Monday, February 19, 2007
David Mamet
David Mamet often takes the rap for being deft with dialog but shaky in structure and thin in character development. Of course, Vivaldi takes the rap for having written the same piece 500 times, but people still play his sunny joy-filled music, so who cares about caviling? Mamet's writing has a robust and “real” quality, something that derives from art, not as it might appear, transcribing from a tape recorder.
Mamet does however reflect the doubt some male writers of his generation had about careers in the arts, providing masculine high-display behavior as compensation; as did Mailer, and even Brando in the entertainment industry, feeling that acting was not really a man's work. Conventional roles seem quaint now, but at the time they were a pressure.
Mamet's discussion with Charlie Rose is refreshingly plainspoken (yes, like his dialog), well worth a listen. Mamet isn't afraid of offending, a big plus in a time of political correctness, which is a form of lying.