Assume you know all this. My mad reporter skills are exclusive to China. A reporter is only as good as his sources. Like you I have no shortage of janitorial work.
Herr was born in Lexington, Kentucky, the son of a jeweler, and grew up in Syracuse, New York. His family was Jewish. After working with Esquire in the 1960s, from 1971 to 1975 he published nothing. Then, in 1977, he went on the road with rock and roller Ted Nugent and wrote about the experience in a 1978 cover story for Crawdaddy magazine. Also in 1977, he published Dispatches, upon which his reputation mostly rests.
Herr was credited in the film for writing the narration for Francis Ford Coppola's 1997 film The Rainmaker. He had previously contributed to the narration for Coppola's 1979 film Apocalypse Now. He co-wrote the screenplay for the film Full Metal Jacket (1987) with director Stanley Kubrick and author Gustav Hasford. That film was based on Hasford's novel The Short-Timers and the screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award. Herr collaborated with Richard Stanley in writing the original screenplay for the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau based on the H.G. Wells novel of the same name. However, Stanley claims the subsequent rewrites cost Herr his writing credit, omitting most of the material created by the two writers.
Herr wrote a pair of articles for Vanity Fair about Stanley Kubrick, which were later incorporated into the short book Kubrick (2000), a personal biography of the director. He declined to edit the script of Kubrick's last film Eyes Wide Shut (1999).
Herr lived with his wife Valerie in Delhi, New York, until his death on June 23, 2016, at the age of 76.
Everyone complains to me that they can’t understand you. Good idea to go back and annotate yourself.
MFWIC
Mother Fucker What's In Charge
Re: Duong Thu Huong, I wonder how Nina met her? I haven’t seen Nina since we were all scattered to the winds by the Tiananmen massacre.
I probably like Herr for the reasons you state (no literary talent). My work on China may be described the same way, except I would never write: “trying to read the faces… was like trying to read the wind.” Live with locals for decades and you start to read faces.
Good 😊 Old Mark Sidel.
Please 🙏 keep the reflections coming. It picks up where I left New Haven and never returned…..
Serendipitous to go from your house to living with Nina in Peking. Never imagined she would later cross paths with you on Viet Nam. Two Degrees of Duffy.
Hey if you want to do some volunteer work with your mad reporter skills, see if you can find a normal obituary's worth on Michael. I think it is cool that he kept himself to himself but now that he is dead, he has no wishes to respect. At least for normal public things. I am thinking of commissioning a geneology and getting his service record. He could fight, and did at Lang Vei according the the SF. But right now it would be great to have normal obit stuff: studies: degrees, studies, how Jewish was he, dates and MOS and rank, prior reporting. Nothing comes up at the top of the search engine but maybe some journo buddy wrote something.
Assume you know all this. My mad reporter skills are exclusive to China. A reporter is only as good as his sources. Like you I have no shortage of janitorial work.
Herr was born in Lexington, Kentucky, the son of a jeweler, and grew up in Syracuse, New York. His family was Jewish. After working with Esquire in the 1960s, from 1971 to 1975 he published nothing. Then, in 1977, he went on the road with rock and roller Ted Nugent and wrote about the experience in a 1978 cover story for Crawdaddy magazine. Also in 1977, he published Dispatches, upon which his reputation mostly rests.
Herr was credited in the film for writing the narration for Francis Ford Coppola's 1997 film The Rainmaker. He had previously contributed to the narration for Coppola's 1979 film Apocalypse Now. He co-wrote the screenplay for the film Full Metal Jacket (1987) with director Stanley Kubrick and author Gustav Hasford. That film was based on Hasford's novel The Short-Timers and the screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award. Herr collaborated with Richard Stanley in writing the original screenplay for the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau based on the H.G. Wells novel of the same name. However, Stanley claims the subsequent rewrites cost Herr his writing credit, omitting most of the material created by the two writers.
Herr wrote a pair of articles for Vanity Fair about Stanley Kubrick, which were later incorporated into the short book Kubrick (2000), a personal biography of the director. He declined to edit the script of Kubrick's last film Eyes Wide Shut (1999).
Herr lived with his wife Valerie in Delhi, New York, until his death on June 23, 2016, at the age of 76.
Thanks, yeah, that is what is available. I should do something about that.
I would eagerly read it. Wouldn’t know where to start researching him. I’m a one-trick pony.
Everyone complains to me that they can’t understand you. Good idea to go back and annotate yourself.
MFWIC
Mother Fucker What's In Charge
Re: Duong Thu Huong, I wonder how Nina met her? I haven’t seen Nina since we were all scattered to the winds by the Tiananmen massacre.
I probably like Herr for the reasons you state (no literary talent). My work on China may be described the same way, except I would never write: “trying to read the faces… was like trying to read the wind.” Live with locals for decades and you start to read faces.
Good 😊 Old Mark Sidel.
Please 🙏 keep the reflections coming. It picks up where I left New Haven and never returned…..
Phan Huy Duong recruited her. Will write that up when I get to Phan.
Serendipitous to go from your house to living with Nina in Peking. Never imagined she would later cross paths with you on Viet Nam. Two Degrees of Duffy.
Hey if you want to do some volunteer work with your mad reporter skills, see if you can find a normal obituary's worth on Michael. I think it is cool that he kept himself to himself but now that he is dead, he has no wishes to respect. At least for normal public things. I am thinking of commissioning a geneology and getting his service record. He could fight, and did at Lang Vei according the the SF. But right now it would be great to have normal obit stuff: studies: degrees, studies, how Jewish was he, dates and MOS and rank, prior reporting. Nothing comes up at the top of the search engine but maybe some journo buddy wrote something.