Pop Culture
DOCTOR BILL AND MISTER COSBY
Originally published in The American Interest, December 9, 2014 In October, when I began reading Bill Cosby: His Life and Times, by Mark Whitaker, the 77-year-old comedian was enjoying a bit of a boom: a new television series in the works, a new special set to get the Netflix treatment, an exhibition at the Smithsonian …
“THE NICEST WHITE PEOPLE”
Frank Rich interviewed Chris Rock this week in New York magazine. Rock was brilliant–creative, provocative, and enormously perceptive. He said things about race in a way that should change the discussion forever. Here is one comment: “Here’s the thing. When we talk about race relations in America or racial progress, it’s all nonsense. There are …
BABY LET ME FOLLOW YOU DOWN
Dave Jensen and I went to the Complete Last Waltz concert at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester on Wednesday night. I wish the organizers had issued a program, because I do not know the names of the many excellent musicians who performed. Here is a partial list: Joe Russo, Sam Cohen, Scott Metzger, Dave …
HOW ROBERT FRIPP MADE A MUSICIAN OUT OF ME
“All my life, I have loved music, and never in my life have I been the tiniest bit musical. Not only can I not sing in tune, I cause others to fall off key. Not only can I not dance, my dancing has often caused injury to others, most memorably on a St. Patrick’s Day …
LUST OBJECT
In its current auction, Ray Haradin Toys of Yesteryear, a Pittsburgh outfit, is offering a 60-piece toy set depicting the Sack of Troy. The set was made by Heyde, the German toy maker that was based in Dresden. Founded in 1872, Heyde was destroyed during the firebombing of 1945. I don’t know when this set …
COMEDY VERITE
Last week I had the pleasure of going to the theater with one half of my Loose Lips co-writers, the gemultlict Lisa Birnbach. What fun! We had dinner on Bond Street in a brick-walled basement level restaurant called The Smile, which had the atmosphere and trappings of the kind of archetypal Greenwich Village that Edna …
THE SECRET IS OUT
“A workshop of a new musical about late talk-show host Johnny Carson, simply titled Carson — The Musical, will be held in Manhattan in December. Rehearsals, according to an Equity casting notice, will begin Nov. 3; presentations are scheduled for Dec. 9-12. Carson has a book by Jamie Malanowski and Henry Bushkin with music by …
A TOTAL ORIGINAL
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Will.i.am for the September issue of Success. He was very different from most interview subjects–he was very relaxed, very confident, seemingly without any canned responses. He was quick to respond to my questions, but every answer was fluid and detailed. I was particularly drawn to one of his …
BILL MURRAY, PHILOSOPHER
Last Friday night, Bill Murray appeared at an audience Q&A session at the Toronot Film Festival. As reported in the Vulture column of New York magazine, the night’s final question was “What’s it like being you?” Here is Murray’s answer: “I think if I’m gonna answer that question, because it is a hard question, I’d …