After Jake's blog my new favorite blog is Dick Cavett's at the New York Times. His latest post is about John McCain's terrible speaking style. Here is one line about a certain White House occupant: "His speechifying has a strong odor of remedial reading about it, combined with an apparent fear that there might be some hard words ahead." Cavett also tickled me with his take on this year's Oscar telecast, which I suffered through as I waited for it to get over with so we could put it in the paper (only serving to remind me what a dinosaur the printed paper is -- heavy sigh).
Of all the crushes and obsessions I had as a girl, the one I had on Dick Cavett is one that I am not embarrassed to admit. I feel so smart to have loved Cavett. My affection for him was wrapped up in my love of Nebraska, but it was also about his wit. His shows were talk shows: People came out and they and Cavett had conversations. Sometimes the people were stupid or boorish or silly or pompous, but the talk was interesting and Cavett was funny.
I won't say that today's talk/comedy shows are not as good -- "The Daily Show" is brilliant -- but I do miss Cavett -- the same way I miss Nebraska. I can't go back there, but I have a sweet ache of longing in my heart for the time and the girl I was then.
(I am listening to Gillian Welch's "The Revelator" as I write this. She's not from Nebraska, but the music induces the same sweet ache.)
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