Inadvertently Hunter Thompson also pioneered the possibility
that Gonzo Journalism can be used as a disguise for the old fashioned "convenient
excuse for having a good time" tradition relished by writers seeking ways for
getting their enjoyment of living subsidized by gullible accounting departments
at various news media organizations and publications.
Over the years, the World's Laziest Journalist, who has covered the Oscars - , the Emmys, the Grammies, been a passenger in a B-17 G, the Goodyear blimp, and given his autograph to Paul Newman, may have adopted a rather cavalier attitude about mixing fun and job performance. (Isn't that a rather common personality trait among folks with Irish heritage?)
Hence the challenge of post election column topics is
beginning to take on all the ominous potential for becoming an identity crisis.
If Mitt Romney becomes President of the United States will it be worth the time and effort of someone, who has provided content for liberal (or progressive or "lefty") websites since before George W. Bush was named President by the U. S. Supreme Court, to continue the efforts to tell Americans: "Wake up!"? That will be hard work and not much fun.
If, on the other hand, the President is reelected, he will
be lucky to get a Democratic majority in Congress and if he doesn't the
Republicans will continue their "sit down strike" level of job performance and
prolong the political gridlock.
If the President is reelected and gets a Democratic majority in Congress, is it very realistic to think that he will get some new ideas by reading the World's Laziest Journalist's columns? Ridiculing politicians is easy but after doing it for a number of years, the fun quotient evaporates completely.
On Wednesday, October 24, 2012, the World's Laziest
Journalist reconnoitered the outside of AT&T Park
just before Game One of the World Series was scheduled to begin. That was a good photo op and fun to see.
We intended to go back the next day for more, but on Thursday October 26, 2012, Occupy Oakland scheduled a protest and march at Frank Ogawa Plaza to mark the one year anniversary of a mà ªlà ©e that had made headlines when it occurred. We felt duty bound to go check it out rather than hang out at AT&T Park.
It became obvious to this columnist that the unlimited
supply of energy and enthusiasm that was accessible approximately 38 years ago,
when the opportunity to attend the Oscar - was offered, is no longer available
to sustain a long wait and a long walk to cover protesters in the fall of 2012
at an event which ultimately did not make big headlines.
A new generation of firebrands will have ample opportunity to criticize the winner of the November election, but more and more it is becoming obvious that is a young man's game and it may be time to throttle back and let the political chips fall where they may.
The few reviews of Tom Wolfe's new novel, Back to Blood, we've
seen have sounded rather dismissive in tones hinting that one of the founding
fathers of Gonzo Journalism has lost his magic touch.
When a high school and college classmate was recovering from some wounds received in the Tet Offensive, we found that he would get very annoyed if we prefaced any comments on contemporary culture with: "Back in 1968 . . . ." He would address me in the same way that my family used and say: "Goddamn it, Robbie, it is 1968. Knock that sh*t off!" As we used to say back in the Sixties: "Nostalgia isn't what it used to be."
The New Journalism is celebrating the start of the second
half of its first century and that perhaps is a signal that, if nothing else,
it is time for some new stars in journalism to be anointed and for some new
labels to be coined.
On Wednesday October 24, in the San Francisco Chronicle's World Series Preview section Scott Ostler wrote (on page E-6): "I'm a reporter. I'm not here to root."
Now the disk jockey will play The Who's "My Generation," the Stones "Mother's Little Helper," and Credence Clearwater Revival's "Someday Never Comes." We have to go dig out our Nikon F and relive some past glories. Have a groovy week.
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