Pouring One Out for Hitch
Death has finally come for Christopher Hitchens, as it does for us all. He succumbed to esophageal cancer yesterday at the age of 62. I'd normally be writing Bonus Bananas today, but I feel like it would be disrespectful to ignore the passing of a writer who has had a profound influence on me.
You might be surprised how often I run into young Americans here in Paris. They're often visiting, though some are here permanently for school or other reasons. I always make it a point to engage them in conversation, probably out of my own bit of homesickness more than anything else. But the fact that I'm an American writer living in Paris always comes up and, as cliché as that might be, they almost always ask me for advice on how to make it as a writer. My advice is always the same: First live, then write.
Christopher Hitchens was the embodiment of this philosophy. While he is probably best known to the general public as a somewhat antagonistic atheist, he was actually an accomplished journalist and historian. His life was an open book, he was unapologetic about his drug and alcohol use, and he was in rare form till the very end - skewering Rick Perry in a piece published less than three weeks ago.
We've lost a true rapier wit with the death of Hitchens, and even those who vehemently disagreed with him had to admit that he was perhaps the most skilled debater of our time. His knack for profaning the sacred was a gift to us all, because little is more important to the development of humanity than challenging the way we think.
He was an inspiration to me as a writer because he was so damn good at it. I grew up in the 70's and 80's, and it was a time when you really had to pick a side - you were either with the establishment, or you were with the radicals. Writers like Hitch and Hunter Thompson made it an easy choice. His ability to destroy established beliefs through reason and evidence and his acerbic wit meant there was never a dull moment when Hitch weighed in on an argument. He made the pompous look stupid, and I loved him for it.
It's easy for some to hate a guy like Hitch, because he openly assailed so much that so many hold dear. But I think the intellectually honest among us can appreciate what he brought to the table regardless of whether they agreed with everything he had to say. He was nothing if not thought provoking, and it's my goal in life to capture some small piece of that in my own writing.
I'll leave you with the excellent tribute video that Vanity Fair produced to honor his life (I still get a chuckle every time I hear him describe Mother Theresa as "a thieving Albanian dwarf").
And while I'm sure Hitch would disapprove of the waste, I'll be pouring one out for him a little early today.
Have a great weekend, guys.






Comments
Christopher Hitchens=
Christopher Hitchens= Intellectual Badass.
This is way too soon but here
This is way too soon but here goes: I was reading an article about the costs of the Iraq War just 10 minutes before seeing this and I was thinking about how badly the Neocons screwed us over. Hitchens may have been a great writer, but I despise much of what he stood for. His unabashed support for the Iraq War and violent rejection of religion are to me the hallmarks of a certain paucity of mind and extreme pretentiousness. May he rest in peace, but you won't see me pour one out for him.
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I never understood his
I never understood his support for the Iraq War either. I certainly didn't agree with everything he said, but he was one of the best writers of my time and he was always amusing.
As far as his pretension, you're definitely on to something. I just think he was always able to out-pompous the pompous, to out-smug the smug. That's what I really loved about him.
Fair enough, my "eulogy" is
Fair enough, my "eulogy" is pretty smug on my part as well.
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He was definitely one of the
He was definitely one of the best orators and debaters in recent history. Maybe more than any other writer or speaker, Hitchens epitomized "substance and style."
His debates with Dinesh
His debates with Dinesh D'Souza were a personal highlight for me. I'm against his worldview, but he challenged the way we think, which doesn't happen nearly as often as it should. However, he could have done it more respectfully and with more class. No pouring out for me either, but RIP all the same.
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So sad today. We've lost one
So sad today. We've lost one of the greats. Nice write-up, EB.
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I'm squarely in the camp that
I'm squarely in the camp that diasgreed with him on many things, but respected the hell out of him. Whenever I saw Hitchens had written an article, I HAD to read it. It could be about a random writer or statemsan I'd never heard of, didn't matter. I wish the writers I agree with would back their shit up the way he did.
I'm not a "neo-con" but he laid out some of the best defenses, if not for the Iraq War itself, at least something to think about against the anti-war conventional wisdom. I also disagreed on religion but there's enough irrelevant talk around here already.
RIP
Great Post Eddie. His
Great Post Eddie. His articles were some of the best written pieces I've ever seen, especially compared to some of the other shit out there.
+1
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. -Wayne Gretzky. Said by Michael Scott." - Michael Scott
+1 for Hitchens. Like many
+1 for Hitchens. Like many that commented here, he was one of my favorites as well. RIP
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+1 "Take the risk of thinking
+1
"Take the risk of thinking for yourself, much more happiness, truth, beauty, and wisdom will come to you that way."
I cant begin to tell how much
I cant begin to tell how much i loved Hitchens. This guy was maybe the only bad ass in journalism. Never afraid to speak his mind and defend what he believed in till the end. He could make you eat your own words and eviscerate you while still being witty and utterly hilarious. Pragmatic. rational and charming all at the same time. And did I mention his undying affinity for whiskey? His pieces in vanity fair were truly funny, insightful and amusing. His plethora of work covered everything from serious, philosophical, religious and totally bizarre topics! Sure, he was controversial and chauvinistic but isn't that what a personality is? Hitchen's you were truly one of a kind and I will miss listening/reading you. Here's to you sir, a life well lived.
SALUTE.
|| But feeling good and enjoying life are prerequisites to success, not by products of it- Midas Mulligan Magoo ||
Hilarious comment on Twitter
Hilarious comment on Twitter just now:
"By now Hitchens probably has God doubting His own existence."
Nice write-up Eddie B.
Nice write-up Eddie B.
While I stridently disagreed
While I stridently disagreed with Hitchens on the Iraq War, at least he laid out the best groundwork for it of anyone. And he was on the right side of the torture and indefinite detention debates. I generally don't support his brand of in your face atheism (it's usually counterproductive), but he had so mastered the art of debate and persuasion that he helped legitimize the argument, even in the minds of believers. It's sad that a man with such a unique world view is now gone.
Great tribute Eddie.
"Social cohesion and puritanical morality place roughly on my list of concerns between whether I'll pick up jock itch at the gym this week (not likely, since I don't go the gym) and whether it'll rain in Christchurch, New Zealand next Tuesday."
-Eddie
Hitchens was a very smart guy
YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...
While I may have disagreed on
"Kept feeding him dollars 'till it all started to make cents."
duffmt6 wrote: While I
|| But feeling good and enjoying life are prerequisites to success, not by products of it- Midas Mulligan Magoo ||
Absolutely epic quote from
^ Great quote from a great
JWB breakfast of champions
|| But feeling good and enjoying life are prerequisites to success, not by products of it- Midas Mulligan Magoo ||
http://www.economist.com/blog
|| But feeling good and enjoying life are prerequisites to success, not by products of it- Midas Mulligan Magoo ||