Honestly: The Holy Anarchy of Fun
An amusement park in New Jersey, 1986. (Barbara Alper via Getty Images)
No writer stokes more consistent envy among Common Sense editors than Walter Kirn. Two of his essays from last year—The Bullshit and The Power and the Silence—got our vote for the best of 2021. But we never miss anything he writes.
You might know Kirn’s name from his novels, including “Up in the Air” and “Blood Will Out.” We hope you’ll love his debut piece for us as much as we do.
OMG…I felt like I was right there with Mr. Kirn. I found myself sad sometimes but mostly smiling with his discoveries……..Now, I’m just enjoying the hamster. Thank you so much, Bari, you’ve made my day wonderful.
First I learned (interestingly) that Walter Kirn's writing makes the Common Sense editors envious.
Next I read (admiringly) Walter Kirn's "The Bullshit."
Then I subscribed (naturally) to Walter Kirn's substack, Unbound.
Now I'm working (despairingly) through the rest of his postings.
I've considered writing a substack of my own, but this certainly withers my ambition. What's the point of writing anything at all with a guy like this working at this level? It'd be like fishing for a song downstream from Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and Randy Newman. Hard to imagine there'd be even a minnow left in the water. Damn.