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March 1, 2012
Weed Whacking Wolcott
Evidently James Wolcott has a book out. Joseph Epstein isn't having it:"Whether he is writing about the media, popular culture, or politics—on politics he eschews analysis and plays the insult comedian, a Bill Maher with a gaudier vocabulary—Wolcott is intensely, relentlessly, hopelessly with-it, breathing heavily in the attempt to stay 20 minutes ahead of the loop. Always a mistake, this venture, because with-it-ness does not comport well with getting older, and Wolcott, who will be 60 this year, is no longer a kid. Unless he is up for wearing one of those depressing grey ponytails, James Wolcott, clearly, needs a new style. In fact, he needs an entire intellectual makeover." --Memoirs of a Voyeur | The Weekly Standard
Posted by gerardvanderleun at March 1, 2012 11:20 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
I must say, Wolcott does have a certain je ne sais quoi...an ick factor hanging like a bad odor upon him. A stank sheen. That's the phrase I'm trying to turn. Stank sheen.
Ah, but I've turned my stomach, instead.
Posted by: Jewel at March 1, 2012 11:26 AM
I love Joseph Epstein. He should be designated a National Treasure.
Posted by: ahem at March 1, 2012 12:16 PM
He called my writing "pessimist porn." And I believe the old pouf meant it as an insult.
Posted by: Velociman at March 1, 2012 5:17 PM
Epstein is not an old poof, and he's one of the finest essayists in the business.
Maybe your writing just sucks.
Posted by: ahem at March 1, 2012 8:49 PM
Velociman is talking about Wolcott.
Posted by: vanderleun at March 1, 2012 9:54 PM