Last night I joined The Self-Styled Siren and James Wolcott for drinks at the bar made famous (at least in part) by the marvelous writer (known as Scribbler) at Behind the Stick. I have been reading Scribbler’s site for a couple of years now (and if you aren’t – then check him out immediately!), and he’s commented here a couple of times, and I was very excited to meet him finally. I had never met Wolcott either, although he’s linked to me on occasion (sadly, the first time he linked to me, I happened to be going OFF on someone – Peter Manso, if you must know – and I used rather colorful language. As a matter of fact, I believe the phrase, “Don’t be a whiny bitch about it” was involved. Mortification.) But I’ve been reading Wolcott for years, so it was such a pleasure to put a face to the well-known name. The Siren, of course, I’ve met a couple of times socially, so it was a great pow-wow. Scribbler set us up at one end of the bar, and we drank and ate and talked and soaked up the atmosphere for a couple of glorious hours. We talked about Woody Allen, and politics and political bloggers (“I’ve had an Instalanche in my day,” I said, “although I can’t stand that term. Nerds.”), our own writing, mutual friends, our various stresses and joys, people we know, people we don’t know – there was a lot of laughter, and a lot of listening going on, and it was so much fun. I was in the presence of one person (Siren) I am getting to know personally (after reading her voraciously for a couple of years), and like so much, and two people I have gotten to know only through their writing – and there’s nothing quite like that feeling of putting faces to names and online personae. I’ve had a lot of that in my years of writing, and, in general, it’s always been a pleasure. The people whose personalities match the personae they have created … there is no fakery going on, no trickery … You meet the person whose writing you love, and it’s the same person. I am sure the opposite is often the case, but I have been very fortunate. I felt shy going into the night, I won’t lie. But the second I walked in, and Scribbler, behind the bar, said to me, “Sheila?” and I walked over to him and he kissed my hand … all was well. It was a lovely evening. Siren and I shared a cab afterwards, and the conversation continued. I am sure it will continue on and on and on. These are good people. New York glittered for me last night. It truly glittered. Not just because of the Chrysler Building and the evening streetlamps lit up the avenues, but because of the company.
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Positively Algonquinesque!
You mentioned Woody Allen. I’d love it if you’d point me to anything you’ve written about his work, or actors in his work, or anything whatsoever. I’m interested to hear your take, if indeed it’s been given here.
Robert – ha!! The Algonquin did come up!!
Why haven’t I written more about Woody Allen? It’s a huge GAP in my site. My favorite Woody Allen (not a very popular choice) is Manhattan Murder Mystery. I love that movie with a fiery passion – I can’t even count how many times I have seen it.
I should do a Woody Allen post, I really should.
What is your take on Allen?
I’ve kind of given up defending him to people. I’ve figured out that people who don’t find him and love him on their own probably won’t understand him. Hopefully that doesn’t sound too precious. I’ve made peace with his creative inconsistency. A movie a year and it’s gonna get thin sometimes. I never get tired of his old standup. Or his essays. Or his references (except for JRM reading Dostoyevsky in Match Point — a bit much). He introduced me to Bergman and Perelman and jazz and movies that weren’t about monsters — all at a very impressionable age. I relate to his insecurity AND his strangely swaggering confidence. I understand the reasons why so many dismiss him: as too self-indulgent (casting himself as the romantic lead, incessantly whining about his problems, giving himself the best lines), as too emulative of his own idols (most of them European [I once watched Annie Hall with the French track/English subtitle on — it’s a great foreign film!]), as too thematically repetitive (getting away with murder? again??), as too rooted in modernist anxieties to be relevant today, I know, I know, I know… And I’ll grant you that his movies will never grab me in the deeply emotional way so many others do. But I don’t care. He made me believe a guy like me could do alright in the world. For all his faults, and for all the filmmakers with more Truth Per Frame, I’ll gladly hold him up as the filmmaker I’ve most enjoyed over the years.
Robert – what a beautiful defense of him. I have similar feelings. I just love the guy. He also is responsible (as a director, anyway) for helping to bring some of my favorite performances to the screen. Judy Davis in Husbands and Wives. Gena Rowlands in Another Woman (hell, everyone in Another Woman – Betty Buckley, Sandy Dennis, Ian Holm) – Dianne Wiest, Diane Keaton (I love Annie Hall – but I still think Manhattan Murder Mystery is his masterpiece – an opinion which is beyond-the-pale, apparently, but I’m sticking to it) – Alan Alda – God, Alan Alda – the way he uses Alan Alda!! Brilliant!
Jealous. I’ve had the good fortune of meeting the Siren a few times when up in New York, as well as some other Brooklynites I’m sure you are familiar with. Hopefully, we can all go out for a drink when I’m up there this fall.
Tony – most definitely!!
Agree on all those performances. Farrow’s conspicuously absent from your list. Don’t want to read into that. For me, she tends toward shrill, even in quiet moments, and the shy vibe she tries to put off is too often colored by a lurking condescension. But all is (almost) forgiven by her performance in September. I was surprised by her there.
Re: Alda. When I was a kid, I wanted to be Groucho, Letterman, Woody, and Hawkeye. Hawkeye goes the furthest back in my memory, though, so for Alda to appear in several WA movies and NOT make me think of MASH says something about the work both actor and director were doing. Superfluous thought, but he’s probably most like Hawkeye in Everyone Says I Love You. Probably because he’s railing against conservatives so much in that one.
I like Mia Farrow in Broadway Danny Rose – and I also think she’s good in Husbands and Wives, although you can see Allen’s hostility towards her in how she is portrayed. Amazing that she allowed it.
I love your thoughts on Alda! I love how Allen casts him as smarmy and AWFUL and pathetic and how funny he is in those roles!! It’s nice to see him getting big juicy villainous parts now (his role in The Aviator was terrific). Good good actor.
Jealous here, too! So glad you guys got together and had a great time! Hopefully I’ll make it back to New York soon and will be able to finagle an evening with all of you. I love those New York nights that glitter!
And love this thread about Woody Allen. Woody Allen gave me romance and it’s something that’s never left me. I’m indebted to him for that. (Annie Hall is my favorite and Crimes and Misdemeanors is my masterpiece.)
I, too, loved Manhattan Murder Mystery and rank it among my favorite of Allen’s movies. You are not alone, Sheila!
Kathleen – Thank God. We are a rare group, we need to support each other! :)
I found you via Wolcott’s blogroll, and I’m glad you connected with Wolcott in person.
A 21st-century mini-Algonquin indeed, with “no fakery going on, no trickery,” naturally.
Wolcott wrote it up in his inimitable way over at VF, with the generous headline “The Art of Conversation Isn’t Dead If You’re Keeping the Right Company.”
It’s all good.
Devtob – Yeah, I saw that of course. Great title indeed and quite true!
where is this place? I feel like you’re all in some club I can’t join.
What a great time you folks must have had. I sincerely hope that one day, and soon, another such group will convene that I can humbly sit in on. I’d be the one sitting and listening to the side, most likely, but I’d love to be there nonetheless. For years I’ve thought of what fun it would be to have a sort of Bloggers Summit, and this makes me believe that it would be a hell of a gathering indeed! Thanks for letting us share even just a sliver of it, Sheila. And by the way, I haven’t had much good to say about Allen of late, but I wouldn’t deny that he’s been important to me in the past, especially his funny ones. And I love Manhattan Murder Mystery too. And, ah, Radio Days. Why this isn’t widely considered to be among his finest achievements I’ll never understand.
Dennis – a bloggers summit would be so great! If you are ever in New York, we must must do it again! And I’ll give you a heads up about any LA trips – I know there will be one in my near future. It’ll be a busy one, but still, maybe we could work somthing out.
It was great fun. Real real good conversation!
And Radio Days! Love that one – I consider it a perfect movie.