Friday, December 02, 2005

Henry Miller had 3 hands

In his recent review for the Westender, noted restaurant critic and egullet apologist, Andrew Morrison writes "I had no trouble imagining Henry Miller penning his Quiet Days in Clichy at the five-seat bar with a tumbler of Pernod in one hand and an Anaïs Nin novel in the other."

Clever to make it "Quiet days in Clichy" thereby showing us all how literate Mr. Morrison is by knowing that Miller wrote more than "Tropic of Capricorn", "Tropic of Cancer" and "Black Spring" - but how the hell did he pen this novel while holding a tumbler in one hand and a novel in the other ?

That's right folks - Henry Miller had 3 hands.

And they say the quality of print journalism is declining - not when a free community paper can give you insight the way The Westender does.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:38 AM

    That's really clever, Twocock. 3 hands! Way to get to the heart of the story in order to toss out a barb.

    I would have thought you'd empathise more readily with the Henry Miller thing. You see, sometimes writers read and drink while trying to get their pen to page. At least I do. I'm pretty sure it's safe to assume Miller did, too.

    Nice dig, though. The whole suggestion that I was flaunting my level of literacy in a restaurant review by conjuring up an appropriate image would be cruel if I gave a flying fuck what you thought...and I do.

    Reading your posts I can tell you're a bright guy. Despite the things I hear about you from your co-workers past and present, I'm sure you're a great waiter, too, and a little less of the asshole I hear tales about.

    Bottom line is that I can take criticism when I deserve it, but if you're going to put a target on my back because you mis-read something I write in order to mock me, then you can kiss my ass.

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  2. Anonymous1:55 AM

    Indeed, I believe it's possible for a talented writer to drink, read, pick his nose and write simultaneously. I would hazard a guess that Miller was smoking as well.

    Though I may be mistaken.

    Puff. Puff.

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  3. Anonymous3:34 PM

    I don't know, Doug. Right now I'm in a coffee shop with a bagel, a laptop (two hands!), a thumb on an iPod spinning some Zeppelin, a coffee at my lips, and cell phone to my ear.

    It's a freakin' miracle.

    We may have come a long way since chimp-dom, but I suppose it's possible for some to lag.

    I agree with Warren in that quality print journalism is in decline, but thank the Maker we have websites to pull us up out of the mud.

    3 hands, phht! Try six.

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