I chuckled at a few places in the interview. The mention of 5 1/4 computer disks really dates the interview. Also the question "Is McGee's lifestyle attainable?" immediately made me think of Mr. Money Mustache (if Travis McGee was more of a pacifist and traveled by bicycle instead of boat).
MacDonald's response to where the US was heading culturally was pretty prescient. It also reminded me how author Carl Hiaasen credited MacDonald as being among the first to publicly lament the ecological damage being done to Florida's coastline and wetlands. In the interview MacDonald foresaw Florida becoming, "An uncontrolled influx of residents who will use up the air, the water and the earth itself, turning the state into condominiums, asphalt, shopping malls and rubbish." Pretty spot on really.
John D. MacDonald was an American treasure. And if truth be told - I still want to be Travis McGee.
Possibly the thing I like best about the Travis McGee books is how undated they are, despite having been launched in 1964. Now that's quality storytelling.
ReplyDeleteI'm seriously going to re-read the entire series.
ReplyDelete