This old dog likely can't learn anything page-wise beyond sit/heel/roll over but would happily provide kale for essays like the ones so far. Crisp, insightful.
Lucy this - and all of these essays so far - are so wise and brilliant: thank you. I am also an adherent of the jukebox method and will enjoy thinking of it as that!
I’m relatively new to Substack, but somehow found you not long ago. Your essay this morning rang so true for me. When I have a deadline or some thing in me that wants to be written, I sometimes cannot find the rhythm. I never thought of it as rhythm, but that’s it. To help ease this birthing I have reached for my favorite authors or read my previous work. This is so helpful. Thank you for making me more conscious of it!
Lucy, what do you think of Robert Benchley and other writers of that era and time? I ask because I get a lot out of Benchley, and I'm aware that he had to write knowing that there is/was a deadline of some sort. James Thurber as well, and Dorothy Parker's criticism - the rhythm and voice are so significant in their work.
There’s one Benchley piece I think about often, where he takes a walk in his home town and points out where the Trojan War happened and where the Bastille stood and where Juliet’s balcony was--all the places where he’d set stories as he read them. I’m not so much into the Algonquins in general, too clubby and self-promoting for me.
So fun and on point. Made me flash on a weird moment during an interview I did with Aaron Sorkin. I was pushing him to talk about the Broadway libretto roots to his TV and film dialogue and said two lines of Music Man's avant-la-lettre rap song "Ya Got Trouble." He joined in and the two of us auctioneered the rest of the entire first verse, in unison, over the phone. Followed by a long awkward silence.
Fuckin' A.J Liebling! I was wandering around Greece 35 years ago and spotted a couple I knew from my college dorm in a public square. I was so glad to see such familiar faces I borrowed Liebling's book of war correspondence from them and read his essay on Christmas ceasefires (with the now-gutwrenching-to-me subtext of white men recognizing each other as civilized). I haven't even seen Liebling *mentioned* in 35 years and his music comes rushing into my head. That's a motherfucking rhythm.
This old dog likely can't learn anything page-wise beyond sit/heel/roll over but would happily provide kale for essays like the ones so far. Crisp, insightful.
Lucy this - and all of these essays so far - are so wise and brilliant: thank you. I am also an adherent of the jukebox method and will enjoy thinking of it as that!
I’m relatively new to Substack, but somehow found you not long ago. Your essay this morning rang so true for me. When I have a deadline or some thing in me that wants to be written, I sometimes cannot find the rhythm. I never thought of it as rhythm, but that’s it. To help ease this birthing I have reached for my favorite authors or read my previous work. This is so helpful. Thank you for making me more conscious of it!
Queen
Lucy, what do you think of Robert Benchley and other writers of that era and time? I ask because I get a lot out of Benchley, and I'm aware that he had to write knowing that there is/was a deadline of some sort. James Thurber as well, and Dorothy Parker's criticism - the rhythm and voice are so significant in their work.
There’s one Benchley piece I think about often, where he takes a walk in his home town and points out where the Trojan War happened and where the Bastille stood and where Juliet’s balcony was--all the places where he’d set stories as he read them. I’m not so much into the Algonquins in general, too clubby and self-promoting for me.
I’m really enjoying these, Lucy.
This is so good, and has me thinking about oral storytelling as well, where the rhythm holds the crowd.
I wondered why I "keep having to read from the top, over and over..." Now I know! Thanks. I'll keep reading! I can handle providing some kale.
So fun and on point. Made me flash on a weird moment during an interview I did with Aaron Sorkin. I was pushing him to talk about the Broadway libretto roots to his TV and film dialogue and said two lines of Music Man's avant-la-lettre rap song "Ya Got Trouble." He joined in and the two of us auctioneered the rest of the entire first verse, in unison, over the phone. Followed by a long awkward silence.
Fuckin' A.J Liebling! I was wandering around Greece 35 years ago and spotted a couple I knew from my college dorm in a public square. I was so glad to see such familiar faces I borrowed Liebling's book of war correspondence from them and read his essay on Christmas ceasefires (with the now-gutwrenching-to-me subtext of white men recognizing each other as civilized). I haven't even seen Liebling *mentioned* in 35 years and his music comes rushing into my head. That's a motherfucking rhythm.
Also yes take some money please.
Oh my goodness, thank you!
Happy to exchange my kale for your essays