John D. MacDonald

Been meaning to comment about this for a while but a month ago now The Trap of Pure Gold had a post / interview regarding writer John D. MacDonald (found via The Happy Curmudgeon). Like so many others I'm a fan of MacDonald's novels and wanted to be Travis McGee when I grew up.

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.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I think Carolina rolls today but I'm not betting on the game. The Broncos in the NFL (like Syracuse in NCAAF) always seem to find a way to screw me when I bet on or against them... This is actually an excellent idea... I saw this picture and I was curious who the woman was who was Wonder Woman's stunt double. Turns out Jeannie Epper has had quite an illustrious film and TV career (though only one episode of Wonder Woman)... "Cthulhu doesn't play dice with the universe" - Albert Einstein... If you've seen The Force Awakens this is awesome...  I always assumed Bob Feller had already been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Feller's patriotism made Ted Williams feel like a pussy for crying out loud. Sign the petition!!... Heh heh - "I got some new underwear today. Well, new to me" - Emo Phillips... Wasn't this basically the plot to Carl Hiassen's Skinny Dip? Really surprised Skinny Dip hasn't been made into a movie... Not only was Richard Nixon the only sitting President to attend the Kentucky Derby - he was also the only President to meet both Elvis and RoboCop... 11 days till pitchers and catchers report to spring training!...

Carl Hiaasen is the Man

Hiaasen takes dead aim at the media orgy surrounding Anna Nicole Smith's death:

Scoff, if you will, at the hyperventilating TV coverage of the Smith case. You think it's easy trying to make Anna Nicole sound important enough to justify three minutes and twenty seconds of air time? That's a tough job, folks.

Here you've got this deceased person who had no discernible talent whatsoever, a pitiable and often incoherent soul who perished in a shabby and unoriginal way.

Yet, day after day, you must with all seriousness face the cameras and present Smith's demise (and its messy, freak-filled aftermath) as a matter of pressing significance.

How does such a forlorn cliché become elevated to major breaking news? Many journalism students are probably pondering the same riddle.

The answer isn't pretty. In a nutshell: Former Playboy centerfold turned rich widow turned reality-TV star suddenly dies, leaving an infant of uncertain paternity and a potential fortune up for grabs.

Story-wise, the angles are beauty, sex, money and greed -- classic tabloid ingredients and, now, a premium formula for mainstream media.

Hiaasen is among the best at turning a phrase in the newspaper business. I hope he keeps telling it like it is. The nation drowns in Anna Nicole coverage while stories like Bruce Crandall get shunted off to the back pages.