Another good piece. Interesting the various elements of the piece that resonate for us commenters, says this son of working class immigrants who was also raised on the south side (and who remembers the occasional smell of the Stockyards...) and who encountered many Norms of that time (a loooong time ago, though).
For a guy who doesn’t drink you sure made me want to go and have a beer.
I wonder if old school bar and tavern culture has survived after Covid; I wouldn’t know being in a college town that traded most of the bars near Cornell for Bubble tea and various other Asian joints with the mass importation of students from China and the subcontinent, and the locals preferring microbreweries with their own in-house hipster-ish bars.
I don’t know the answer to that in regard to the big city. A lot of the old dives are still open around here. In my hometown south of here, the bar my dad owned — right up the street from where my mom lives now — is still open and more or less stayed open during Covid, but the crowd of old men who have been going there since the 70s is much reduced in number (they’re dying off). The place still serves relatively cheap spaghetti (mediocre but with free mancini’s bread on the side) and decent Buffalo wings, though
"These performances land differently for those of us who grew up in the Midwest. We saw our relatives represented without mockery. The fat, shrewd uncles with their expanding waistlines who could fix anything but couldn't fix themselves. The father's friends who came over to watch games and spoke primarily in grunts and nods. The men whose stunted emotional lives remained hidden as they struggled through what’s left of a changing world that was soon to look nothing like the world of their own fathers."
Reading this quoted in Notes, I came thinking this was something completely different. What a lovely tribute I found.
Wendt contained multitudes and the readers either told me I needed to tackle this one OR I knew (as with HD Miller in the comments here) that they’d appreciate it
Such a wonderful tribute to a gifted man. “He showed us the dignity in ordinariness, the heroism in showing up, the value in being exactly who you are.” Beautifully captured. I’m so sick of self improvement and the constant push to be other than one is… a symptom or perhaps the disease of capitalism.
a hard-learned lesson, in my case and (surely) for many others as well, but I’m there now. wherever you go, there you are. norm happened to be in the same spot every single day
As a fellow Yinzer / somewhat-reluctant accountant who'd rather be doing blue-collar work, there really aren't enough words to thank you for writing this.
I'm a big fan of the Benjamin Cardozo take on the work: "In truth, I am nothing but a plodding mediocrity—please observe, a plodding mediocrity—for a mere mediocrity does not go very far, but a plodding one gets quite a distance. There is joy in that success, and a distinction can come from courage, fidelity and industry."
This is so good.
For men like us, certainly
I had to write it simply to ensure he got coverage from this part of his demographic, because I wasn’t seeing it in the NYT and so on
It's been hard on us since John Goodman started Ozempic.
he’s certainly carrying much less weight than he once did. a man of size is meant to look like this only in the springtime of his varied life, before he has come into full bloom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTglaPQhYpY&ab_channel=Lottoman17
Another good piece. Interesting the various elements of the piece that resonate for us commenters, says this son of working class immigrants who was also raised on the south side (and who remembers the occasional smell of the Stockyards...) and who encountered many Norms of that time (a loooong time ago, though).
For a guy who doesn’t drink you sure made me want to go and have a beer.
I wonder if old school bar and tavern culture has survived after Covid; I wouldn’t know being in a college town that traded most of the bars near Cornell for Bubble tea and various other Asian joints with the mass importation of students from China and the subcontinent, and the locals preferring microbreweries with their own in-house hipster-ish bars.
I don’t know the answer to that in regard to the big city. A lot of the old dives are still open around here. In my hometown south of here, the bar my dad owned — right up the street from where my mom lives now — is still open and more or less stayed open during Covid, but the crowd of old men who have been going there since the 70s is much reduced in number (they’re dying off). The place still serves relatively cheap spaghetti (mediocre but with free mancini’s bread on the side) and decent Buffalo wings, though
On the South side the pubs are doing fine, if not as populated by the idiotic zoomers who i guess microdose mushrooms or something instead
I want to go there with you someday.
apartment and banquet room upstairs. A real regional joint
Yes, exactly! He certainly portrayed them with a high degree of fidelity
"These performances land differently for those of us who grew up in the Midwest. We saw our relatives represented without mockery. The fat, shrewd uncles with their expanding waistlines who could fix anything but couldn't fix themselves. The father's friends who came over to watch games and spoke primarily in grunts and nods. The men whose stunted emotional lives remained hidden as they struggled through what’s left of a changing world that was soon to look nothing like the world of their own fathers."
Reading this quoted in Notes, I came thinking this was something completely different. What a lovely tribute I found.
I'm glad you enjoyed. George Wendt contained multitudes as an actor - both in terms of sheer size and his capacity to convey complicated emotions.
I’ve read a lot of eulogies of Wendt over the past several days, and this one’s the best by far.
Several people asked for it - they want the writing on men of size - so I'm glad I did it.
I’m glad you did. Feels good to be reading you again, brother. Always a treat.
This place has been popping off. So much fun stuff lately
this is incredible
Wendt contained multitudes and the readers either told me I needed to tackle this one OR I knew (as with HD Miller in the comments here) that they’d appreciate it
Such a wonderful tribute to a gifted man. “He showed us the dignity in ordinariness, the heroism in showing up, the value in being exactly who you are.” Beautifully captured. I’m so sick of self improvement and the constant push to be other than one is… a symptom or perhaps the disease of capitalism.
a hard-learned lesson, in my case and (surely) for many others as well, but I’m there now. wherever you go, there you are. norm happened to be in the same spot every single day
As a fellow Yinzer / somewhat-reluctant accountant who'd rather be doing blue-collar work, there really aren't enough words to thank you for writing this.
wouldn't we all? Glad you stumbled across it
Beautifully done. Brutal, true and kind. Kudos.
Glad you enjoyed, David. All feedback means the world to me, but you’ve been around the block as a writer/academic and I’m glad to hear it from you.
Well, the thanks are mind. Yes, "around the block." That's what I'll call it. :). Somehow thought I'd get farther, what with all this walking.
I'm a big fan of the Benjamin Cardozo take on the work: "In truth, I am nothing but a plodding mediocrity—please observe, a plodding mediocrity—for a mere mediocrity does not go very far, but a plodding one gets quite a distance. There is joy in that success, and a distinction can come from courage, fidelity and industry."
nicely done
Glad you enjoyed!
Damn fine work! Thank you
here for it. pouring one out for a real one
Thank you for this beautiful and touching description. I related to every word.