Ok, ok, blog already:
In the early 1960's, Truman Capote had a famous rivalry with Gore Vidal. What the prize was, no one has ever surmised.
In 1968 Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley (the "F" stands for Frank, by the way) were asked to provide political commentary during the party conventions of that election year. During the commentary things got a little heated after Gore referred to Bill as a "Nazi" and Bill got pissy and called Gore a "Queer". Fair enough on both counts.
In 1968 Allen Ginsberg sings "Hare Krishna" to Bill on Firing Line.
In 1969, on the air, William F. famously offers to punch Noam Chomsky in his "goddamed face" if he doesn't behave. Conservativism in action I suppose.
1971 finds Gore Vidal, Janet Flanner and Norman Mailer on the Dick Cavett show. It ends up with the crowd cheering for Vidal, Cavett and Flanner versus a somewhat inebriated and pugnacious Norman Mailer. (I used to love the Cavett show!! His interview with David Bowie is like a collision of two worlds, oh, but I digress.)
If we take this as a full circle conflict does this mean that Norman Mailer had a crush on Truman Capote? Or, when Allen Ginsberg is chanting "Hare Krishna" to Bill Buckley on Firing Line, is it actually some sort of mating ritual?
Or were these all just folks with amazing, dangerous minds, capable of conducting discourse on a level we can only regard as endangered? Well, Norman was dangerous a lot but that's a different story. Discourse and content, even if they were calling each other names. All of them gone now but Mr. Cavett. Oh well, I guess I'm stuck with 2011 and the Tea Party folks touting "Atlas Shrugged"
Damn. The microbes are staging a counter-attack. I am going to retaliate with my Toshiro Mifune face!!!
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