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Tom Wolfe Has Died

nytimes.com

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Re: Tom Wolfe Has Died

#61

Post by 52-6F-62 »

wallflower wrote: post #12

I remember discovering "The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test" in my high school library. I eventually stole it by taking out the plastic-encased metal security dingy and devoured it more. I read it over and over until the paperback fell apart. It introduced me to a world so foreign and sparkly and rusty dangerous and yet so real. RIP Tom Wolfe for bringing us into your worlds of observation and intrigue.

The way you speak about that book reminds me of my equally teenage love of Kerouac (Might be a virtual right of passage for my age range). I got in well enough with the small Ontario town high school librarian to gain access to the “banned books” they stowed in the back but never disposed of. Wolfe lived back there as well as a number of notable Canadian and American poets. I hope I don’t sound too assuming when I say that I think I know exactly what you mean.

Re: Tom Wolfe Has Died

#63

Post by ethbro »

jgrahamc wrote: post #48
pitt1980 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He wrote a pretty interesting profile of Robert Noyce, one of the co-founders of Intel https://web.stanford.edu/class/e145/2007_fall/materials/noyc...

Yes but that's years before. I'm talking dotcom era.

When $300M of investment capital ends up in the $125,000 sale of a sock puppet mascot, was he (broadly speaking) wrong?

While big companies came out of that era, examined at the time and surrounded by since-deceased dotcom peers, I don't fault a reasonable person for concluding as he did.

Re: Tom Wolfe Has Died

#64

Post by acampbell28 »

jgrahamc wrote: post #4

Years ago when I was living in the Bay Area, Tom Wolfe was hanging around doing research for a book on Silicon Valley. The rumour was that he left with the opinion that nothing interesting worth writing about happened there.

His daughter, Alexandra Wolfe, did write a book about SV called "Valley of the Gods":

https://www.amazon.com/Valley-Gods-Silicon-Story/dp/15011470...

I haven't read it, but I subscribe to author Ryan Holiday's reading list email newsletter and he had this to say when the book came out:

"A nice new read about the Silicon Valley written by Wall Street Journal reporter (and Tom Wolfe's daughter). It's more pleasant and less cynical than Chaos Monkeys but probably a little more naive too. I was interested in the fate of the various Thiel Fellows since I've met a few of them over the years and was a college dropout myself. Wolfe makes the point that dropping out or getting one of these fellowships has become just as much of a 'track' as the Ivy League these days. Anyway, some great sentences in this book. Not sure how it will stand up over time but was worth a couple hours of my time."

Re: Tom Wolfe Has Died

#65

Post by teachrdan »

pjc50 wrote: post #21
cyanbane wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'A Man in Full' and 'I am Charolette Simmons' are two of my favorites. I picked up 'Kingdom of Speech' last year, but couldn't get into it. The other two though will keep you up at night. Great writing.

What did you like about Charlotte Simmons?

I'm genuinely curious myself. What little I've read of it made it seem like a sensationalized account of how young women in college are imagined to behave, as per an out-of-touch old man.

Re: Tom Wolfe Has Died

#66

Post by archagon »

Read "The Right Stuff" for the first time recently. I didn't find myself particularly invested in the Mercury astronauts' story, but Wolfe's utterly delightful prose made it hard to pull away. Loved the mantra-like phrases that his writing would circle around: climbing the ziggurat, being left behind, single-combat warriors, the titular right stuff (among many others). Coupled with the fast-talking pace and the incredibly vivid language (waters "about as clear as the eyeballs of a poisoned bass!"), it almost read like poetry at times.

Oh, and the book was hilarious! It's rare that I find myself laughing out loud at literature, but Wolfe's descriptions were just so absurd and clever.

If you can find a torrent, I highly recommend Michael Prichard's Books on Tape recording. The quality is low but the narration is just exceptional.

RIP.

Re: Tom Wolfe Has Died

#67

Post by drblast »

mattzito wrote: post #41
cs702 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read "Bonfire of the Vanities" many years ago, and thought it was fantastic -- does an incredible job of portraying the different social/ethnic/economic groups in New York during the 1980's, and how these groups view, think about, and interact with each other. Hollywood turned the book into a terrible movie that ruins the story; I would avoid the movie if you have any interest in reading the book.

My recommendation would be to read the book, then read the book "The Devil's Candy", which is about the making of the film, and then see the movie. The Devil's Candy is about how a writer was given full, uncensored access to the production from inception to release, because everyone thought it was going to be a puff piece of a book about how great everyone was. But in reality, the author got to see how a combination…

Second "The Devil's Candy," even if you're not interested in Bonfire of the Vanities at all.

I haven't read the book or seen the movie (yet) but The Devil's Candy was an incredible look into how badly things can go in Hollywood. You can probably generalize it to any large project where multiple competing interests all have a stake.

Re: Tom Wolfe Has Died

#68

Post by mannykannot »

dctoedt wrote: post #39
matthewmcg wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Second the recommendations. However for a counterpoint on Yeager’s role in the NF-104 crash described at the end of the book, see this account from a trainer involved in the program: http://www.kalimera.org/nf104/stories/stories_12.html

And this, about the investigation and a supposed cover-up of alleged pilot error by Yeager: http://www.kalimera.org/nf104/stories/stories_13.html (Although one never knows whom to believe when reading self-justifying finger pointing like this.)

Co. Smith's case appears to be well-documented.

Re: Tom Wolfe Has Died

#69

Post by bballard »

carbolite103 wrote: post #9
swampthinker wrote: post #3

I have to admit, I've never read a Tom Wolfe book. Does anyone have some good recommendations?

I might start with 'The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby' which is a collection of his essays. The first chapter of 'The Right Stuff' is worth reading by itself. The rest of the book is fascinating but drags on a bit in the last third. My favorite is 'The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test'. I haven't gotten around to reading 'Bonfire of the Vanities' however so I can't really comment on that.

I agree, this is a great starting point. It contains a selection of articles on such diverse subjects as hot rods, Phil Spector, insomnia-inducing Las Vegas, NASCAR (and moonshining), 60s dance crazes (the mashed potato, etc), The Beatles landing at JFK, Cary Grant, Muhammad Ali, Nannies in NYC, and suits with real buttonholes. All are fantastic reads.

Re: Tom Wolfe Has Died

#70

Post by geoka9 »

JackFr wrote: post #44
geoka9 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably the most famous (rightly so). If you like Yeager, I highly recommend reading his memoirs - it makes The Right Stuff seem like an amateur hour aviation book.

> it makes The Right Stuff seem like an amateur hour aviation book I doubt that. The Right Stuff is not simply a book about Yeager. And while Yeager is a fascinating and exciting man and truly a hero, Tom Wolfe is one of the greatest non-fiction stylists of the twentieth century. I would be very surprised if Chuck Yeager could write, or commission a ghost writer, with one tenth the chops of Tom Wolfe.

> one of the greatest non-fiction stylists

Sure, if all you're looking for is style.

As a person interested in aviation (and a good story), 'Yeager' is my favorite. The Right Stuff was a good experience, but I probably won't re-read it again.

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