There Goes Norman
- 11 Nov 07, 03:21 PM
Lloyd Cole once remarked that you should either read Norman Mailer or get a new tailor. I never did get measured up, but I did read plenty of Norman. While the guy was too old for rock and roll, he copped many of the poses, and his essay ΅®The White Negro΅― is required reading for anyone who wants to study the art of rebellion. He opened well with the Naked And the Dead and I can understand how a band called The Fuggs got their name from said text.
Yes, the guy wrote some boring stuff and he sometimes used words with all the delicacy of meat cleavers. Still, I always give him a thought when I΅―m in New York and I pick up a copy of the Village Voice, and when I have a routine watch of ΅®When We Were Kings΅― I salute Norman and George Plimpton, who clearly saw journalism as a heroic contest, worthy of the events that they covered.
Feargal Sharkey, who once bellowed ΅®There Goes Norman΅―, was in Belfast last week. He made a passionate case for live music, backed the arts sector, collared a few politicians and he cussed like a merchant seaman. I commend the Irish News for their headline ΅®A Good Art These Days Is Hard To Find΅― and I note with satisfaction that Feargal still wears a pair of well scuffed Doc Martins.
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
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