The Mailer Review/Volume 2, 2008/The Time of His Time: A Celebration of the Life of Norman Mailer/A Late Lunch: Difference between revisions

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I met Norman in late 1968 in New York when I was a movie critic and he was editing his film, ''Maidstone''. I wanted an interview but he said no. I don’t hold grudges for more than five years, so after a while we got to be friends. I valued him enormously, but our friendship developed in a peculiar way. Let’s face it, Norman was peculiar. He had been trying to change my consciousness since before I could read, and then I grew up and found out he was trying to change ''everybody''’s consciousness. Did he? Who else was as rewarding and brilliant and exasperating for the past sixty years?
I met Norman in late 1968 in New York when I was a movie critic and he was editing his film, ''Maidstone''. I wanted an interview but he said no. I don’t hold grudges for more than five years, so after a while we got to be friends. I valued him enormously, but our friendship developed in a peculiar way. Let’s face it, Norman was peculiar. He had been trying to change my consciousness since before I could read, and then I grew up and found out he was trying to change ''everybody''’s consciousness. Did he? Who else was as rewarding and brilliant and exasperating for the past sixty years?


In recent speeches Norman warmed up all his audiences with one particular joke. He forgot where he heard it until Mike Lennon said I had told him. You’ve probably heard it — maybe from Norman — but I’ll tell it anyway in homage to his low threshold for sexual irony.
In recent speeches Norman warmed up all his audiences with one particular joke. He forgot where he heard it until [[Mike Lennon]] said I had told him. You’ve probably heard it — maybe from Norman — but I’ll tell it anyway in homage to his low threshold for sexual irony.


{{cquote|Max’s wife dies and he’s so depressed he won’t go out. His doorbell rings and it’s a gorgeous young woman wearing a mink coat and nothing else. ‘Max,’ she says, ‘your friends sent me to cheer you up.’ ‘Come in, girlie,’ he says, and she takes off her coat and hugs him and says, ‘Max, your friends want me to give you a night of ''super'' sex.’ Max smiles and says, ‘That’s very nice, girlie. I’ll take the soup.’}}
{{cquote|Max’s wife dies and he’s so depressed he won’t go out. His doorbell rings and it’s a gorgeous young woman wearing a mink coat and nothing else. ‘Max,’ she says, ‘your friends sent me to cheer you up.’ ‘Come in, girlie,’ he says, and she takes off her coat and hugs him and says, ‘Max, your friends want me to give you a night of ''super'' sex.’ Max smiles and says, ‘That’s very nice, girlie. I’ll take the soup.’}}