Bark of the wild Novak not yet ready for prime time

P&J are happy to welcome the latest member to "Bow Wow Unlimited," the fictional club at Casa Diablo for those in public life whose canine-like tenacity and lack of personal control make them the natural halfway point between pit bulls and human beings. Last week, we gave new UN Ambassador John Bolton his due. This week, it’s time for Bob Novak to join the club.

The generally glum, snarling, and ill-humored veteran columnist must have felt neglected by all the attention given in recent months to Bolton’s emerging record. So, in the words of the TV chef and Fall River homeboy Emeril Lagasse, Novak decided to "kick it up another notch," storming off a CNN gasbag roundtable last week, but not before uttering an expletive at fellow provocateur James Carville.

Carville, of course, is a prime candidate for Bow Wow Unlimited, along with Howard Dean. Dick Cheney thought he’d gotten in after his foulmouthed tirade last year on the Senate floor, but his involvement in the very exclusive "Satan Unlimited" precludes his place among the baying Bow Wowers.

POWER OF THE PRESS

Your superior correspondents offer our own take as a follow-up to Peter Lord’s recent Urinal article on a majority of the Coastal Resources Management Council lining up behind Thomas Santilli, the Narragansett developer who was going to be permitted to build a home on a lot that was 97 percent wetlands.

In response to this public exposure, the astonishment and concern expressed by residents, the reaction of CRMC staff and council members who voted against it, and, we'll betcha, lots of phone calls to a certain Donald Carcieri, Santilli dropped his proposed development, citing the negative publicity. Now we see that the Conservation Law Foundation is — quite rightly — following up to see if the ridiculous situation of the council overruling the staff is part of a larger pattern.

This infuriated developer Gerald Zarrella, one of the council members who backed Santilli’s proposal. He fumed to the BeloJo about the basis for the decision: "We’re not biologists and we’re not engineers." That’s right, Gerry. That’s why you are supposed to pay attention to the professional biologists and engineers on the CRMC staff — the ones who unanimously recommended that this project be rejected. Zarrella is a major player on the CRMC subcommittee conducting hearings on the proposed expansion of a marina in Great Pond on Block Island. We urge CLF and other interested parties to keep a close eye on this issue.

Nice work, Peter Lord (who just won an award for his terrific series on Block Island), and all our friends in Narragansett and in the enviro agencies and organizations who exposed this charade. You know we’re always happy to put the boot in on hummers like this one. And we work cheap.

A BRAIN THE SIZE OF DELAWARE

Kudos to the brilliant New York Times editor who captioned a picture in the paper’s International section on Sunday, August 7, "Sea Lions in Pumalin Park, which was created by an American, Douglas Tompkins, whose landholdings in Chile are larger than Rhode Island."

Sleep tight, Margaret Leinen, former dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography at URI, who, while in Antarctica, once threatened to beat to within an inch of his life a fellow scientist who insisted on comparing a rogue, broken-off piece of a glacier to the size of Little Rhody.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

From the New York Times, in response to a book review by A.O. Scott:

To the Editor:

Regarding "The Boss Bibliography"

(July 3), by A. O. Scott:

The merits of my music and performances over the last 30 years I gladly leave to the fans, critics and writers. On the subject of "image," however, I thought I might be able to provide some simple clarification. The "saintly, man of the people" thing I occasionally see attached to my name is bull----. It was perhaps invented, like myself, by Jon Landau . . . or maybe by that high school kid somewhere who supposedly wrote "Blowin’ in the Wind." Life, art and identity are, of course, much more complicated. How do I know? I heard it in a Bruce Springsteen song.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

BUDDY ON THE SILVER SCREEN

This evening, Thursday, August 11, marks the premiere of Cherry Arnold’s film, Buddy. It’s part of the Rhode Island International Film Festival and will screen at the Columbus Theatre, 270 Broadway, Providence, at 7 pm. (Disclosure: Jorge was an unpaid consultant on the film.) Your superior correspondents, having seen an earlier edit of the film, can vouch for its quality as first-rate filmmaking that is very entertaining. We expect that many will quibble about the tone — the Bud-I’s boosters will believe it too tough on the former mayor, while his critics will see it as too soft — but we think she got it just right.

Of course, Ms. Arnold set out to tell a story about a colorful and fascinating character, for good or bad, and his impact on a city. P&J believe that Cherry Arnold does this brilliantly. Check it out for yourself. If you can’t make the premiere, there are screenings at the Columbus on Saturday at 10 pm and Sunday at 10 am. In the words of Al Cerrone (who is not in the film), "You’ll be glad you did."

PASSINGS

We take some good-natured ribbing about how we run so many items about the passing of notable folks from the Biggest Little and elsewhere. We can’t help it if so many inspired and inspirational people pass away so frequently. Must have something to do with the real estate boom — everybody wants to buy a farm.

Of course, the death of Peter Jennings, the ABC anchorman, has been noted at length in a variety of mediums. What we found inspiring about the man’s life was his constant thirst for learning and a real drive to hone his skills as a reporter and journalist.

And so long to Ibrahim Ferrer, the Cuban singer who first came to public attention in this country with the release of the Buena Vista Social Club album and documentary. Ferrer, backed by a big, mostly Cuban band, put on a memorable show at the PPAC a couple of years back. Lucky Thompson, the innovative and iconoclastic saxophonist, and gritty bluesman Little Milton also died this past week, leaving the world with a little less authentic soul music.

Then there was Al Aronowitz, whose name you may not know. His writing style was a bridge from the Beat era, and a touchstone for the "new journalism" (Hunter Thompson, Tom Wolfe, Gay Talese, etc.). He was one of the earliest (and most tasteful) rock critics, perhaps the one writer whose name can be mentioned in company with the late, great Ralph J. Gleason, and he famously introduced the Beatles to Bob Dylan. Al never got his due.

Finally, there’s Pat McCormick, the legendary comedy writer, who ranks right up there in the Casa Diablo pantheon with Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor (stand-up version), the Steves (Allen and Martin), the Pythons, and a precious few others. He was one of the great original, surreal comic minds, legendary for his real life adventures. One such incident occurred at his mother’s wake. Naturally, the room was full of McCormick’s comics and comedy writers. Due to the incredibly short attention span of your average comedian, somebody threw out a one-liner in due course, then someone else, and soon the room was alive with a "can you top this?" fervor. McCormick, looking stern, moved to the center of the room right in front of his mother’s casket. He quickly turned, facing the casket, and yanked down his tuxedo trousers, mooning the room, and, not coincidentally, topping everyone in the place.

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