A Cognac for Cormac

These Days host Tom Fudge is a Cormac McCarthy fan and here he tells Culture Lust readers why.....

A Cognac for Cormac 
By Tom Fudge

I didn’t spend much time watching the Academy Awards on Sunday, but I watched enough to hear the news that No Country for Old Men won the award for best picture. I enjoyed the movie, and I’m sure the Coen brothers deserve a lot of credit for making it. But the person most responsible for that movie was the man who wrote the novel, Cormac McCarthy.

Cormac McCarthy has become my favorite writer. It’s rare to pick up a novel and be immediately blown away by the quality of the prose. But that’s what happens when you read McCarthy. And if you’ve seen the movie, No Country for Old Men, get a copy of the novel. You’ll be struck by how much the scenes in the movie owe to the book. I don’t think this happened because Joel and Ethan Coen revere McCarthy. They simply realized there was no way to improve on McCarthy’s dialogue and descriptions.

One of the first things you notice, when reading McCarthy, is that he doesn’t use quotation marks when he’s writing dialogue. Here’s one example, from No Country, in which the killer, Chigurh, interrogates the owner of a gas station. If you saw the movie, you’ll remember this scene. Chigurh hears the owner say he goes to bed at about 9:30, then he says:

I could come back then.
We’ll be closed then.
That’s all right.
Well why would you be comin back? We’ll be closed.
You said that.
Well we will.
You live in that house behind the store?
Yes I do.
You’ve lived here all your life?
The proprietor took a while to answer. This was my wife’s father’s place, he said. Originally.
You married into it.
If that’s the way you want to put it.
I don’t have some way to put it. That’s the way it is.
Well I need to close now.

I’ve often thought writing is a visual medium because you see the written words. When your eyes pass over dialogue like McCarthy’s, you’re struck by how perfectly it captures the essence of the words and the drama of the situation. His method of leaving out punctuation is one way he does that.

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Culture Lust Talks Oscars…for Three Hours!!!!

That's right, I've decided to live blog the 80th Annual Academy Awards.  We know it's the 80th because they've been telling us on the red carpet for the last hour! 

By the way, I watched the Independent Spirit Awards this morning (rebroadcast on IFC) and it was soooooo good.  I'm hoping the Oscars is close to it in quality and entertainment, but I highly doubt it.  I must have updated my Netflix list 20 times during the show.  

On to the red carpet..... 

5:03 p.m. - George Clooney just invited Regis Philbin to Italy.  I'm guessing Joan Rivers never got that invite.

5:10 p.m. - Regis is now talking to Miley Cyrus.  Who???? Exactly, no idea.  It turns out she's Disney famous.  She's Hannah Montana. 

5:12 p.m. - Faye Dunaway scares me.

5:14 p.m. - Helen Mirren is so amazing.  She looks fantastic, claiming that her red gown is inspired by her latest role as a brothel madam.  She also said she's excited to present the Best Actor award, and then mentioned that there aren't as many good roles out there for women.  I think Helen Mirren should run for president.  

5:17 p.m. - Daniel Day Lewis and Rebecca Miller on the carpet.  Rebecca Miller is one of the most talented writers in Hollywood and because of that she can be as kooky as she wants - and let me tell you, she's wearing the kookiest dress I've seen tonight.  But you know what?  Let's just praise kooky for a minute.  The Oscars has become so earnest and tasteful.  Where's Cher, and Bjork, and that Native American woman who stood in for Marlon Brando?  Here's to Rebecca Miller and her kooky dress!  Hopefully, Julian Schnabel will wear his fancy pajamas.

5:26 p.m. - I'm nervous for Jon Stewart. 

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