— Dino: Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams
— I have my Alexander Hamilton lecture tonight.
I am truly torn. Hamilton’s gonna win, cause he pre-dates Dino – also, I bought tickets … but still … I had feared this would happen. I had feared that Dino would come on the same day, causing my psyche to go into a tailspin of competing interests.
Can you “hide” the Dean Martin book for a day or so?
I’ve been known to do that to myself when two good things happen on the same day – try to put one aside to enjoy later.
Yes. I haven’t even cracked the Dino book yet. I’ll get to it tomorrow morning so that tonight? I can be all about the Hamilton. But oh! It is hard!! :)
if only i had such problems… : ) have a blast, dear!
Well, Martin’s tenure as Secretary of State, and then later, as Secretary of the Interior, at least approaches Hamilton’s government contributions. Furthermore, Hamilton was rigid on stage, and couldn’t carry a tune to save his life.
That Dino book is unreal. The guy is a great writer. Don’t let Dino find out about Hamilton or there might be another duel.
Brendan, if there’s any guy who can take temporarily losing out to Alexander Hamilton in stride, I suspect it would be Dino. ;-)
The book does look really good…
I wonder if this is the first time in the history of human civilization that someone has faced the choice of Dean Martin vs. Alexander Hamilton.
The author of Dino, Nick Tosches, also did a terrific bio of Jerry Lee Lewis about 20 years ago. Also well worth seeking out.
Almost anything Nick Tosches writes is worth reading. He wrote a great story about that Vatican Bank scandal. The man is a fantastic writer IMNSHO.
Jeff – hahahahahahaha to your first comment … I know!!
Okay – so I just got back from my lecture – which was awesome – I got to talk to Richard Brookhiser for about 2.4 seconds – I loved it – but I read the Dino book the whole way home. Already amaaaaaaazing. I love biographies that not only take on their subject – but take on the entirety of the world surrounding them. Like Berg’s Lindbergh biography, etc. Does Dean Martin warrant such attention? I would have to say yes.
But the Hamilton lecture was amazing. It was standing room only, another reason why I adore living where I do. And during the QA period – people stood up and asked REALLY good questions. Obviously with a basis in history – asking about the war with the Barbary pirates, about St. Croix … it was a great group of people, a really nice evening.
And Brookhiser is really funny.
OOOO would love to know what was said about the Barbary pirates!!
I love it when my mailbox delivers something good to an already good day.
Its why I spend time on eBay…LOL – only your book is far more worthy of collecting! I tend to amuse myself with…junk.
You got to meet Richard Brookhiser?! I am so jealous! Just read an excellent article in this week’s National Review that views 9/11 and our actions afterwards from a historical perspective.
Hold on let me see if it’s on NRO… nope sorry…
I won’t read National Review anyway, so I wouldn’t know. But I have read his books – and his columns in the New York papers. I liked him in person too – very funny – a really good anecdotalist. He was the moderator of the lecture – with 2 writers who have just written a book about Hamilton together – so Brookhiser kept the conversation going. I still haven’t read his latest book about the Founders – but I have it, so eventually I’ll get to it.
He was funny, smart, kept things moving and asked really cool questions. It was a great night. All these Hamilton freaks. Actually, there were obviously some Jeffersonians in the crowd as well – which kept it lively – and a couple of John Adams supporters. Ha. All on the corner of 85th and Central Park West. Oh – and the New York Historical Society was founded in 1804 the year of Hamilton’s death – which is sad because he was (even though not from the colonies originally) such a New Yorker, his whole career began there … I like to think he would have been very involved in the formation of the society – although, who knows. He was kind of a pariah by that point.
Oops – 75th. Not 85th!! There’s another lecture going on on Thursday night about Jefferson and Madison – ack – but I’m doing karaoke that night. I have priorities.
Sharon – yeah, someone asked about the war with the pirates and Jefferson’s presidency Basically the discussion surrounded how instrumental Hamilton was in getting Jefferson elected – because Hamilton obviously could not allow Aaron Burr to get anywhere near that executive office. Jefferson despised Hamilton, obviously – thought he was a militaristic monarchist in waiting – and yet – once Jefferson took office – so many of his decisions were decisions that Hamilton himself would have made. Or that Hamilton had suggested years before … Jefferson never gave the credit though, of course. In terms of the barbary pirates – Hamilton had been arguing for us to build up our navy, our standing army (and weirdly – Adams was right there with him on that) – and that war was, in part, an extension of that argument. We needed an arsenal of ships – to be able to move freely – so that we could conduct our business, etc.
But mainly the thrust of that particular conversation was how much Jefferson despised Hamilton – and yet how so many of the policies he put in place once in office were, at the heart of it, Hamilton’s ideas.
There was that one quote – I think it’s in a letter from Jefferson to Washington – about how Hamilton was nothing “until history stooped to notice him”. An icy phrase. Jefferson was usually much more formal and polite – you can barely tell when he’s emotional in his letters – but that mean mean phrase really stands out.
Oh and my brief conversation afterwards with Brookhiser had to do with Hamilton being an immigrant – how that set him apart – and how maybe that was what gave him his unbelievable prescience. They all were prescient men – but I truly believe Hamilton was the most. He foresaw the freakin’ Industrial Revolution – while all the other dudes, landed gentry basically – were like: “No. No. Never gonna happen.”
Brookhiser agrees with me (HAHAHAHA) that part of Hamilton’s freedom of thought has to do with the fact that he was not deeply embedded in one particular state.
By the way – this was the book being discussed tonight – the two authors were there.
Hmmm. I went to that lecture to with a couple of friends. We thought it whitewashed Hamilton. Afterall, the co-editors of book promotion (whichi is what ist really was) were affiliated with Hamilton College. It was sitll interesting. Love to see people enjoying history and enjoying themselves.
Well after about a century of Hamilton being totally demonized unfairly – I think a big restorative movement is afoot right now. Hamilton is in. You may thought of it as whitewashing – and I felt a bit of that as well – these guys are trying to restore the luster – but I saw it more as: let’s take another look at this man who has been painted as completely evil and dangerous. All you need to do is to read David McCullough’s John Adams book to see that that attitude is still afoot. I admit that I’m a fan of Hamilton – so I’m really happy to see him getting his moment in the sun.
I grew up in a John Adams-focused family. It’s passed down to us. My grandfather was a huge John Adams fan – passed it down to my dad – who passed it on to us. So I grew up with this impression of Hamilton as being, kind of, like the DEVIL. hahahaha This terrifying guy who, if he had been given power, would have turned into (as Abigail Adams warned) “another Bonaparte”.
I think a lot of people feel that way. Hamilton died – and people with a vested interest in painting him with a black brush, did so – and he could not defend himself.
Sheila,
Thoroughly enjoyed all of your posts about Dean Martin, Bogie, Howard Hawks, Bacall, et al. Since you are, like me, so obsessed with all things Dino, I thought I would share my memory of my only meeting with him. My father, T. W. Richardson was president of the Frontier Hotel and had gotten to know Sinatra, Dean & many others. One night at the Sands cocktail lounge show room, which was next to the casino at that time, my Dad and I were enjoying the Jan Garber band with Dean at the table. I don’t recall Dean saying that much except about how great the band was. Later, Dean went to play craps and I went to watch. If Dean won a toss of the dice, he would say, “Back and forth.” If he lost, he would say the same thing, “Back and forth.” I never forgot it, although it was over 40 years ago. It seemed to me that was part of his philosophy of life – the cyclic nature of it all. I find myself saying the same thing many times – makes me feel more relaxed and “above it all.” That night Dino had unknowingly given me a great insight into his cool – quite a gift.