I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes don't get "The Onion." Or, better yet, maybe I "get it" but just don't care for that kind of elitist humor that smacks of posturing that seems to say, "We're so smart and you're not..."
Americans have this sickening way mocking news to parody. Call me a news snob. I'm a member of The Fourth Estate and think that while I can easily poke fun at my profession, I don't want to get my news from tongue-in-cheek sources like Stephen Colbert or John Stewart. I don't need their spin and maybe that's why The Onion leaves a bad taste in my mouth (no pun...)
Fans of Bukowski's Basement probably know that I love Raymond Carver (above). The man was a sheer master at using less words to say more than most scribes. In addition to his genius minimalism, he explored painful themes among men and women.
That said, check out this (dare I say funny) piece in the usually-annoying The Onion that presents Raymond Carver if he were a advice columnist.
And then check out this beautiful Carver poem.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
RAYMOND CARVER MEETS THE ONION
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Hey Anthony. Sorry, but I can't agree with you about The Onion. I think that politicians, especially, have been making a joke out of us for years. Sometimes it is nice to see it thrown back in their faces. I bought their book "Our Dumb World" which is, in every way, hilarious.
ReplyDeleteloved the poem, but the onion "parody"--not so much. they just try to make it seem that Carver heard nobody else's voice but his own (even if supposedly hired to answer requests for advice). Now that we know how he listened a little too much to Gordon Lish, I think there are other aspects to parody.
ReplyDeleteHe was a great one, and that too, leaves me less inclined to enjoy seeing him made fun of.
But again, thanks for the poem.