The Do-Do Not Study
The polling industry seems to have excess capacity during non election years. An outfit called Public Policy Polling kept the troops busy with a study about conspiracies. Various news reports report the more sensational results to the public. This is a slow news day, and this study should get a lot of attention. PPP will be kept in the public eye, and politicians planning campaigns will be reminded of the existence of PPP.
Here is what the pdf says about methadology. “PPP surveyed 1,247 registered American voters from March 27 to 30. The margin of error for the overall sample is +/-2.8%. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews.
There are twenty opinion questions. There may, or may not, be a reason they were presented in this order. With one exception, these questions begin with “Do”, and end with “or not?”. There are three possible answers… Do, Do Not, Not Sure. While not specified in the study, it is presumed that this was facilitated by pushing one, two, or three on the telephone. It is not indicated whether this was conducted on cell phones, or on land lines. It was not indicated if the voice conducting the survey was male, female, or an automated voice devoid of gender, and accent.
Q1 Do you believe global warming is a hoax, or not?
Q2 Do you believe Osama bin Laden is still alive, or not?
Q3 Do you believe a UFO crashed at Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947, and the US government covered it up, or not?
Q4 Do you believe that a secretive power elite with a globalist agenda is conspiring to eventually rule the world through an authoritarian world government, or New World Order, or not?
Q5 Do you believe Saddam Hussein was involved in the September 11th, 2001, attacks on America, or not?
Q6 Do you believe there is a link between childhood vaccines and autism, or not?
Q7 Do you believe the moon landing was faked, or not?
Q8 Do you believe President Barack Obama is the anti-Christ, or not?
Q9 Do you believe the Bush administration intentionally misled the public about the possibility of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to promote the Iraq War, or not?
Q10 Do you believe aliens exist, or not?
Q11 Do you believe the CIA was instrumental in distributing crack cocaine into America’s inner cities in the 1980s, or not?
Q12 Do you believe the government adds fluoride to our water supply, not for dental health reasons, but for other, more sinister reasons, or not?
Q13 Do you believe that shape-shifting reptilian people control our world by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate our societies, or not?
Q14 Do you believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing President Kennedy, or was there some larger conspiracy at work?
Q15 Do you believe in Bigfoot or Sasquatch, or not?
Q16 Do you believe media or the government adds secret mind-controlling technology to television broadcast signals, or not?
Q17 Do you believe that the exhaust seen in the sky behind airplanes is actually chemicals sprayed by the government for sinister reasons, or not?
Q18 Do you believe that the pharmaceutical industry is in league with the medical industry to “invent” new diseases in order to make money, or not?
Q19 Do you believe Paul McCartney actually died in a car crash in 1966 and was secretly replaced by a lookalike so The Beatles could continue, or not?
Q20 Do you believe the United States government knowingly allowed the attacks on September 11th, 2001, to happen, or not?
The exception to the Do-Do Not pattern is question 14. Alternative answers were available for this one question. Q14 Do you believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing President Kennedy, or was there some larger conspiracy at work? Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone ~ There was some larger conspiracy at work ~ Not sure. Only 26% of the 18-29 age group feels there was a conspiracy. The other age groups all answered over 50%, when asked if there was a conspiracy.
The study had six demographic questions at the end. It is not known if there were sample quotas for these groups, or what screening questions were used. Respondents were not asked about family income, or level of education.
Q21 In the last presidential election, did you vote for Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?
Q22 Would you describe yourself as very liberal, somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat conservative, or very conservative?
Q23 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Q24 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican, press 2. If you are an independent or identify with another party, press 3.
Q25 If you are Hispanic, press 1. If white, press 2. If African-American, press 3. If other, press 4.
Q26 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to 45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are older than 65, press 4.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Hunter S. Thompson Tribute
There is a “tribute page” dedicated to glorifying the grooviness of Hunter S Thompson.There are some very old pictures, dating back to a time before photography was proven to exist. There are also quotes, which may or may not be correctly attributed. Not that anybody cares.
PG has long been a fan of Mr. Thompson. In the past few years, a few books have been published, resulting in one, two, three blog posts at Chamblee54. Towards the end of the second book, PG just felt tired. Towards the end of his life, HST was a hopeless alcoholic, confined to a wheelchair. His best writing was thirty years behind him. We have the fear and loathing books, and they are still tons of fun, but excessive veneration of the dude is simply not appropriate.
Some of the commenters feel the same way. “Who is the person here claiming to be Hunter S Thompson? He died by his own hand over ten years ago. NOT HAPPY WITH IMPOSTERS SAYING THEY ARE DR GONZO. WTF IS GOING ON !!!!!! ” “Mate if you want to live in a fantasy world thats up to you. Lets not embrace the fact that someone is saying they are someone they are not. That is lying !!!!! And lets not embrace impostors Thats deception And so people start believing anything they want and taking someone elses name and talent and reputation. Ok i think next week ill become micheal jackson. Your taking too many or the wrong sort if drugs ” “This page has never claimed to be that of Hunter S. Thompson. As the description now has been adjusted to say, consider this page a tribute.” Some people don’t get the joke.
FakeHunterSThompson is a twitter account, based in Hightstown NJ. @HunterSThompson 27 Oct World rotation wobble major cause of climate change. Fat AGore asked to move to Thailand to balance everything out. @HunterSThompson 26 Oct Obama to reduce budget deficit by taxing welfare payments and benefits. “Some peeps making more than workers. Family of four netting $120k.” @HunterSThompson 22 Apr 11 When Hollywood promotes interracial, and gay relationships do you cheer the enlightenment or say Ehwwww in disgust?
Here is another commenter to the FB facility. “Yeah, the people turning Hunter’s life into one giant drug reference shits me. He was an amazing writer, he had insight that few others could even approach and could cut to the bloody bones on the seedy underside of politics as easily as he could name the betrayal of an american generation. Stop cheapening his legacy by posting pictures of drugs and pretending to be in some special club because you took acid too – it wasn’t the drugs that made him who it he was, it was the fucking balls to live what he believed, and mind to write about it. “
The pictures today were originally posted with book reports about Mr. Thompson’s life. They were taken in Atlanta’s Little Five Points. (The Christian 12 step program is in Marietta.) This is a neighborhood which was once run down, and became a hipster paradise. Like someone said about the sixties, they were too beautiful to live, and too profitable to die. The good news is that some people in this district are creating new artproduct, instead of recycling the old. There is nothing really wrong with a tribute page to Hunter S. Thompson. Just don’t stop there, but continue down the dayglo path to create something of your own. Don’t get caught.
Life
PG found a copy of Life, the autobiography of Keith Richards, at the Chamblee library. It is due back today. Whatever virtues this book may have, it is not worth an overdue fine.
The first chapter is about a bust. During the 1975 tour, Keith and Ron Wood go to a diner in backwoods Arkansas. They stay in the men’s room for forty minutes, and someone calls the cops. The vehicle is pulled over, and the crew is busted. With the help of a politically connected lawyer, they get out of jail, and the tour continues.
Keith is not a very nice man. When the stones are in France, making “Exile on Main Street”, Keith goes into town with his bodyguards, and gets into fights. He says when you see trouble starting, to be sure to land the first blow.
This is when he cops some pure heroin, and learns to mix it himself. The formula is 97 parts cut, to 3 parts smack. If you go 96 to 4, you might die. There are lots of drug stories in this book. Keith finally quits sometime in the late seventies, about when Mick is the darling of Studio 54. Mick and Keith are sometimes pals, sometimes enemies, but always counting the money as it rains in. The music industry is corrupt and cutthroat, and Keith fits right in.
The ghost writer is James Fox, and he does a good job of channeling Keith. The copyright is assigned to something called “Mindless Records”. The bonus cd was stolen by someone at the library. The pictures are safe for work. Pictures for today are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”. This is written like David Foster Wallace. This book does not include the meaning of life.
The Big Chicken Rolls Her Eyes
The Georgia Republican Party is embarrassed today. Their chairwoman, Sue Everhart, was quoted today on gay marriage. Among other things, she said “If it was natural, they would have the equipment to have a sexual relationship.”
This article is a case of the medium being the message. The article was about people who support marriage equality. The comments from Mrs. Everhart were in the last part of the article. There is a journalistic tradition of balance. If the sky were to turn green tomorrow, the press will find someone to say that it is really purple. The comments from Mrs. Everhart were an effort to bring “balance” to a story that is generally supportive of same sex marriage.
The article appeared in the Marietta Daily Journal. This company produces the Neighbor newspapers that appear free in driveways throughout the metro area. MDJ was edited for years by Otis Brumby, who is about as liberal as Genghis Khan. For a capitalist shoppers newspaper, based in Cobb County, to print an article supportive of gay marriage, is amazing.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
Confession Of Ignorance
There was a blogginheadstv chat between two ivy league professors. They were discussing the problem of sitting next to someone on a plane, when the person insists on talking. One of the profs is an economics guy, and frequently has complicated looking equations on a scratch pad. The seatmate will look on, and realize he/she is clueless. The attention getting comment was “your confession of ignorance is of absolutely no interest to me”.
Mr. Google typically puts ten results on the first page. For this eleven word phrase, the top result is apparently sponsored. There is a book, Confessions of a Subprime Lender: An Insider’s Tale of Greed, Fraud, and Ignorance. Perhaps Mr. Google confused intellectual interest for return on principle.
If you want to see all the results, google the key phrase to this feature. We will only discuss the ones that appear interesting. Confessions Of An Abortionist shows a bit of promise. A young doctor is struggling to start a practice, A young girl comes in to see him about her problem. The doctor refuses to help, and the girl shoots herself. The doctor feels guilty. The story goes on, if you want to follow the link.
The next result is from “AskACatholic.com”. 60 years old and struggling with concupiscence and sins of the flesh is the story of Jenny Anonymous. “I am 60 years old. I have never been married and I have never had sexual relations with a man or women. I am attracted to my own sex but, like I said above, I have never had sexual relations. I have never lived in or been a part of the homosexual community and would never consider doing that. I have not come out of the closet, as they say, and never will. I’ve hidden this all my life. My only means of sexual gratification is masturbation.” The suggestions from “Mike” include “not doing dummy things, like receiving Holy Communion without first going to Confession. (the Pope goes to confession weekly!) … and having a healthy view of the demonic.”
The next to last result was the wikiquote page for On the road. There are no motivational posters, with OTR quotes, for investigation today. “As we crossed the Colorado-Utah border I saw God in the sky in the form of huge sunburning clouds above the desert that seemed to point a finger at me and say, “Pass here and go on, you’re on the road to heaven.” Pictures are courtesy of Gwinnett county.
A True Natural Look
This feature is about what happens to a person in the time between death and funeralization. Some people might find this feature to be in bad taste. If you are one of these people, you are encouraged to skip the text, and enjoy the pictures from The Library of Congress. This is a repost.
Funeral homes like to talk about service to the community. In Toledo OH recently, a funeral home greeter went a bit further. This is not one of the 13 Things the Funeral Director Won’t Tell You.
British writer Jessica Mitford went into more detail in her essay, Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain. “Embalming is routinely performed on the recently departed, even though it is not required by law or religious custom. “The author concludes that unless the family specifies otherwise, the act of entrusting the body to the care of a funeral establishment carries with it an implied permission to go ahead and embalm.”
The copy of the Formaldehyde Curtain used today is from Hartland High School . In the study notes, it says “First, in Mitford’s piece, carefully focus on allusion, verbs, irony, direct address, and tone. Second, reflect on your notes and thoughts; think aloud on paper; reconsider your notes; ask questions; and think about your thinking.” This essay is possibly an excerpt from Ms. Mitford’s underground classic, The American Way of Death
The essay gets off to a rip roaring start. “The drama begins to unfold with the arrival of the corpse at the mortuary. Alas, poor Yorick! How surprised he would be to see how his counterpart of today is whisked off to a funeral parlor and is in short order sprayed, sliced, pierced, pickled, trussed, trimmed, creamed, waxed, painted, rouged, and neatly dressed-transformed from a common corpse into a Beautiful Memory Picture.”
The first step is no surprise. Mr. John H. Eckels, president of the Eckels College of Mortuary Science, thus describes the first part of the embalming procedure: “In the hands of a skilled practitioner, this work may be done in a comparatively short time and without mutilating the body other than by slight incision-so slight that it scarcely would cause serious inconvenience if made upon a living person. It is necessary to remove the blood, and doing this not only helps in the disinfecting, but removes the principal cause of disfigurements due to discoloration.” In olden times, many people feared premature burial … being lowered into the ground without first expiring. With the removal of blood, and other soft tissue, this possibility is eliminated.
Once the blood has been drained, embalming fluid is pumped into the arteries and veins. One supplier is Hydrol Funeral Supply Company. Their catalog offers Co/Preinjection Fluids, Arterial Fluids, Cavity Fluids, Specialty Fluids, and Embalming Fluid Dyes.
One arterial fluid is Velva Glo. “Velva-Glo offers the maximum of perfection in cosmetic and preserving results. It is formulated to give a flexible body with minimum rigidity. Velva-Glo is not a non-hardening fluid, but so designed that minimum firmness and maximum preservation is obtained. Velva-Glo’s slow action permits full distribution of the fluid before the tissues are set, insuring thorough saturation. Velva-Glo is absolutely non-coagulating. An interesting feature of this fluid is its action on the blood. Harsh, quick-acting fluids lose their potency or power after contact with the blood for several hours. This is because the formaldehyde is consumed. With Velva-Glo, tests which we have made show the formaldehyde maintains its full power after days of contact with blood, while such tests made with harsh, quick-acting fluids show the formaldehyde entirely disappears. Velva-Glo is a non-desiccating, non-burning fluid which offers the utmost in perfect embalming. While Velva-Glo is desirable for all cases, it produces exceptional results when used for women and children.”
Ms. Mitford mentions a dye, Lyf-Lyk tint. “Lyf-Lyk Tint is easily applied with a brush. It spreads evenly and dries quickly, leaving a natural, porous, velvety appearance. Seven specially developed shades enable you to provide the proper complexion for each individual case. Lyf-Lyk Tint leaves a permanent finish that is an ideal base for powder or rouge. It is not affected by weather and will not streak or fade. It may be applied over wax or face covering. The tint is resistant to handling, but may be removed if necessary with a soft damp cloth.”
“The next step is to have at Mr. Jones with a thing called a trocar. This is a long, hollow needle attached to a tube. It is jabbed into the abdomen, poked around the entrails and chest cavity, the contents of which are pumped out and replaced with “cavity fluid.” This done, and the hole in the abdomen sewn up, Mr. Jones’s face is heavily creamed (to protect the skin from burns which may be caused by leakage of the chemicals), and he is covered with a sheet and left unmolested for a while. But not for long-there is more, much more, in store for him. He has been embalmed, but not yet restored, and the best time to start the restorative work is eight to ten hours after embalming, when the tissues have become firm and dry.”
Some of the cavity fluids are HYPOST, CAVAMINE, NITROL, SUPER-50, CAVICEL, HYTEK, THOROL, and TISS-U-TONE. Of the latter, the catalog says “Tiss-U-Tone humectant is an accessory embalming chemical which modifies or softens the action of embalming fluid, acts as an internal tissue filler in emaciated cases and, when used externally as a massage, prevents excessive dehydration of the skin. …Tiss-U-Tone will build up the average body but where sunken spots appear around eyes and temples, HYDROL TISSUE BUILDER, injected hypodermically, should be used after embalming is completed. Tiss-U-Tone contains no formaldehyde. Tiss-U-Tone, because of its wide external use, has been made with a delightful odor which imparts a pleasing scent to the embalming room. “
Eight to ten hours after embalming, the staff prepares “Mr. Jones” for viewing. Again, a variety of chemicals and tools are available to help. An example would be HY-GLO MORTUARY COSMETICS Hy-Glo Base Cream – Blush.
“Here is a line of mortuary cosmetics unsurpassed for their NATURAL LOOK. With Hy-Glo Cosmetics, there is no need for powders, paints, special lighting or last minute touch-ups. Hy-Glo Cosmetics dry instantly, do not rub off on white shirts, dresses or casket-liners yet are water soluble and easily removed. They do not distort skin texture, but do give it the full color of life. This dramatically effective cosmetic result is achieved by first using Hy-Glo Sealer Cream. When lightly applied, the cream leaves a flexible microfilm on the skin which positively prevents the passage of air through the skin tissue, and maintains skin texture in a natural permanent state without dehydration.
One of the Hy-Glo base colors is then selected and if necessary blended with the #4 Hy-Glo tints to achieve a perfect color match. The cosmetic is applied evenly and sparingly with a short bristle brush and dries instantly. The result is a clear microscopic film which is permanent and undetectable. A small amount of #5 Hy-Glo Hilite brushed on the chin, cheeks, ears, nose and eyelids completes the job. The Hy-Glo Kit also contains shaving cream which utilizes the same microfilm principle to allow the razor to glide over the skin, eliminating razor burn entirely. No powders are necessary because the amazing Hy-Glo Cosmetics leave a true NATURAL LOOK.”
Mean As Jesus
A few weeks ago, in the post Oscar backwash, Pure Film Creative posted a piece, Enough with the Snarky, Already. On top of the text is a quote, “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but the highest form of intelligence.” The comment is sometimes blamed on Oscar Wilde. The Academy Awards were named for another Oscar, reliable sources tell.
The quote is of unknown origin. Sarcasm Society explains “The line clearly lacks the sparkling wit and worldliness typical of Wilde’s best quips. More importantly, the quote is not found anywhere in Wilde’s writings.” Going down the page, SS describes research into sarcasm. “Katherine P. Rankin,… assistant professor … at the University of California, San Francisco … found that people suffering from a progressive brain disease known as semantic dementia failed to perceive sarcasm.
Enough research. Too much information gets in the way of a good epiphany. When PG saw the comment about sarcasm, he was reminded of an internet Jesusmonger who does not appreciate people with different beliefs. The man has digital anger management issues, and is given to boasting about the use of sarcasm. The epiphany was that the man is just plain mean. Furthermore, many of the most visible Jesus worshipers are, at the core, mean people.
Whatever message the historic Jesus may have delivered has long ago been obscured by the meanness of his believers. People do not become kinder when the are “saved”. They find a different way to inflict pain on their neighbor. And Jesus is an excellent weapon when you want to hurt someone.
This is beginning to careen out of control. Maybe it is time to break, and let people look at pictures. There is one more quote, and it sort of fits in with this. It is from Easter Is Not Named After Ishtar, And Other Truths I Have To Tell You. If you read the post, you can get the full story.
“Look, go ahead and debate religion. Go ahead and tell Christians why what they believe is wrong. That’s totally fine and, in fact, I encourage it. A little debate and critical thinking are good for everyone. But do it intelligently. Get to know the Bible, so you actually know what you’re disagreeing with when you form an argument. Brush up on your theology so that you can explain why it’s so wrong. And have some compassion, for Christ’s sake – be polite and respectful when you enter into a debate, even when the person you’re debating with loses their cool. You want to prove that you’re better, more enlightened than Christians? Great, do it by remaining rational and level-headed in the face of someone who’s willing to stoop to personal attacks. To behave otherwise is to be just as bad as the people you’re debating.’
Dead Saturday
It is easter season. Once, it was a day to celebrate springtime, the renewal of life after the chilly winter. Then, some people who take their myths literally came into control. The story of the day is of an avatar (G-d become man), who died, and then rose from the grave.
Not only do they believe the story, but they also believe that this belief allows them to live forever. PG does not agree, and would appreciate the Jesus Worshipers a lot more if they kept their ideas to themselves. Sad to say, the believers like to talk about their beliefs. Many seem to think that the louder the talk, the more true the belief.
In the 2100 years since his life and reputed rebirth, Jesus has become quite the cult of personality. Many feel that the current Jesus has almost nothing to do with the historic Jesus. Popular Jesus is a modern day golden calf, a idol created by man. The best way to learn about Jesus is through the words and deeds of his believers. It is not always pretty.
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.
Equal
The equal sign has been in the public view this week. It means that two sides of a mathematical arrangement have the same value. This week, with arguments about gay marriage in the public eye, the equal sign has been tarted up in red and pink, and become popular on facebook. It is supposed to represent equality, as in marriage equality. At least it is not a ribbon pinned to a lapel.
On friday evening of red equality week, PG was listening to a podcast, emanating from a site called Useless Information. PG tries to use less information, which is not quite the same thing. This podcast was originally presented in November 2012, and tells the story of an Ohio man who drowns in a boating accident, only to reappear as a Nebraska sportscaster.
At the outset of the podcast, there is a quiz. In this edition, a series of math symbols are the possible answers. The question is, which one was the first to be used. The equal sign won.
Robert Recorde (born c. 1510, Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales—died June 1558, London, England) invented the equal sign. In his book Recorde explains his design of the “Gemowe lines”: “…to avoid the tedious repetition of these words: “is equal to”, I will set (as I do often in work use) a pair of parallels (or Gemowe lines) of one length (thus =), because no two things can be more equal.”
Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.
Television
The idiot box
Does not have a lid
Some say it is a jar
Or a door left ajar
For jar heads
The boob tube
With talking heads
You can turn it off
Truman Capote
Truman Capote was a phenomenon of the TV talk show era. If he hadn’t existed, someone would have had to invent him. He was known as much for his sissy voice as his writing. Becoming famous in the late forties for “Other Voices, Other Rooms”, he worked on a screenplay for “Beat the Devil”. When he met the men accused of killing the Clutter family in Kansas, he impressed one by telling him he worked on a movie with Humphrey Bogart. These chats led to the book “In Cold Blood”, which was probably his biggest triumph. “Breakfast at Tiffanys” became a movie starring Audrey Hepburn.
He was on the Dick Cavett Show the same night as Georgia Governor Lester Maddox. After Maddox got offended and walked off the show, Mr.Capote remembered the time he ate at Maddox’s Pickrick restaurant. “All I can say is that it wasn’t finger licking good”.
Mr. Capote was the darling of certain New York socialites. They unwisely told him some stories about their lives. In 1975 Esquire magazine published “La Côte Basque 1965”. It was a chapter from “Answered Prayers”, the book he received a large advance for and took his time writing. (It was finally published three years after his death) .The chapter published told some sordid tales about his jet set friends, who immediately ostracized him. It was a stepping stone on his road to ruin.
One chapter of “Answered Prayers” involves a dinner party in New York. Three of the guests were Dorothy Parker, Tallulah Bankhead, and Montgomery Clift. The evening never got past the cocktail hour, much to the distress of the hostess. At one point, Miss Parker was tenderly touching the face of Mr. Clift. She purred “He’s so beautiful,sensitive. So finely made. The most beautiful young man I have ever seen. What a pity he’s a cocksucker. Oh Oh, dear, have I said something wrong. I mean, he is a cocksucker, isn’t he Tallulah? Miss Bankhead replied ” Well d-d-darling, I r-r-really wouldn’t know. He’s never sucked my cock.”
In the spring of 1976, Mr. Capote gave a speech at the University of Georgia. At the time, there was a comic strip called “Don Q”, which has long been forgotten. It showed people in medieval clothes making comments on current affairs. On the day of the speech, the comic featured two characters. One was Richard Nixon. The other was as lisping little man, apparently based on Truman Capote.
The scene that evening was magic. The lecture was given on the steps of Memorial Hall, with the audience in the quadrangle in front of Reed Hall. Mr. Capote’s contract specified a pink spotlight, and a wicker chair behind the podium. Mr. Capote spoke for a while, and read a section out of “A Christmas Memory”. After a break, he returned to answer questions. The questions were written on file cards, and read by a student. The last one, and the one the reader said best typified the attitude of the evening, was “What does Johnny Carson look like in person?”
After this, Mr. Capote asked for questions from the crowd. PG raised my hand, and Mr. Capote pointed to him. “Mr. Capote, did you see the comic strip Don Q this morning?” “No, what was it about?” ” It was about you, and Richard Nixon” “I don’t know who Don Q is, and I am beginning to not know who Richard Nixon is.”
Mr. Capote went downhill from this point on. He did a series of profiles for “Interview” magazine, which formed the basis of his last book ” Music for Chameleons”. His drinking and drug taking, always a problem, got worse. He became an embarrassment to those who once flocked to his side.
Truman Capote died in 1984.
Whenever you discuss Jack Kerouac, there is a quote by Truman Capote that gets mentioned. “That’s not writing, that’s typing”. PG thought a trip to Google city would help to show a bit of context on that quote. The first page of results, only, rule will be enforced here. The context of the original remains a mystery. ( Hey, maybe someone else made it up, and said that Capote said it. The ladies who lunch are not that clever, but Capote had big ears.)
There is a review of Going Rogue with the title, “That’s not writing, that’s someone else typing”. The nit picker has the audacity to say that the P lady gave a ghostwriter some tapes, and went off to hunt endangered species. A commenter observes “at some point in her book tour, someone will ask her a question that she won’t be able to answer because she won’t be familiar with what’s in her own book.” This post advertises downloading audio books, and copping grant money.
The Chicago Reader advertises teeth whitening chemicals with the post “That’s Not Writing, It’s Typing” It seems that someone is trashing today’s internet generation, with it’s tweets and blogs that say nothing, by comparing them to the product of Jack Kerouac. The money quote: “Kerouac survives because he (allegedly) wrote great works; the insufferable logorrhea the Beats inspired biodegrades in niche bookstores because, sensibly, nobody reads it. The Web makes things worse only in the sense that it democratically preserves the crap alongside the genius. Even more so than libraries!”
You probably know what is coming next. Yes, there is a blog titled That’s Not Writing, That’s Typing . It is written in Australia, and last had a post in 2007. The next to last post was about a trip to Dubai, and has a picture of a large hookah.
The results are a bit better at Writingortyping . It has been updated in 2011, and the lady knows how to write. Here is an example: “Overheard at our house, French steampunk edition… September 30, 2010 By Jill… Me: “So remember that trailer of that French steampunk film I showed you earlier this year?” John: “Yeah – I think so.” Me: “Well, apparently it was only in theatres on limited release and isn’t on DVD in the States at all.” John: “So, New York and L.A. basically.” Me: “Yeah probably.” John: “And Northern Maine.”
There are two sites for Truman Capote quotes They do not provide any more information about this quote, other than to repeat it. Mr. Capote was a clever man, who would be a challenge for Mr. Kerouac in a drinking contest. Mr. Capote also said “Mick Jagger is about as sexy as a pissing toad.” Brainy quotes sells digital speed plans and blackberries. There are links to quotes from “your favorite authors”, including Marilyn Monroe, Buddha, and Muhammad Ali.
The top result for *the phrase* is perhaps the most true to the style of Mr. Kerouac. It was written 27 days before 911 by Jonah Goldberg, of all people. He is trying to make it to a wedding, where he will play the underrated role of groom. He wants to get his dress shoes before he leaves town, because asking for “black loafers” in a Montana truck stop might lead to unexpected adventure. Being a thoughtful conservative, he makes the case that government intervention makes poor people poorer. The piece is written in a deadline driven frenzy, with jokes about black loafers and Truman Capote. The header ad is for Grove City College, and the Wall Street Journal.
This is a repost. Pictures are from The Library of Congress
Quote Waste
There is a tasteful graphic going around. It features a quote, “Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.” John Lennon is blamed for this thought. Wikiquotes does not have this quote, at least by Mr. Ono.
An obvious comment is that being wasted is something Mr. Lennon knew. Keith Richards says this is not quite the case. On pages 261-262 of “Life”, Mr. Richards describes how Mr. Lennon would try to keep up on the drug intake, but wound up in the loo, studying the porcelain.
There was a facebook exchange about this quote. “Wikiquotes does not show this quote. I searched using wasted, wasting, and time.” ~ “Luther,the way I look at these quotes is : I like the idea they express, rather than being overly concerned with the veracity of the attribution.”
If the idea is so cool, why do the quotemongers need to attribute them to a famous person? You can find some pastoral image for the background, throw the quote up, and be inspired. Is it an authoritarian impulse to find a wise man to give credit for the cleverness? Can’t it stand on it’s on?
John Lennon spoke about being more popular than Jesus, and caught some flack as a result. Would John really want to be used as justification for someone else’s clever thought? The sense here is that all he wanted to do was play rock and roll. Let someone else be the spokesman for a generation.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
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