Home / News /
Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
by DiS News
Posted: 02 Aug '05, 14:59
Highly respected writer Al Aronowitz, responsible for inspiring Hunter S Thompson and a friend of Jack Kerouac, has died aged 77. Aronowitz died of cancer yesterday morning. His 12-part series on 'beat' culture, written in 1959 for The New York Post, enabled him to befriend poet Allen Ginsberg and novelist Kerouac, but it was his relationship with Bob Dylan and The Beatles, however brief, that made his name.
Aronowitz introduced Dylan to The Beatles in 1964, and also claimed that 'Mr Tambourine Man' was written in his kitchen.
"The Beatles' magic was in their sound. Bob's magic was in his words. After they met, the Beatles' words got grittier, and Bob invented folk-rock," he said.
Aronowitz's style of writing - 'participatory journalism' - was later adapted by Thompson and his peers.
-
Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
this is sad-
Re: Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
is there anyone else DOING this any more?
anybody?
where next for journalism?
hunter thompson was doing it until he died but now who is there?
who is allowed to do that any more?
where are they?
let's find them.
-
-
Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
There's no opening for it these days. Anything witty or creative is pushed to the back, out of sight.
-
Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
ive had a go at gonzo journalism.
'i went and took some acid.
The Editors album aint upto much.
Lets go to las vegas'
what do you think?-
Re: Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
You're, like, hired. Oh wait!-
Re: Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
no worries, it makes the joke funnier :)
i know its not good to speak ill of the dead, but i really hater the 'gonzo journalism' style.
im kickstarting the fonzo journalism style of writing. plenty of innuendo, undeniably cool and with a good heart.
heyy!
-
-
-
Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
re writing the press release is the only journalism these days or saturday supplement stuiff which only reminds you of the fact that you actually share the same planet as these people - or its either the other way and inpenetrable underground nonsense that has one foot in the 6th form and the other in a particulary tawdry weblog-
Re: Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
People who re-write press releases should be shot in public. Or forced to live in a quicksand pit with Pete Doherty and his smelly armpits forever more.-
Re: Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
Well, I'm not wholly certain what you mean by 're-writing a press release'.
If you mean taking it as YOUR opinion, that of the writer, then yes = BAD. EVIL. BURN THEM.
But new stories, 90% of the time, are based on press releases. That's how things like News 24 work.
It's how 90% of DiS news stories work!
Anyway... taking what's not yours and calling it yours is terrible; lazy secondary information hopping is terrible; but factual retelling is fine.
Ho hum... time for the pub yet?
-
-
Re: Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
Well, there are exceptions, obviously.
But what you've said does account for about 90% of the written word out there.
As far as I can see, anyway.
(I like some Saturday supplement stuff! Come on, Barbara Ellen is good, whittering 'bout her haircut and stuff...)-
Re: Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
I wasn't referring to news stories, just reviews that are copied word for word for word for word. Not that I can ever recall seeing any on here.
-
-
Re: Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
"inpenetrable underground nonsense that has one foot in the 6th form and the other in a particulary tawdry weblog"
uh...hi there.
RIP Al.
-
-
Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
How can you not say that Julie Birchill is a shit, pathetic, overhyped, caustic, reactionary abortion of a journalist.
Oh. No-one claimed that anyway.
I'm just being inflammatory. She'd look great on fire though.-
Re: Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
She did write 'Sugar Rush' though so I'll give her one (mark out of ten that is) for that.-
Re: Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
i was meaning for albums and single reviews, just writing out the press release - its as bad as pretending to review an album without having heard it - I own up to doing that once at uni for the Warm Jets (remember them??) and who can blame me? I was the editor so i only had myself to erm, answer to - I do believe Danny Baker got sacked from the NME for doing the same
-
-
-
Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
a guy did the same for a Mew single on here. if i believe correctly. ive put a large amount of a press release in a review before, but that was only for the statement 'if this band aren't going to put any effort into there music then im not in reviewing it'. it wasnt put exactly like that, but you get the point. -
Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
Gonzo journalism is over-rated
*fears verbal backlash*
Seriously, put a half decent writer in that situation and the rest quite literally writes itself. Not disputing the fact that Hunter S. Thompson is an influence on certain smelly journo students like myself (for having his own style), but the actual content itself doesn't deserve all the adoration.
And reviewing something you haven't heard? That just sucks -
Influential journo Al Aronowitz dies
Hunter S Thomson and co. learn the rules of writing and journalism before they broke them with Gonzo. Too many people try Gonzo journalism without knowing what rules they are breaking first.
Comments
- Post a new comment on this article