RUSH: So, folks, I just came across something I want to share with you. How many of you know who the author, the famous literary figure, Gay Talese, is? Gay Talese is a renowned magazine essayist. In fact, he may be the guy responsible for the modern-day magazine essay, as in profile of people. If you want to try to find it, one of the finest magazine pieces written is by Gay Talese called, “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold.” It’s fascinating. It’s about the world of Frank Sinatra and what happens to it when Sinatra’s not a hundred percent.
It’s fascinating. It’s in his latest book of collected essays. Anyway, I met Gay Talese a number of times. The most recent time was at a screening of a movie, an HBO movie that I somehow was invited to by Cindy Adams, and I showed up. The place practically abandoned itself when I walked in. “What is he doing here?” they shouted when I walked in, and Cindy did it on purpose just to elicit that reaction.
Susan Sarandon was sitting right behind us in the screening of the film, and she leaned forward and said something to Cindy Adams. “Cindy, this is a picture nobody would believe.” Gay Talese was there, and he reminded me that we had met a previous time. He said, “You still smoking cigars?” I said, “Yeah.” He said, “We should go have one.” I said, “I’d love to,” and he said, “No, I’m only kidding.” (laughing) Anyway, I want to run something by you. There was some big literary soiree in New York City at the New York Public Library.
For those of you that don’t know it, the New York Public Library is only really big when they shut it down and keep the public out. They have all kinds of awards where the literary giants of the writing world of New York gather and give themselves awards while sipping chardonnay and eating brie. Gay Talese was at one of these events recently, and he was asked by somebody, “Who would you like to write a profile of?” And he said, “I would love to talk to Kevin Spacey.
“I would love to talk to Kevin Spacey.” He said, “I feel so sad. I hate that actor that ruined this guy’s career. So, okay, it happened, ten years ago. Jesus, suck it up once in a while.” Now, isn’t that the problem? Isn’t that what happened…? So here’s the New York literary world. We got the news of Kevin Spacey. He’s talking about Anthony Rapp, the actor that now plays on Star Trek: Discovery on the CBS All Access app. Anthony Rapp said that Spacey had done whatever he did to him when he was 14.
Spacey’s now off at sex rehab with Weinstein or whatever, and Gay Talese says (paraphrased), “Come on. I hate this guy. I hate this guy that ruined Spacey’s career. Come on, just suck it up for a while.” I wonder how many people think the same thing but wouldn’t dare say it. (interruption) No, no, I’m not defending anybody here. I’m just wondering because this is… There are all kinds of careers… You know, Spacey turns out to be not just this one guy.
Spacey and Weinstein have a pretty good running contest going here. But in the New York literary world (paraphrased), “Spacey didn’t do anything. This guy 14, 15 years old? Just suck it up once, for crying out loud. We’ve all got an indiscretion or two in our lives that, if it got out, we’d be… Come on.” I just… I find it fascinating, and I wonder how many people think the same thing. “Oh, what a price Spacey’s having to pay for this.” Of course, it’s not just this one instance.