Economics and similar, for the sleep-deprived
Does anyone have any idea what might be done about the pointless blob of white space above this paragraph? It seems to be resistant to all my efforts. Update haha, it succumbed.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
From farts to farts in three generations
Via Jamie, the general subject of giving up on Private Eye. I also have more or less given up, basically for the reason that the darn thing isn't funny any more. Hasn't been for some time. Hislop's glory years were the 80s and early 90s, when "Have I Got News For You" was in its early days and when he finally drove Punch into the ground and gained the monopoly on British satirical news. Now ... well, now he is Punch, isn't he? Lots of tired in-jokes, the same bunch of cronies editing the thing, imperceptibly shifting into a bunch of old blokes harrumphing at each other in a saloon bar. Basically, Top Gear for people who can't drive.
There's a story arc here and it's not necessarily one that Hislop might like. Once upon a time, a bunch of sharp young men launched a magazine. Then they gradually turned into old farts, but in the meantime, they had attracted a surrounding gang of sharp young sycophants. But time moves on, and the second generation are well into farthood, and the diminishing number of young bloods aren't attracted to the tradition of Peter Cook and Paul Foot - they're HIGNFY fans, sycophants of the second degree.
Part of turning into an old fart surrounded by yes-men is that you become arrogant. That's why Tim Ireland isn't getting his apology. Ian Hislop has finally achieved his ambition of turning into Richard Ingrams; now that's what I call irony.
posted by the management 5/27/2010 02:44:00 PM
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