| Subject: Re: Writing Sample |
| From: Barrett Brown <barriticus@gmail.com> |
| Date: 1/7/10, 16:39 |
| To: Christopher Koulouris <christopher@scallywagandvagabond.com> |
When Did America Stop Loving Drunks?
Mariah Carey recently had herself a very normal evening for a celebrity: an award show, some champagne and some time on stage. Unfortunately for her, she didnt do it in that order. After winning Best Supporting Actress at the Palm Springs Film Festival, Carey teetered out, hugged, squealed and rambled on. She was drunk, yes. But she was adorable. And after the ceremony she went home, slept it off, and woke up to the sound of America putting another nail in the coffin of the Lovable Drunk.
Yes, alcoholism is a serious problem. 18.5 million Americans struggle with the disease, to say nothing of what their families go through. But humans have been drinking since 10,000 BC, and celebrities have been doing even before that point. There have always been and always shall be drunk celebrities. Why not embrace them?
Mariah Carey is very annoying for many reasons. Public drunkenness should not be one of them. In fact, Id like to cross that off the list of things the media holds against its celebrities in 2010. America used to love drunks! Andre the Giant is reputed to have consumed 7,000 calories a day in booze, to say nothing of food. Marilyn Monroe was famously drunk for her last photo shoot, which adds a blurry sex appeal that Lindsay Lohan couldnt dream of replicating.
This is to say nothing of the literary celebrities like Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Pound. Hemingway and Fitzgerald were arrested for public drunkenness together, for instance. There was a nobility to these peoples substance abuse: Hemingway wrote to Pound that one of the best things about being a writer, is when youre having the wildest time, when youre completely on the bum, youre still working, or at least you should be. Mariah Carey seemed like more of a rock star up on that stage than she has in years. She was absolutely working.
Besides, the drunk is someone that the youth of America should relate to, not condemn. Every college student in the developed world has done things ten times more humiliating than Mariah Carey, or even Kanye West. Everyone has an evening in their dimmest memories theyd rather was completely dark. If I can forgive my roommate for vomiting in our sink three times in one semester, cant we, as a nation, forgive Mariah for a bumbling speech? And even Kanye for his ill-conceived defense of his friend? Three times in one semester!
In a decade in which we watched beautiful after beautiful person die from prescription pills, and we waited with bated breath for Amy Winehouse to smoke her last dime of crack, shouldnt we be embracing the drinkers? Isnt it better to be tipsy on champagne than blindsided by a pharmaceutical cocktail?
Justin Bieber: Living the Wet Dream
Justin Bieber, according to the New York Times, is living the dream. Unfortunately for all of us, Justin Bieber is of an age where his dreams are, for lack of a better word, wet. During his time in the limelight, his voice has dropped a half step and hes gone through emotional and physical changes that are best left in high school hallways.
High schools are like quarantines: where only a brave few venture to help the afflicted through their awkward growth spurts, urges and dental gear until they are cured. But Justin Bieber has escaped. His rapidly changing frame is attired in designer clothing, millions of girls are eager to satisfy his urges, and his braces are invisible, courtesy of his record label.
CTV:W5 just did a piece on Bieber comparing him to the child acts of yore that survived, like that of Frank Sinatra. In the entertainment business, one only survives by achieving greater acclaim and notoriety. Because, of course, one is only alive if one is famous. If Justin were to decide later in life to pursue a different path, that wouldnt be a conscious choice - that would be failure. In pursuing pop stardom, hes committing himself, at the ripe old age of fifteen, to a lifetime of clawing his way to the top.
Of course, Justin isnt exactly pulling the strings at this point. Truman Capote wrote of his most famous female character, you might think the average person going on fourteen wouldnt know their own mind. Why, yes, I might think that. But I do think Usher, Justins producer/sponsor, and Scooter Braun, his manager, know not only their own minds, but also the minds of ten to fifteen year old girls. They know them better than does the most seasoned pedophile. And they took a bright, talented boy and made a phenomenon. Biebers website asserts that the early YouTube videos that made Justin a star were made so that friends and family could watch them .But it turned out that other people liked them and started subscribing. According to the New York Times article, Braun was the brain behind those homemade musical ventures. The truth could be anywhere in between those two stories, but either way, Justin is part of the machine now.
In a surprising twist on the Stage Mom component of the child star recipe, Biebers mother is hesitant and reluctant to relish in her sons success. Of course shes a failed actress herself, and of course she hoped her sons voice would save her, but shes added a little religious zest to the dish. She viewed her son as a modern day prophet and she hoped (what am I saying? Christians dont hope: they pray and God listens) that a good, Christian record company would sign her good, Christian boy. Instead she got a Jewish music mogul and a black hip-hop star. God works in mysterious ways.
Whatever Justins fate, though, his current success is undeniable. Hes sung for the president, had four Top 10 Singles, and caused a riot. I pray he sleeps easy and awakes satisfied.
Works Cited
Capote, Truman. Breakfast at Tiffanys. New York: Penguin Books Ltd., 1998. Book.
Hoffman, Jan. Justin Bieber: Living the Dream. New York Tines. December 31, 2009. Web. January 5, 2010.
Bio Page. Justin Bieber: the Official Website. Web. January 5, 2010,
On Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 4:26 PM, Christopher Koulouris <christopher@scallywagandvagabond.com> wrote:
the justin Bieber piece i edited, the other 2 i haven't---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sarah B. Hartshorne <sarah.hartshorne@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 1:13 PM
Subject: Re: Writing Sample
To: Christopher Koulouris <christopher@scallywagandvagabond.com>
Christopher- terribly sorry, got swept up in reading about Cody, forgot to pop these over. Here they are, feel free to hack/chop/change. Let me know if you need any new info. Hope you like them! Cheers, Sarah
P.S. Used MLA formatting, but I realize that might have been in error. Do you have a preference? Thanks!
On Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 12:27 PM, Christopher Koulouris <christopher@scallywagandvagabond.com> wrote:
Sarah-Here's Cody Ross's info below- i think it 'll be a good interview. Have a read with the link below of the interview i did with Diego Binneti, who is one of our to die for most admired designers (he used to be Jill Stuart's head designer whom i just interviewed recently and that should be coming out soon.Cody Ross- 646 262 4792.Website: http://www.priestessnyc.net
http://www.myspace.com/priestessnyc
yes- please do.On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 10:39 PM, Sarah B. Hartshorne <sarah.hartshorne@gmail.com> wrote:
Shall I call now? Very exciting! Cheers, SarahOn Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 10:36 PM, Christopher Koulouris <christopher@scallywagandvagabond.com> wrote:
I like what I see. I only had to read a few sentences from a few of your piecesCOOL- i'd like to bring u on Sarah.Please call me.Christopher.347 721 4308.--On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 10:23 PM, Sarah B. Hartshorne <sarah.hartshorne@gmail.com> wrote:
Christopher- here are some links to travel articles I've written for GoNomad.com. The photos are all mine, and I have some online galleries if you're interested in seeing more of my photos.
http://www.gonomad.com/destinations/0911/mexico-queretaro.html
http://www.gonomad.com/destinations/0911/mexico-queretaro.html
Here is a link to my blog:
http://www.erraticinheels.com
I've also attached an essay I wrote. Thanks very much! I adore your publication- really stands out in the NYC scene. Loved the article on the Haves and Have Nots. Also, I see on your bio that you worked in Hyde Park. One of my favorite places in the world! Cheers, Sarah
Christopher Koulouris
Editor in Chief,
www.scallywagandvagabond.com
christopher@scallywagandvagabond.com
tel; 347 721 4308.
Scallywag and Vagabond: a dissection of pop culture, a platform for the avant-garde, an offering from the arbiters of taste and probing interviews. Imagine; a fusion of editorials from the New Yorker meets the savagery of Gawker with the allure of Vanity Fair.
--
Christopher Koulouris
Editor in Chief,
www.scallywagandvagabond.com
christopher@scallywagandvagabond.com
tel; 347 721 4308.
Scallywag and Vagabond: a dissection of pop culture, a platform for the avant-garde, an offering from the arbiters of taste and probing interviews. Imagine; a fusion of editorials from the New Yorker meets the savagery of Gawker with the allure of Vanity Fair.
--
Christopher Koulouris
Editor in Chief,
www.scallywagandvagabond.com
christopher@scallywagandvagabond.com
tel; 347 721 4308.
Scallywag and Vagabond: a dissection of pop culture, a platform for the avant-garde, an offering from the arbiters of taste and probing interviews. Imagine; a fusion of editorials from the New Yorker meets the savagery of Gawker with the allure of Vanity Fair.
--
Christopher Koulouris
Editor in Chief,
www.scallywagandvagabond.com
christopher@scallywagandvagabond.com
tel; 347 721 4308.
Scallywag and Vagabond: a dissection of pop culture, a platform for the avant-garde, an offering from the arbiters of taste and probing interviews. Imagine; a fusion of editorials from the New Yorker meets the savagery of Gawker with the allure of Vanity Fair.