In the New Yorker...

[serious crayons]

This reminds me of the cartoon caption contest. The submitted captions are often actually funny. But the setups are challenging because they're things like a caveman riding a subway or an alien talking to a cow. Whereas most actual New Yorker cartoons feature mundane scenes of two people walking down the street, or talking at a cocktail party, or sitting in a living room and the humor is all in the words.

[Front-Ranger]

In the new issue I read the article about the Oscar streaker. Surprised about how long it was but it turns out that the guy, named Robert Opel, had a pretty eventful life. Too bad he and so many of his generation are gone so soon.

Also surprising that the magazine reviewed Spare so favorably. They give a lot of credit to the ghostwriter for making the story almost Shakespearian in scope.

[Jeff Wrangler]

In the new issue I read the article about the Oscar streaker. Surprised about how long it was but it turns out that the guy, named Robert Opel, had a pretty eventful life. Too bad he and so many of his generation are gone so soon.

I really enjoyed that one. I hadn't thought of the streaker craze for years on years. I recognized the name Jack Fritscher.

[Front-Ranger]

I started the article on Salman Rushdie in the latest issue. It is definitely a must-read, written by the editor, David Remnick.

[Front-Ranger]

Maybe I recommended the article a bit too early. It kind of fizzles after the attack.

Back on the "What's funny" topic, this from Garrison Keillor on A.I. is pretty funny although I didn't LOL:
https://garrisonkeillor.substack.com/p/a-column-written-by-a-man-pen-on?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

I know Keillor wrote for the New Yorker a lot. I think he's funny as a fellow Midwesterner, but I know there are people who revile him.

[Front-Ranger]

Maybe we should try our hands at writing a S&M. Then we might appreciate how hard it is. Here are some ideas for topics and I invite you to contribute others:

A.I.
The Chinese "spy" balloon
Dancing with DeSantis
Gayentine's Day
The Arctic Blast
Bad Technology Day
S&M
The Latest Food Craze
Wordle's Banned Words List
Toxic Bird Pits
She loves pickleball; he loves curling

[serious crayons]

I was sorting through old New Yorkers and read this one. Can't remember if I read it when it was published, but it's really good. Perfectly, perfectly captures Tucker Carlson in both the regular words and the italicized descriptions. Goes slightly off the rails a few times but never gets any crazier than its subject actually does.

[serious crayons]

Back on the "What's funny" topic, this from Garrison Keillor on A.I. is pretty funny although I didn't LOL:
https://garrisonkeillor.substack.com/p/a-column-written-by-a-man-pen-on?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

I know Keillor wrote for the New Yorker a lot. I think he's funny as a fellow Midwesterner, but I know there are people who revile him.

As a fellow Midwesterner -- even a fellow Minnesotan! -- count me in the revile him camp. I don't like his personality and I think the points he makes in writing are often obvious or trite. That said, I'll admit he is an excellent prose stylist.

[Front-Ranger]

I don't know much about his irl personality. I just know about the personna he has created in his books and monologues.

The first house I ever owned had three giant English Walnut trees in the back yard. So I spent every Sunday afternoon cracking nuts and listening to A Prairie Home Companion. This was in Central California and I missed the Midwest. I loved the stories about the inhabitants of a small town, the coming-of-age stories, the wacky things that Lutherans do. One anecdote in particular that I loved was about a schoolboy who stepped out the front door of his house and sped down the street, how "impressive to see someone get out of the gate" with so much energy. I also loved the stories of the young women who were determined to get away from the town and break the cycle of poverty and repression. And the stories about ice fishing...I could go on and on.

[serious crayons]

I don't know much about his irl personality. I just know about the personna he has created in his books and monologues.

For me it's both, partly because he's so close-up here and people tend to form opinions of their local celebrities, and partly because my state is plenty steeped in that quaint Minnesota culture. So things that take it in new directions are more interesting to me. Fargo, for example, captures the culture (despite the mostly ridiculous accents) but gives it a novel twist.

However, I did have a next-door neighbor for a while who was being considered to replace Keillor when he retired (before the scandal) and would have been good. He's a storyteller who performs onstage all over the country and in Europe, presents one-man shows at the Guthrie Theater, has told a lot of stories on NPR, has published books and put out CDs. Anyway, his material is very recognizably Minnesotan too -- he even uses somewhat of a Fargo accent -- and the suburb he grew up in is only closer to Minneapolis than the suburb Garrison Keillor grew up in. Kevin's take is more original, to me.