8/14/22
Newsletter72
The Crack of Dawn
It is dark . . .
David McCullough, my favorite author of the past 30 years, died on Aug. 7 at the age of 89. I do not grieve for Mr. McCullough because I know that his was a life well-lived. In his nine extraordinary books he not only conveyed to me a wealth of fascinating information about important people and events, he imbued in me a deep love and respect for America’s unique, brilliant form of democracy, achieved at a very great cost. Throughout the political turmoil of the past 30 years I never once lost hope that our democratic system would continue to function, in a large part due to David McCullough’s firm belief in it. He was constantly able to convey to me his ebullient joy and love of life, curiosity, and history. David McCullough made the world a better place to live, and I believe that’s the most any person can possibly hope for. Finally, more than any other author I’ve ever read, when I neared the end of one of his books, several of which are a thousand pages long, I always thought, “How can I possibly go on living if I don’t have this book to read?”
About 40 years ago, Bruce Campbell and I worked as PAs for two of the greatest documentary filmmakers ever, Albert and David Maysles. A few of the wonderful documentaries made by the Maysles brothers are: Gimme Shelter (1970), Gray Gardens (1975), Salesman (1968), The Beatles: the First U.S. Visit (1964), the rarely seen, The Love We Make (2011), and many, many others. Since documentaries, even at their best, generate very little money, the Maysles supplemented their income by making commercials. They came to Detroit to shoot a K-Mart car care commercial. K-Mart actually used to offer car repairs. It was a documentary-like commercial where they interviewed perhaps twenty-five actual customers about their K-Mart car care experiences. They asked all of them, “What did your car sound like when you brought it in?” The various men and women then made an amusing variety of clunking, coughing, whining and wheezing noises. The Maysles then asked, “And what did your car sound like after it was repaired by K-Mart?” Every single one of them said, and I shit you not, “It purred like a kitten.” After the fourth or fifth identical response, the brothers could sense trouble, and asked, “Could you give me another example of what your car sounded like after the repairs?” And every person said, “No, it purred like a kitten.” After about ten interviews that all ended the same way, we broke for lunch. David, the younger brother, curled up on the grass next to a main road and went to sleep. Soon, a car screeched to a halt and a concerned citizen said, “Is that man dead?” Bruce said, “No, he’s the director of the commercial we’re shooting. He’s just taking a nap.” David wearily got a piece 3x4 sheet of foam core, dragged it out to the grass, then collapsed on it and went right back to sleep. After lunch, David got up from the foam core and returned to work. As Bruce and I went to retrieve the foam core, he quipped, “It’s probably covered with piss and shit stains.” Honestly, the next fifteen or more customers, when asked how their car sounded after the repairs, all said, “It purred like a kitten.” Clearly, this wasn’t Albert and David’s best day of shooting, and they both looked glum when we wrapped. Bruce and I, meanwhile, had a terrific, easy day.
. . . It is light.