The ever catty Michael Musto

September 26, 2001 10:46 PM

The ever catty Michael Musto (of The Village Voice) first gives us a sad look at Windows on the World's Executive Chef Michael Lomonaco and the great loss he sufferred. But what makes this column linkable, I think, is Musto's defense of preserving irony in the face of those who declare it dead: "I'm also going borderline thanks to all the columnists, editors, and talk show hosts declaring the end of irony (excuse me, but a wry, mocking sense of perspective is the hallmark of a free society), and saying that what they do is now trivial and irrelevant and they're having trouble continuing. Funny, they did their trivial s**t all through the AIDS crisis and other globe-threatening horrors, but now they're thinking twice? Well, I've always thought my subject matter was smallish and specialized, but I approach it with utter seriousness, because it matters to me and aims to provide relief, entertainment, and sometimes even information to others. If I could cure cancer or reattach limbs, I would, but this is what I do, and in the face of threats to our liberty, it's crucial to seize back the chance to do what we do! Besides, there are enough people beating their chests, waving the flag, and screaming, 'Get the bastards!'"
posted by adrober (12 comments total)

To a large extent I agree with this. How dare we consider this to be the first act of terror or trauma ever to face anyone in the world? However, I also wonder (and honestly don't know) how much satire, theatre and other forms of popular culture prevail in more war-torn societies. Was there a Maxim during WWII France? How about Doonesbury in Rwanda? Or are these things just American so much, that they will survive the changing national attitude?
posted by agnok47 at 2:42 AM on September 27, 2001

And it's a shame—call me superficial—that there's no more Windows on the World, which was such an integral part of the city's entertainment landscape that it merits its own wake.

...and again...

Color me superficial again, but since civilized entertainment is as important to me as air and food, I strapped on my Depends and ran there with bells on.

...Is it just me, or is Musto decribeable only as 'superficial'...I've been skipping over his columns for years, and the heartwarming drama unfolding in this passage seems a bit insincere coming from a drama queen. I mean, he's mourning the disappearance of a restaurant, for Christ's sakes!
posted by dogmatic at 4:39 AM on September 27, 2001

I mean, he's mourning the disappearance of a restaurant, for Christ's sakes!

And what's wrong with that? He's not doing it at the expense of mourning for lives lost and other losses suffered.
posted by rushmc at 6:25 AM on September 27, 2001

In describing Musto, I think the word shrewd can also be used. Let's not forget his memorable appearance on Win Ben Stein's Money.
posted by saladin at 6:33 AM on September 27, 2001

My point is that Musto's half-hearted attempt to touch on September 11 was done in a completely superficial way. It includes his own superficial relationship to the tragedy, through a stylish connection at a stylish restaurant, where hundreds of executives were having breakfast.

This is in no way out of line with the rest of his columns, which touch on the glamorous lives of glamorous people in glamorous New York. I just find it superficial that the glamour of Windows should be the focus of this author's take on the 'human' aspect of the tragedy.
posted by dogmatic at 6:49 AM on September 27, 2001

saladin, for those of us who missed it, what happened on Musto's "Win Ben Stein's Money" appearance?
posted by Fofer at 7:12 AM on September 27, 2001

ps adrober, that's one hell of a front page post. and it doesn't have a whole heck of a lot to do with the actual link. Please save editorializing for the comment threads
posted by dogmatic at 7:28 AM on September 27, 2001

yeah but did you see the naked pink-lipstick-covered lady that accompanied his previous column?

I think his comments are well-taken, superficial though he may be. The culture that has developed in the U.S. and NYC in particular can't let itself just stop and tread water -- our writers and artists and performers have to keep on doing what they do, and only then can we truly survive this.
posted by mattpfeff at 10:21 AM on September 27, 2001

I mean, he's mourning the disappearance of a restaurant, for Christ's sakes!

For another look at Windows on the World, check out this L.A. Times article before it expires. WotW was described as more than just a restaurant, it was a family of workers, from the chef down to the dishwashers, who all enjoyed working with one another. Seventy-five of them are gone now, leaving bereft families behind.
posted by chuq at 1:00 PM on September 27, 2001

WotW was described as more than just a restaurant, it was a family of workers, from the chef down to the dishwashers, who all enjoyed working with one another. Seventy-five of them are gone now, leaving bereft families behind.

Exactly. But that's not how Musto described it. He's not going to miss the family of workers, and barely mentions the bereaved families.

For him, Windows was not the people inside, 'it was an integral part of the city's entertainment landscape'. In other words, Musto's not going to miss the people. He's going to miss the view.
posted by dogmatic at 1:26 PM on September 27, 2001

For him, Windows was not the people inside, 'it was an integral part of the city's entertainment landscape'. In other words, Musto's not going to miss the people. He's going to miss the view.

That may be the impression gotten from this article, but an interview I heard on NPR last week gave a COMPLETELY different sense. Almost all that was talked about was how close all the restaurant workers were and the guilt over who was on site and who wasn't when the attack occurred.
posted by rushmc at 5:07 PM on September 27, 2001

Fofer-

He made it to the final round, but Stein sauced him. I think he walked away with around $500.
posted by saladin at 9:42 AM on September 28, 2001