David Mamet

[silverscreenselect]

As some of you know, I am a member of NetGalley, which means I get to read and review a number of best-selling books before official publication. I recently finished a new "novel" by David Mamet called Some Recollections of St. Ives. This proved to be a big disappointment for me in more ways than one. The book is structured as a memoir written in the 1960s by the retired headmaster of a post New England boys prep school where he taught for over 40 years. I was expecting something like Goodbye Mr. Chips or The Holdovers, enlivened by Mamet's typical cutting dialogue. What I got was Mamet deliberately creating a stuffy, overly literary "memoir" which in all honesty would probably be the type of book an actual headmaster of this school would write. (In a footnote, the editor indicates that 1,000 copies of the book were originally printed, to be given out to future incoming students (who would probably never read it).) There is almost no mention of individual students or fellow teachers, and the few decent anecdotes in the book are usually buried under lots of excess verbiage. There was almost no Mamet wit or crisp dialogue. His point was to ridicule the "classical" education being provided at these schools (and by extrapolation at similar prep schools and Ivy League-type colleges today), and he proves that point, but he could have done so in 20 pages, not 200.

That wasn't my only disappointment with Mamet however. In researching his background, I discovered that in recent years, he has taken a hard right turn politically and become a rabid MAGA-ite. The only difference between him and the typical podcasters and frequent tweeters is that he's a lot better able to express himself than most of them. I will say that his novel isn't a right-wing diatribe (he makes a couple of points in passing but doesn't harp on them). Still when I learned about his recent political proclivities (and he's been an active participant in the right-wing blogosphere), along with my disappointment about the book, I was quite bummed out. I felt that I had just won third prize in the sales contest.

[flockofseagulls104]

As some of you know, I am a member of NetGalley, which means I get to read and review a number of best-selling books before official publication. I recently finished a new "novel" by David Mamet called Some Recollections of St. Ives. This proved to be a big disappointment for me in more ways than one. The book is structured as a memoir written in the 1960s by the retired headmaster of a post New England boys prep school where he taught for over 40 years. I was expecting something like Goodbye Mr. Chips or The Holdovers, enlivened by Mamet's typical cutting dialogue. What I got was Mamet deliberately creating a stuffy, overly literary "memoir" which in all honesty would probably be the type of book an actual headmaster of this school would write. (In a footnote, the editor indicates that 1,000 copies of the book were originally printed, to be given out to future incoming students (who would probably never read it).) There is almost no mention of individual students or fellow teachers, and the few decent anecdotes in the book are usually buried under lots of excess verbiage. There was almost no Mamet wit or crisp dialogue. His point was to ridicule the "classical" education being provided at these schools (and by extrapolation at similar prep schools and Ivy League-type colleges today), and he proves that point, but he could have done so in 20 pages, not 200.

That wasn't my only disappointment with Mamet however. In researching his background, I discovered that in recent years, he has taken a hard right turn politically and become a rabid MAGA-ite. The only difference between him and the typical podcasters and frequent tweeters is that he's a lot better able to express himself than most of them. I will say that his novel isn't a right-wing diatribe (he makes a couple of points in passing but doesn't harp on them). Still when I learned about his recent political proclivities (and he's been an active participant in the right-wing blogosphere), along with my disappointment about the book, I was quite bummed out. I felt that I had just won third prize in the sales contest.

Wow. Sorry for your disappointment.

[Weyoun]

Yes, he's quite tight with Bari Weiss, and both have stuck their dicks into this University of Austin nonsense.

I was reading about "U of A" recently. Apparently it is just terrible at science. It sounds like a place where white guys can say the n-word and read a little Pericles, but where little practical learning occurs.

Not a big surprise that two Zionists would be about it - there's a fringe right in American Judaica that has embraced anything anti-woke in their zeal to defend Israel, even when Israel does objectionable things like bomb kids.

This has extended to the current administration denying funding for cancer research to schools not seen as sufficiently Zionist.

So in some sense Mamet wants to bring all colleges down to the crappy level of University of Austin.

If you ever get bored, google the Bari Weiss statuette at the U of Austin. What a nut.

[Beebs52]

I've never heard of U of Austin. Learn something new every day.

[Spock]

Weyoun>>>" even when Israel does objectionable things like bomb kids."<<<<

Wow-that is beyond horrible if the Israelis are bombing kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you fill me in on any context or background as to why they might be doing that???

[Weyoun]

Weyoun>>>" even when Israel does objectionable things like bomb kids."<<<<

Wow-that is beyond horrible if the Israelis are bombing kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you fill me in on any context or background as to why they might be doing that???

Because once they had the opportunity to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip, they took it. Bombing a single kid never freed a hostage. In fact, I would argue that they took a pathway that made the rescue of the hostages more protracted just so they could continue to ethnically cleanse Gaza.

[Beebs52]

Weyoun>>>" even when Israel does objectionable things like bomb kids."<<<<

Wow-that is beyond horrible if the Israelis are bombing kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you fill me in on any context or background as to why they might be doing that???

Because once they had the opportunity to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip, they took it. Bombing a single kid never freed a hostage. In fact, I would argue that they took a pathway that made the rescue of the hostages more protracted just so they could continue to ethnically cleanse Gaza.

Gosh, I said this the other day. You're sorta insane.