Last September, Andrei Codrescu made some pronouncements in the New York Times–dire, short-sighted, self-pitying pronouncements that I found to be in poor taste. Offensive, even. In fact, change “in poor taste” to “grounds for a public ass-whipping in front of St. Louis Cathedral,” and you’ll come close to knowing how I felt about the whole thing.
Nine months later, Andrei seems to have changed his tune. No more gloom and doom, no more despair. Maybe he’s a little wistful, but that’s about all. It’s not a complete retraction of his previous statements, but clearly the man understands that the New Orleans he loved and cherished before the storm is alive and kicking today–though it’s admittedly a little bruised, and the kicks aren’t quite so high.
Well, lemme tell ya: that pisses me off. I mean, I may be a theatre fag, but if there’s one thing I hate, it’s a drama queen–especially a drama queen with an audience. I mean, to give an interview to the Times in which he basically says “It’s all over,” and now suddenly he’s all, like, “Oh, we’re gonna be okay after all”? I’m sorry, but at the very least, that’s irresponsible, and at worst…well, I already mentioned the bit about smacking him around, didn’t I?
Ironically, Andrei’s from Romania, the country that gave the world Transylvania and Vlad the Impaler. Frankly, I’d expect him to be a bit more sanguine.
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