Max Blumenthal is a senior writer for The Daily Beast and writing fellow at The Nation Institute, whose book, Republican Gomorrah (Basic/Nation Books), is forthcoming in Spring 2009. Contact him at maxblumenthal3000@yahoo.com.
Blogs and Stories
Escapism
Remember When Life Was Like A Dry Martini? Photographs by Slim Aarons
If you’re worn out by all the photos of tortured stock brokers, skip back a few decades to the work of Slim Aarons, who made a living making portraits of people having a gentler life. From the ’50s to the ’70s, there was no country club, chalet, starlet, or authentic tiger skin rug that Aarons couldn't immortalize. Perhaps best known for his 1974 cult book A Wonderful Time: An Intimate Portrait of the Good Life, Aarons delighted in recording of the luxe life, once characterizing his career mission as "photographing attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places."
Aarons himself was born in modest circumstances in the beginning of the century in New Hampshire, and built his image archive through his work for Vogue, Town and Country, Life, Holiday, and Travel and Leisure Magazine after beginning his career as a war photographer during WWII.
And you've gotta admit, nothing beats a monocle in bed.
See more of Aarons work at Staley-Wise Gallery
Did a Scandal Sink the U.S.S. Palin?
Palin Resignation: 11 Theories Why
The Daily Beast is dedicated to news and commentary, culture, and entertainment. We carefully curate the web’s most essential stories and bring you original must-reads from our talented contributors.
How Her Mind Works
As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, causes, and individuals, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono. McKinnon is co-chair of Arts & Labs, a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today’s rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers.
Lance Is Back in France
The Daily Beast is dedicated to news and commentary, culture, and entertainment. We carefully curate the web’s most essential stories and bring you original must-reads from our talented contributors.
The $1,000 Coffee Table Book
The Daily Beast is dedicated to news and commentary, culture, and entertainment. We carefully curate the web’s most essential stories and bring you original must-reads from our talented contributors.
How 'Public Enemies' Kills Its Gangsters
Stanley Crouch's culture pieces have appeared in Harper's, The New York Times, Vogue, Downbeat, The New Yorker, and more. He has served as artistic consultant for jazz programming at Lincoln Center since 1987, and is a founder Jazz at Lincoln Center. In June 2006 his first major collection of jazz criticism, Considering Genius: Jazz Writings, was published. He is presently completing a book about the Barack Obama presidential campaign.
Heaven on Wheels
Rachel is a photographer and writer who recently left her blogging post at Photoshelter's Shoot! The Blog. Previous to that she worked as a photo editor at Nerve.com, Rolling Stone online, and Radar, among others. Her work can be seen at rachelhulin.com.
The Great American Summer
Rachel is a photographer and writer who recently left her blogging post at Photoshelter's Shoot! The Blog. Previous to that she worked as a photo editor at Nerve.com, Rolling Stone online, and Radar, among others. Her work can be seen at rachelhulin.com.
Escapism
Rachel is a photographer and writer who recently left her blogging post at Photoshelter's Shoot! The Blog. Previous to that she worked as a photo editor at Nerve.com, Rolling Stone online, and Radar, among others. Her work can be seen at rachelhulin.com.
Welcome Rachael. Looks like this is going to be great!
suddenly my cappuccino seems so second rate. where's my dry martini!
Those beautiful, beautiful, simple days. Nobody on international flights; life in Geneva was just lovely at 4.25 Swiss Franks to the dollar. VIP service at the airport let us drive up to the stairs of our departing plane, no security. Nobody ever heard of yogurt in North America. Discos! And who had ever even thought of AIDS as a concern when we met each other and thought we were worth pursuing. And the Beach Boys - what more can I say! And as far as Palm Beach is concerned, we used to play lazy backgammon in what is today the hardest restaurant to get a reservation at.
ah yes, this connects very well with last night's episode of Mad Men. It's so fantastic to contemplate ever living that way.
My personal memories of days gone by are kindled by old episodes of Kojak, and the movies Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico and The Taking of Pelham 123. That's the city I remember growing up in.
Thank you.
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