Posted on 05/14/2011 7:11:04 PM PDT by AustralianConservative
Three decades ago David Mamet became known among the culture-consuming public for writing [ ]
And then Mamet thought some more, and looked in the mirror.
I never questioned my tribal assumption that Capitalism was bad, he writes now, although I, simultaneously, never acted upon these feelings. He was always happy to cash a royalty check and made sure to insist on a licensing fee. I supported myself, as do all those not on the government dole, through the operation of the Free Market.
He saw he was Talking Left and Living Right, a condition common among American liberals, particularly the wealthy among them, who can, for instance, want to impose diversity requirements on private companies while living in monochromatic neighborhoods, or vote against school vouchers while sending their kids to prep school, or shelter their income while advocating higher tax rates. The widening gap between liberal politics and liberal life became real to him when, paradoxically enough, he decided at last to write a political play, or rather a play about politics. It was the first time he thought about partisan politics for any sustained period.
This was after the 2004 election, he told me in an interview last month. Id never met a conservative. I didnt know what a conservative was. I didnt know much of anything.
But I saw the liberals hated George Bush. It was vicious. And I thought about it, and I didnt get it. He was no worse than the others, was he? And Id ask my liberal friends, Well, why do you hate him? Theyd all say: He lied about WMD. Okay. You love Kennedy.Kennedy didnt write Profiles in Couragehe lied about that. Bush is in bed with the Saudis! Okay, Kennedy was in bed with the mafia.
(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...
Honesty and clarity-Isn’t it refreshing?
If anyone hasn’t seen the 1992 film version of Mamet’s ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ please do. It’s breathtaking.
Especially Alec Baldwin's sales meeting from Hell.
Fantastic article. Thanks for finding this and putting it up.
Everyone knows that, including Wag the Dog.
But try SPARTAN, with Val Kilmer. Mamey befriended in real-life, one of the founders of Delta Force, and that’s what Kilmer played.
The irony? It’s about a president who tried to have his own daughter kidnapped and left for dead because at the same time, the president in a re-election year was having sex with his other girlfriends in Boston. So basically, it was all fakery...(like Clinton and obama)
Kilmer plays the Delta guy who saves the daughter because he knew it was the right thing to do, even though the president was an a-hole.
“Especially Alec Baldwin’s sales meeting from Hell.”
I worked for a guy just like that - for 3 days - delivered a few Mamet type lines to him before I left. He just sat there and blinked.
I’ve been a fan of Mamet for a long time.
His writing is Shakespearean. I thought that Atlas Shrugged would have benefited by having him do the screenplay. (Maybe he’s ready now?)
House of Games is a wonderful film.
This feels like the Michael Crichton essay on environmentalism as a religion:
http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/environmentalism-as-religion
We enjoyed seeing Mamet’s latest work on Broadway (first night of previews - Patrick Stewart in “A Life in the Theater” - fun from the front row center, closed in a few weeks).
It’s a joy to see people growing up, one by one!
I think my Crichton link may be bad. His speech has ALMOST fallen down the memory hole.
Here’s a better link:
http://www.muditajournal.com/archives/347.php
“Coffee is for closers!”
Fascinating man.
Thanks for posting.
I really like The Edge, Heist and Things Change also. He wrote my favorite episode of "The Shield" (called "Strays").
The cool thing is, he can get away with this. Mamet cannot be blacklisted, he's too good. Some people have f*ck you money... Mamet has f*ck you talent.
WOW!
READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE!!!
Mamet cannot be blacklisted, he’s too good.
Thanks so much ....Id read a bit about this a while back and I find this inspiring
Fabulous article. Thanks.
I just ordered his book. It’s available for pre-ordering from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Knowledge-Dismantling-American-Culture/dp/1595230769/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305430730&sr=8-1
This is a very good read. Well worth the time.
bookmark - and the thread looks interesting, too.
Thanks!
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