What with not having a job, I've got a lot of free time; I've been reading a lot. Specifically, I've been reading a lot of George Plimpton, and I'd like to tell you why I look up to him.

He was what's called a "participatory journalist." That really just means he did shit, and then wrote about it.

That alone is nothing special, but it's the way he wrote about it, and the dichotomy between his background and what he was participating in.

He was born into a well-to-do New England family, studied at Harvard and Oxford. He started a literary magazine called the Paris Review. With that kind of upbringing, you would think he would be content to settle down and teach in some ivy covered institution. But that was not what George Plimpton did. Here's an abridged list of stuff George Plimpton did instead:

~Ran with the bulls in Pamplona.
~Hung out with JFK.
~Played triangle in the New York Philharmonic.
~Pitched in the Major League Baseball all-star game.
~Interviewed and befriended Ernest Hemingway, whom he called "Papa."
~Went to pre-season camp with the Detroit Lions, playing quarterback in an exhibition game. pictured below, number "zero."
~Boxed Archie Moore, world light heavyweight champ.
~Played goalie for the Boston Bruins.
~Wrestled to the ground the man who shot Bobby Kennedy.
~Played on the PGA tour with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
~Acted a cameo in a scene with John Wayne.
~Named himself "Fireworks Commissioner" of New York City.
~Etc...etc...etc...





The way george wrote about all these experiences is what makes him so readable and so likeable. He is clearly not properly equipped to be competing or participating at the level he was, but he goes at it with such earnestness and determination that you can't help but like him. He does it in all seriousness (or however serious he could be), there is no wink to the camera, no "hey, check out how dumb these football payers are!" Just an Ivy League guy trying his damndest to compete and usually failing spectacularly. He was the precursor to Mike Rowe of "Dirty Jobs." He, too, tries his damndest while failing, and has that same sense of honestly trying to do whatever the activity is, and paying respect to those who do it for a living.

George's genuine, charming personality endeared him to everyone he met. In the mid-90's, when George was about 70 years old, he appeared at the Apollo theater in Harlem for amateur night. (If you're not familiar with the Apollo, look it up.) He performed "opus. #1," a piano piece improvised on the spot. The crowed loved it. The differences between them could not have been greater, young black crowd/old white man, but because of the warmth of his character, Plimpton brought those divides down.

But what I love most is the Idea of a George Plimpton-esque life. That you can spend your life just doing stuff, going on adventures. In the face of whoever or whatever is telling you can't or you shouldn't, go for it. Have fun, try something new! That's what I learned from George Plimpton.

There's a song about George by Jonathan Coulton that perfectly captures Plimpton's spirit. The last verse says the following:

Enjoy yourself, do the things that matter
Cause there isn’t time and space to do it all
Love the things you try, drink a cocktail wear a tie
Show a little grace if you should fall

Don’t live another day unless you make it count
There’s someone else that you’re supposed to be
There’s something deep inside of you that still wants out
And shame on you if you don’t set it free

I think that something we can all get behind.