Hammond Guthrie points out that the Guardian in London has a weeklong series, beginning today, about Robert Crumb. And Robert Hughes explains his continuing relevance. “It was always such a treat when Crumb would appear late night al fresco at Enrico’s in San Francisco,” Guthrie messages. “If he knew you or recognized you from the […]

I’ve had my say about neocon Sufi Stephen Schwartz, and several Straight Up readers have had theirs. So here’s his say. It arrived in an email message. The header began: “I thought you were dead.” The message itself continued downhill from there. On the evidence I’ve seen, Schwartz has a faith-based belief in wishful thinking — […]

A reader who wrote earlier that the right-wing media has tried to sabotage “Million Dollar Baby” by giving away the ending sends this message: I sent a copy of my comments about the Weekly Standard article on “Million Dollar Baby” to a friend whose brother’s neck was broken in a classic diving board/swimming pool accident […]

Betcha never saw a correction like this one in the mainstream media. And you probably didn’t know who the funniest guys in the room were, either. EmailFacebookTwitterReddit

For your viewing pleasure: a video clip of Bill Maher, Robin Williams, Leslie Stahl and Joe Biden on male prostitute-cum-White House correspondent Jeff Gannon. It’s old, but it’s good. (Click the DSL link.) If you don’t recall what that’s all about, here’s a reminder. EmailFacebookTwitterReddit

Frank Rich weighs in on Hunter S. Thompson in a column to run Sunday in the print edition of The New York Times. It’s already on the Times website here. A sample: Read “Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72” — the chronicle of his Rolling Stone election coverage — and you find that […]

The item about Stephen Schwartz’s crackpot burial of Hunter S. Thompson continues to resonate: “I read his article on Thompson,” a Straight Up visitor writes. “It brought to mind the sound of an empty garbage can bouncing its way down a very long flight of concrete steps. It just bounced from declaration to declamation. It […]

Gawker took note of the Straight Up item about right-wing navel-gazer Stephen Schwartz laying his dead hand on Hunter S. Thompson. Our staff of thousands says thanks to Gawker for boosting traffic and welcome to all you newbies. So, while we have your eyeballs … “The 80s: 326 Years of Hip,” a group show of […]

James Wolcott puts it aptly in LIPSTICK FASCISM: “Conservatism and sadism have become indivisible.” (The stimulus is Ann Coulter’s comment in re: Gannon/Guckert: “Press passes can’t be that hard to come by if the White House allows that old Arab Helen Thomas to sit within yards of the president.”) Meantime, Bob Herbert reminds us this […]

So, tonight’s the Oscars? Who cares. Coincidentally, here’s a review in today’s Chicago Sun-Times of one Oscar non-winner’s latest memoir. Not exactly heavyweight reviewing, but it pays for a few groceries. “Lauren Bacall, still salty at 80” begins: When Lauren Bacall writes that her singing voice ranges “somewhere between B minus sharp and outer space,” […]

My gut reaction to “Off the Record: An Investigative Journalist’s Inside View of DIRTY POLITICS, HIGH FINANCE, and CORPORATE SCANDAL,” Jason Leopold’s new book, drew this response from the author and led to an extended exchange of messages. From: Jason Leopold To: Jan Herman Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 19:35:11 I respect your opinion. However, your review of my book […]

Jason Leopold, whom I don’t know, emailed me a while ago out of the blue: “Jan, Just wanted to pass this along. Feel free to contact me and call my publisher for a review copy.” This was promotional material for his book, “Off the Record,” with blurbs from various authors and journalists. We all know how hard it is […]

As H.L. Mencken wrote, “It is the national custom to sentimentalize the dead.” By now you’ve probably seen Tom Wolfe on Hunter S. Thompson. If you haven’t, you should. It’s terrific. It was fast. And it doesn’t sentimentalize him. Wolfe makes the apt literary connection between Thompson and Mark Twain. Here’s a connection — my thanks to Roger […]

Two fine little comedies by Matt Haber put me in the mood to pass them on: One, “Be Excellent to Each Other,” features the invaginated Alex Winter on the phone with the invincible Keanu Reeves. The other, “Two Friends Talking,” features Tony Blair on the phone with Dear Leader, also mutually invaginated and invincible. EmailFacebookTwitterReddit

When I first read CIA director Porter Goss’s recent Congressional testimony that “Islamic extremists are exploiting the Iraqi conflict to recruit new anti-U.S. jihadists” and “these jihadists who survive will leave Iraq experienced and focus on acts of urban terrorism,” I intended to post an item about Dear Leader’s Big Lie that the invasion of […]

The suicide of Hunter S. Thompson is a huge, irreplaceable loss. A lot of people didn’t know of the Page 2 column he wrote on the Web for ESPN.com. But Hey, Rube was treasured by many of us who were not necessarily sports fans. His column, “Death in the afternoon,” which was about the meaning […]

And the Lord said, “Let there be escorts!”— David Ehrenstein.Illustration from Billmon’s Whiskey Bar. EmailFacebookTwitterReddit