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polymath patrician
www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-buckley-assessmentfeb28,1,1849285.column
chicagotribune.com Often imitated, never duplicated: William F. Buckley, conservative icon With brilliant mind and Brobdingnagian vocabulary, his spine stiff and jaw locked, William F. Buckley Jr. stood athwart history to reinvigorate America's right Julia Keller
CULTURAL CRITIC
February 28, 2008
he was that rare thing: an intellectual who morphed into a celebrity, so much so that he was the subject of good-natured parodies on TV shows such as "The Smothers Brothers" and the movie "Aladdin."
"Conservatism in the 1950s was in disarray. He cleaned it up," said his son, author Christopher Buckley. "He not only made it intellectually sound -- but because of his personal style, he made it cool."
Buckley came across a bit like Thurston Howell III in "Gilligan's Island" -- declaiming his well-chosen words in a patrician, faintly British-sounding accent, accompanied by a rakishly arched eyebrow. In the program he hosted on public television for 33 years, "Firing Line," and in his role as an engaged chronicler of the second half of the 20th Century, Buckley somehow kept an expensively shod foot in the worlds of elite intellectuals and regular folks amused by his elegant demeanor and elephantine vocabulary.
"In the 1960s and '70s," Christopher Buckley said, "any stand-up comic worth his salt had a William F. Buckley impression." And his father never minded. "He got a kick out of them. He was immensely secure that way."
"Anybody who writes about the political history of the 20th Century will have to write about the National Review," said John Judis, author of "William F. Buckley Jr.: Patron Saint of the Conservatives" (1988). "Before that, there was no conservative movement."
the bon vivant with intellectual chops, the high-living aristocrat with the high IQ. On "Firing Line," he brought grace, charm and an old-world civility to television, debating the likes of economist John Kenneth Galbraith and novelist Norman Mailer.
Rich Heldenfels, a columnist with the Akron Beacon-Journal who has written several books on television history,
That is what Christopher Buckley told President Bush when the latter called Wednesday morning to express his condolences. "I said, 'Mr. President, you're a Texan, and you'll understand this -- he died with his boots on.'" Later in the day, a call came from Nancy Reagan, Christopher Buckley said. Then he called former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to tell him the news. "He wept."
Buckley also was a canny talent scout, giving a crucial boost to writers who went on to illustrious careers, such as Garry Wills, Joan Didion, George Will and David Brooks. "It's a stupendous pool of proteges," said Christopher Buckley.
And that smile
Even to people who never picked up the National Review, Buckley was a familiar figure, thanks to the quirky, endearing mannerisms on display in "Firing Line" that made him catnip to impressionists. Comedian David Frye did his Buckley imitation on "The Smothers Brothers," a television show that aired on CBS from 1967 to 1969, and also on comedy albums.
"It was that voice, that silken voice" that made Buckley a gift to comics, mused Heldenfels. "And that smile. There was something serpentine about it. It was like Eve approaching the apple. He was enjoying himself immensely -- even if you weren't always sure he was going to do right by whomever he was talking to."
Christopher Buckley, author of best-selling novels such as "Thank You for Smoking" (1994) and "No Way to Treat a First Lady" (2002), said, "It was great to have a father with whom one could talk shop. He was a wonderful dad. He didn't teach me how to write -- you have to learn that on your own -- but as an influence and a gold standard, he was invaluable."
But the old man was no pushover: "He hated my last five books, for reasons that escape me," Christopher Buckley said with a rueful chuckle.
"At the peak of his fame, he received more than 600 letters a week. He would personally respond to at least 200 of them," his son said. "It was quite something to go through an airport with him. He would be stopped, literally, every 5 feet, and someone would say, 'I don't agree with a thing you say, but I love the way you say it!'"
Even to people who never picked up the National Review, Buckley was a familiar figure, thanks to the quirky, endearing mannerisms on display in "Firing Line" that made him catnip to impressionists. Comedian David Frye did his Buckley imitation on "The Smothers Brothers," a television show that aired on CBS from 1967 to 1969, and also on comedy albums.
"It was that voice, that silken voice" that made Buckley a gift to comics, mused Heldenfels. "And that smile. There was something serpentine about it. It was like Eve approaching the apple. He was enjoying himself immensely -- even if you weren't always sure he was going to do right by whomever he was talking to."
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-buckleyobit0228.artfeb28,0,6920688,print.story
Courant.com William F. Buckley Jr. l 1925-2008 Icon Of The Right Entertaining, Erudite Voice Of Conservatism By Rinker Buck | Courant Staff Writer
February 28, 2008
But more than anything else, it was Buckley's verbal persona — the lethal, liberal-baiting wit, the droll Anglican accent, the sheer excess of his words — that established him as an unavoidable national character. At a time when most elites disguised their origins with common man manners, Buckley relished his role as an unabashed son of privilege whose intellectual prowess entitled him to status and clout.
His father had made a fortune in the Mexican oil fields, and Buckley originally was raised by Mexican nannies, with whom he communicated in Spanish. After the family moved to France, Buckley spoke French in his Paris grammar school. He didn't learn English — the language he was famous for twisting and testing to new limits — until he was 7, when the Buckley family moved to London.
As a writer, Buckley preferred simple sentence structures. But his spoken language was a kind of verbal plumage, perfected over time to both attract attention and to slay slower minds. Traces of the original king's English that he learned in London were noticeable in the elaborate syntax Buckley exploited as a television personality in the 1960s and 1970s.
In the 1930s, the Buckleys returned to their American home, a stately Georgian mansion on 47 acres along millionaires' row in Sharon in northwest Connecticut, an estate called Great Elm.
While living during the week in his New York apartment, Buckley maintained a rambling house facing Long Island Sound in Stamford. He considered himself a Connecticut resident and reserved particular scorn for the liberal politicians in his backyard. He frequently exchanged tart letters with Gov. Ella Grasso or The Courant's editorial board on public issues and conducted a long feud with then-Sen. Lowell P. Weicker, a liberal Republican he considered a turncoat.
The Economist
Lexington
The Buckley effect
Feb 28th 2008
From The Economist print edition
http://www.economist.com/world/na/PrinterFriendly.cfm?story_id=10766901
The grand old man of American conservatism died on February 27th
As the host of “Firing Line” from 1966 to 1999 he pioneered a type of televised political mud-wrestling that has since become tedious but was once regarded as ground-breaking. His style was all his own—he spoke in languid sentences, adorned with erudite allusions and polysyllabic flourishes, in an accent that had a touch of English-aristo.
February 29, 2008, 0:00 a.m.
Gratitude WFB, R.I.P.
By Rich Lowry
http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=NTExN2Y0N2Y5ZDAwN2U0MGYwNjc1NTViODNjZjY0NTQ=
He spawned so many impersonators because his mannerisms were utterly original.
Peggy Noonan
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120423170697200693.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
Bill Buckley's persona, as the first famous conservative of the modern media age, said no to all that. Conservatives are brilliant, capacious, full of delight at the world and full of mischief, too. That's what he was. He upended old clichés.
His role was speaking to those thirsting for a coherent worldview, for an intellectual and moral attitude grounded in truth. He provided intellectual ballast. Inspired in part by him, voters went on to support Reagan.
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A Life Athwart History
By George F. Will
Friday, February 29, 2008; Page A19
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/28/AR2008022803230_pf.html
Those who think Jack Nicholson's neon smile is the last word in smiles never saw William F. Buckley's. It could light up an auditorium
"God and Man at Yale" (1951), that was a lovers' quarrel with his alma mater.
Before there could be Ronald Reagan's presidency, there had to be Barry Goldwater's candidacy. It made conservatism confident and placed the Republican Party in the hands of its adherents.
Before there could be Goldwater's insurgency, there had to be National Review magazine. From the creative clutter of its Manhattan offices flowed the ideological electricity that powered the transformation of American conservatism from a mere sensibility into a fighting faith and a blueprint for governance.
Before there was National Review, there was Buckley, spoiling for a philosophic fight, to be followed, of course, by a flute of champagne with his adversaries.
February 29, 2008 Op-Ed Columnist Remembering the Mentor By DAVID BROOKS
I asked if he’d ever reached a moment of contentment. He’d changed history and accomplished all that any man could be expected to accomplish. After you’ve done all that, I asked, do you feel peace? Can you kick back and relax? He looked at me with a confused expression. He had no idea what I could possibly be talking about.
Buckley’s greatest talent was friendship. The historian George Nash once postulated that he wrote more personal letters than any other American, and that is entirely believable. He showered affection on his friends, and he had an endless stream of them, old and young. He took me sailing, invited me to concerts and included me at dinners with the great and the good.
At college, Brooks wrote a biting satire about Buckley, and when Buckley "came to the University of Chicago, delivered a lecture and said: "David Brooks, if you’re in the audience, I’d like to offer you a job."
http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=OGQxYzFjODY5Zjc4MTFhNmI3MjJjY2YyNDE0NTA4OTE=
WFB: A Celebration Remembering our friend and leader.
An NRO Symposium
William J. Bennett
For some time now, conservatives have had to wrestle with a bum rap: that we are a primitive, or unlearned, or uncouth, or uncultured breed of character. All one ever had to do to dispel that notion was point to our intellectual movement’s midwife, Bill Buckley — about whom none of that could be credibly said. He was a walking contradiction of those pejoratives.
I hesitate to conclude with a wish for him to rest in peace because somehow I cannot summon up an image of Bill at rest, nor do I frankly desire that. I want him busy — still.
Today we have a movement of bright lights, but they were illuminated at their origins by Bill and his work.
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Tonight, my wife and I were supposed to go to Bill’s house to hear his friend Larry Perelman play Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. Instead I am writing this farewell to a man who in the last few years had become one of my dearest friends. Although Bill suffered mightily in recent months, his native buoyancy never left him for long. His room-brightening grin would suddenly shine out even from behind the oxygen tubes that had become his unwelcome attendant.
William F. Buckley Jr., conservative icon, dies By Mark Feeney, Globe Staff | February 28, 2008
Four years later, he debuted as host of a television debate program, "Firing Line." It ran for 33 years and brought him an audience greater than that for his books, magazine, and column combined.
It also made Mr. Buckley a celebrity, which may have been the most important contributor to his influence. Looking at their television screens, viewers didn't see a conservative in the mold of a Robert Taft or Calvin Coolidge - someone pinched, drab, reserved. Instead, Mr. Buckley was dashing, witty, almost preposterously energetic.
"On TV, Buckley is a star," wrote the journalist Theodore White. "His haughty face, its puckering and hesitation as he lets loose a shaft of wit, would have made him Oscar Wilde's favorite candidate for anything."
Mr. Buckley became one of the most mimicked men in America, thanks to his many distinctive attributes and even-more-distinctive mannerisms. They ranged from slouching in his seat and carrying a clipboard to darting his tongue and waggling his brows. Above all, there was his High Church accent and luxuriantly Latinate vocabulary.
Keeping Mr. Buckley from self-parody was the great zest he unfailingly displayed, whether in print, in person, or on screen. That sense of boundless enthusiasm - for sailboats, the harpsichord, cavalier King Charles spaniels, or anti-Communism, to name just four of his passions - made Mr. Buckley's aristocratic manner seem not so much patronizing as playful.
the program presented him floating like a butterfly and stinging with his clipboard.
A public intellectual in the truest sense Adam Daifallah, National Post Published: Thursday, February 28, 2008
http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=339274
everything about him was just so cool. His lifestyle. The way he famously leaned back in his chair. The way he dressed. His cocksure interviewing style. His magniloquent prose. He was one of the last true renaissance men and represented everything that today's political pundits aren't: He chose substance over sound bites and carefully explained nuance over shock value. He was a public intellectual in the truest sense of that term -- a genius with a remarkable gift for vulgarization.
William F. Buckley Jr., Rapier Wit Of the Right
By Henry Allen Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, February 28, 2008; C01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/27/AR2008022703901_pf.html
a flash of the eyes, a dance of the brows, and a glare of a smile,
[edit] Cove
Remembrances of Mr. Buckley
February 27, 2008
Rush Limbaugh
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_022708/content/01125106.guest.html
I last saw him late last year at lunch, up at his house in Stamford, Connecticut. Norman Podhoretz and his wife Midge Decter were there
But he would never fail to chide me. He listened to this program, and if he heard me say things that he thought were incorrect or whatever, I'd get a little chiding, a little note. But I spent a lot of time with him.
