The Importance of Being Gore Vidal
Tags: Gore Vidal, Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
Gore Vidal was kind of awesome.
First off, he went by the name Gore. He wanted a distinctive name fitting for an aspiring author or national political leader. (His grandfather was U.S. Senator Thomas Gore of Oklahoma.)
Gore is a fantastic name. Remember meeting Gore way back when? No? That’s cause you never met him. If you had, you’d recall it. I mean, the dude’s name was Gore for God’s sake.
Second, he was everywhere. He was edge-of-your-seat fun and a rollercoaster ride to be around. I suspect he was never boring. He probably mumbled fascinating things in his sleep. I think hanging out with him would be like starring in The Importance of Being Earnest, an experience full of Bunburying and dining on little cucumber sandwiches. It almost makes me wish I’d been discovered as a baby in a handbag at Victoria Station.
Which is another way of saying Gore was kind of Oscar Wilde-ish. Gore was America’s enfant terrible, shockingly frank, acerbically funny. And he had his critics for sure. He tended to prefer a battle of wits to drawn-out debate (aphorisms trumped arguments), and some took him to task for his contemptuous tone, caustic wit, and pithy one-liners.
He had his critics, but he didn’t give a damn about them. The guy knew who he was and knew what he wanted to say. Gore Vidal kicked asses and took names. Gore Vidal had style.
