Posted by William Neikirk at 11:30 a.m. CST
When I came to Washington nearly 38 years ago, the place to go for watching people was the Sans Souci, a French restaurant only a few blocks from the White House. There you could find top government officials, an occasional movie star, and various Washington VIPs.
There you could also find Art Buchwald, who, by sheer personality and by deft use of humor, seemed to be the biggest star of all. He was in virtually every newspaper in the country with a snappy column about the politics and manners of our time. He seemed to light up a room with his good cheer, and people flocked to his table to say hello.
I am not ashamed to say that I was one of those admiring people, telling him that I enjoyed his writing and commentary. Unlike some Washington celebrities, he genuinely accepted the compliment. He didn't think of himself as some profound Washington pundit taken by his or her "position" in the social structure here.
His copy was fluffy and fun, but as you read it you realized that he was using humor cleverly to make a serious point. He did not try to write down to his readers. He was right there with them. In later years, his column didn't have as much of an inside Washington touch, but in a way it was more enjoyable.
I ran into him about two years ago at a television studio, where he was waiting to go on the air. I once again told him how much I admired his writing and his career, and he responded graciously and then wanted to know all about me. It was easy to see why he was a great journalist--he was curious about other people and what made them tick.
I wouldn't count myself as one of his closest friends (and he had many), but I felt a kinship with him. He showed himself to be a class act and an extraordinary human being when he got sick and had received a death sentence from his doctors.
But he wouldn't die, even though he had been sent to a hospice. He became a favorite patient, and I was not surprised, since I had watched him so many years earlier delighting friends flocking to his table at the old Sans Souci (which closed long ago, only to replaced by a McDonald's).
Even after he refused kidney dialysis, he clung to life miraculously. He continued to work and make people laugh.
I enjoyed an interview that was published in Editor & Publisher a number of months ago in which he talked about his life and whether he feared death. He said he didn't, because "I don’t know what it is and I don’t have control over it."
He was asked if he met God, what would God say to you. He responded,
“There may or may not be a God, but I’m not going to be the one who is going to give the answers. Every religion is telling us there’s one God, but I’m not sure, so I’m not giving it a lot of thought."
And he told the magazine his biggest joys were seeing that his children turned out well and the fact that he made people laugh. R.I.P., Art Buchwald.
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Comments
We lived in the D.C. area from 1963-1968 and read Art Buchwald's column in the Washington Post religiously. Boy, could he dish it out, to both the Dems and Reps, it did not matter. I heard his last interview that he gave to NPR, knowing his end was near, and yet maintaining his good humor. He was a winner.
Posted by: howard | January 18, 2007 1:04 PM
Wow Art Buchwald, what a great guy! I saw a couple of his last interviews. Very inspiring. He will be missed. RIP p.s. he cheated death and lived to do the interview!!!
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | January 18, 2007 1:13 PM
I had just read Mr. Buchwald's story in the latest issue of Reader's Digest. I admired his decision to refuse the dialysis and to leave his life in God's hands. What courage he showed to the doctors that gave him 3 weeks to live! He turned 3 weeks into several months and enjoyed the remaining time he was with us.
It saddens me to hear of his passing, may he be in a better place.
Godspeed Art Buchwald
Thank you for all the smiles you brought to me.
~Karen
Las Vegas, NV
Posted by: Karen | January 18, 2007 1:43 PM
When Art Buchwald was in his heyday, his funniest columns concerned Richard Nixon. Buchwald himself even wrote a forward to one of his books saying that nobody ever gave him more material.
In one column, when Nixon's enemies lists were released and Buchwald's name wasn't on them, he professed to being outraged. It seems that editors everywhere had called to say they'd employed a nobody. Several of his media friends weren't on the lists either. They decided to band together and protest being left off.
In another column, Buchwald spoofed the old 1970s show "To Tell the Truth" in which one of the contestants was the real Nixon. But the real Nixon wouldn't stand up. The host finally asked who each one was:
"Number One, who are you?"
"I am Sara McClendon, a newspaper reporter".
"Number Two, who are you?"
"I am Spiro Agnew, a fiction writer".
"Number Three, who are you?"
"I am not a crook".
Posted by: Tom | January 18, 2007 3:45 PM
I started reading Art Buchwald's column way back in his New York Post days. He and Pete Hamill were the two most inciteful columnists of the day and I never missed either one, even though I was only sixteen at the time. I still quote from Mr. Buchwald's columns which I read just about forty years ago. He was classy guy to the end. Although he seems to have left us at peace with his fate; the world seemed a better place with his smile, and his humor. I for one will miss him.
Posted by: Rich Monk | January 18, 2007 3:57 PM
And for many during the early ‘60’s, Monsieur Buchwald was The American in Paris. His funny wonderful columns appearing in the Paris, “Herald Tribune” ( l ’Erald”, s’il vous plait ), made Art Buchwald the best ambassador to France we Americans have had in the last two centuries. With sadness and heartfelt thanks, I wish truly, Au revoir et A-Dieu! to Monsieur Buchwald.
Hilary
Posted by: Hilary Elliot | January 18, 2007 4:01 PM
I started reading Art's column long time ago and from the first day I knew it was a good one and so I continued years. It is so sad that Art Buchwald is no more. World seemed to be a nice place to read and live in. He definitely shaped the world with humor and laugh for all. A great guy.
Posted by: Jahangir | January 18, 2007 4:04 PM
I have never lived in a city that carried Art tho I am a big fan. How about putting each day's column (repeat) somewhere online. There is not much else good to read. Does anyone even read any more?
Posted by: Jane Breuer | January 18, 2007 6:01 PM
Twenty years ago when I was working on a book about political humor, Art graciously gave me copyright permisson. As a Parisian correspondent, he explained Europe to American tourists. When he came to Washington DC, he explained the government to American citizens.
He said that they kidded themselves if they thought that the President and Congress governed the country. The person who runs this country is some bureaucrat by the name of Plotkin. The business of government consists of committee meetings and reports. Attendance at meetings provides the illusion of working, and the publication of a report provides evidence of accomplishment.
Posted by: Bill Linneman | January 19, 2007 7:19 AM
Art Buchwald's column used to run in my hometown newspaper when I was a kid. Probably high school/college age. It was the first column I ever read with any regularity and I'm sure most of his more subtle digs at the Washington powers that were during that time escaped my young mind. His humor did not. And I know it was the big smile he had in the photo that ran with the column that first attracted me to him. It was his writing and wit that kept me coming back.
I'm so glad that he had the great opportunity to go out the way he wanted to. It sounds like he was able to have a great deal of enjoyment out of this last year.
Posted by: Joette F Tripodi | January 19, 2007 12:36 PM
Yours is a great blog. Glad to have found it. I'm the founder of a non-profit website called The Remembering Site. We make it easy for anyone, anywhere to write their life stories. I'm posting comments on blogs that talk about Art Buchwald who - of course - recently died and recently published a great memoir, To Soon To Say Goodbye. Grateful if you could profile us on your blog to encourage your readers to write their biography/memoir at The Remembering Site.
Posted by: SSM | January 27, 2007 7:03 PM