welcome them as potential cultural allies or at least neutral bystandards in the current struggle – instead our obsession w/ punishing the Fidel and the Cuban people could push Fidel or his successors closer to our real foes out there – let’s not make the same mistake twice.
Thanks for sticking up for Cuba and Castro.
August 10th, 2006 at 4:34 am
Coud the Cuban people remain “romantic, rebellious and joyous” under a less repressive system?
August 10th, 2006 at 10:12 am
I disagree with you, Fiddlesticks. Alexander Cockburn a great choice — and he’s not British. Au contraire, as his great countryman famously replied to the same misrepresentation. And on what basis do you have it that he’s “perpetually inebriated” (sounds like you’re thinking of Hitchens — a less savory character, but his drinking is his own business)? That’s a strong accusation — reckless even — to be throwing around about someone you presumably don’t even know. As for his alleged preference for conspiracy theories, he’s done more than his part to debunk the biggest conspiracy theory of them all, the alleged conspiracy surrounding the assassination of JFK (and yes, I am familiar with Whiteout). He also happens to be one of the supplest prosers around. He can write in any tone or mood, be it satirical, forensic, polemical, elegiacal…He wrote a description of a group of hammerhead sharks tearing into a school of bonefish off Key West that is one of the best bits of nature writing I’ve ever read. I suggest you read him if you haven’t, even if you think you disagree with him. Amitie.
August 10th, 2006 at 10:14 am
And now if only someone would kindly fix the link…
August 10th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
The requested URL /ros/open_source_060810.mp3 was not found on this server.
August 10th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
Grazie.
August 10th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
Yes, I do have better things to do, but the link fails moments after HRM drones on.
August 10th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
Was Alex Cockburn “disconnected” deliberately after he attacked the “blabosphere”?
August 10th, 2006 at 10:30 pm
“I disagree with you, Fiddlesticks. Alexander Cockburn a great choice ”
The man is a Jew hater. He may be a “greta choice for you, but he does not belong on a public radio show supported by taxpayer dollars. Hurley.
August 11th, 2006 at 3:48 am
Fiddlesticks: First you make unsubstantiated allegations that Cockburn is a drunk, a conspiracy theorist and, perhaps most egregiously of all, British. Then you make the far more serious, and again unsubstantiated, allegation that he is an anti-semite. That’s a grave accusation, libellous if untrue. It is inconceivable to me that you would level such a charge lightly, say in a fit of malicious whimsy, because to do so would be to trivialize a legacy of tragic scope and dimension. Your accusations therefore imply a solemn obligation. I urge you to do the right thing, the decent thing, and to step out from behind your moniker and take the charge to him directly, in your own name. Amass your evidence, make your case, publish your conclusions. Anything else would suggest cowardice and irresponsibility on your part . Be warned, however, that he’s dealt with this sort of thing before, and none too gently. Pursue it to it’s conclusion, as you are morally bound to do, and you’re likely to find yourself in court.
I’m through with this subject.
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