September 28, 2003
Pimpin' for Plimpton
There have been a lot of famous people dying recently (Donald O'Connor R.I.P.), but I want to write about only one of them -
George Plimpton.
Plimpton first came to be known as a colorful proponent of participatory journalism, but eventually he was famous for being himself. Mostly my exposure to him came from relatively minor stuff - the commercials for Intellivision (one can be seen here) and his stint hosting "Mousterpiece Theatre," one of the earliest Disney Channel programs. I think part of my fascination was why this upper-crusty, New Englandish guy was hawking videogames and cartoons. Either Mr. Plimpton was extremely well-connected or people back then had a warped sense of humor.
One thing about Plimpton that the obit writers mysteriously overlooked was how he edited the best-selling Edie Sedgwick biography, Edie. I remember reading this in high school ('87) and being utterly enthralled - not so much by Edie herself (who was something of a strung-out loser), but from the book's ingenious storytelling format. It was an oral history made up entirely of quotes from people who knew Sedgwick. I don't know whether this technique was Plimpton's idea or not, or even if it was used first here. But it was a trailblazer. Since then, several books and magazine articles have appropriated the format. I really oughta check that book out again.
Posted by mhinrichs at September 28, 2003 08:00 PM
Yeah; he did a good Capote bio in the same style.
Matt--I read the Edie Sedgwick book (and fell in love with her poor tragic brother Minty) as well as the Capote biography (where my socialite idol Nan Kempner managed to work in her great tip to paint your bathroom pink because it makes you look so fresh and young in the mirror). Like you, I was more of a fan of the style of the two books than the subjects themselves. Maybe it's my short attention span, but I just dig the "oral biography" format.
Once again, you read my mind. My reaction to the news of his death was similar. I have two copies of the Edie book, both given to me by ex-beaus (which was the most flattering thing in the world!) For me, his name has always been synonymous with the book. Long live Edie!
Oh, oops. "Strung-out loser". Should've read that more carefully. As a hard-core Warhol fan, I thought Edie was fascinating in a Holly Golightly train-wreck sort of way. Long live strung-out losers!
At the risk of being a pest, I thought you might enjoy this - the inscription from said beau in one Edie book: "This book is not only the story of the fascinating Edie Sedgwick, but also the definitive look into the Warhol 60s (which he rather glossed over in his book POPism). The jacket describes the Sixties Pop Art world as an explosive mix of celebrity, art, fashion, and drugs. Sounds like your kind of book. I hope you enjoy it."
As indifferent I was to Miss Edie, that book really was very evocative of that fascinating/repulsive Warhol scene in the '60s.
