High life
Norman's wisdom
Taki
0Provincetown, Mass ne of the pleasures of owning and being involved on the editorial side of a magazine is the people you meet in the course of business. Norman Mailer, the heavyweight champion of American letters, is an old friend, so my executive and managing editors and I flew up to Boston and then drove to Provincetown to interview the great man for our next cover story. Until the interview I had seen Norman only in social situations, with lots of women interfering whenever he and I tried to solve the problems of the world. This time it was all business, four hours of it, and once it was finished I swore to myself that I would never again waste time chasing pussy and getting drunk with fools. Provincetown, incidentally, is a beautiful and historic town by the sea, but the day we were there was during Women's Week, which meant that thousands of lesbians were walking around holding hands and smooching in public. (Now, if any of you entertain aesthetically erotic dreams of two women together — which I have all my life — fuggedaboutit. Never have I seen such dumpy, ugly dykes.)
The impending war with Iraq was the main topic. Unlike fearless Samurai such as William 'Cristo], who itch to send others to fight but who have never served a day, God forbid, Mailer has seen lotsa action, and against real fighters, the Japanese during the second world war. He categorised conservatives as either flag wavers or value conservatives. The former want power, and are willing to start wars in order to get it; the latter believe in true family values, honour, religion, patriotism and so on. (Hear, hear!) On religion Norman was perfect. Islam's main point is egalitarianism, but no one has betrayed Islam more than the lead
ers of the Muslim world, where only the poor are equal and where everyone is poor (except the leaders, that is). Christianity's strong point is compassion, but according to Norman we have been not only extremely insensitive to others, we haven't exactly been very compassionate of late. Judaism's strength is reason, and here Norman got quite angry. But I'll let this one go, no use getting him and myself in trouble just as Sharon is ready to take over the world. (Or at least the West Bank.)
Making money with money is immoral, according to the all-knowing one. He reminded me of Hilaire Belloc, and his favourite target, the money-shufflers. 'What about inherited moolah?' I asked. 'That's your problem, but you didn't go out to make money with yours ... ' I sure didn't. He nevertheless plans to leave money to his large brood, which has to be good news for my friend Michael, his son, and producer of the greatest film ever about to be made, Nothing to Declare, written by you-know-who. Norman believes in capitalists who create enterprises which bring benefits to others, including oneself. Again, hear, hear!
Talking about the root of all envy, there's been a great change in America, just as there has been in Britain. The man in the grey flannel suit has been replaced by the imperial CEO, the latter going from $1.3 million per year compensation — 39 times the pay of an average worker around 1970, to $37 million per annum during the late Nineties, more than 1,000 times the pay of the average Joe. Now there's something very wrong with these figures. Public companies are being run by people unconcerned with right versus wrong. Top execs were cashing in stocks even as their companies were tanking. The 'little people' were left holding the bag. This is a new phenomenon which began during the go-go Eighties. Before that, top executives behaved more like public-spirited bureaucrats than Gordon Gekkos. Management ruthlessly rewarding itself has to be the numero uno danger to free enterprise.
Needless to say, the reason the Gordon Gekkos got away with what they have is very simple. They were the ones who appointed the members of their corporate boards, the very people who determined which executive got what. And there's
another thing: the disappearance of the Protestant establishment. For 200 years the Protestant establishment with its certain puritan culture occupied the top jobs in business, government and politics in America. Around the 1960s the Protestant establishment was suddenly gone, without a fight, without even a whimper. It was Kennedy. Johnson, Clinton, Gekko time. You know the rest.
The one thing I regret was not following up a remark of Norman's about his old man. 'He was charming and funny, but not there ... ' He then gave us a smile, the one that misdirects fools towards self-pity, but in reality is the secret handshake of a very exclusive club — those whom absent fathers have made stronger.
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