February 26th, 2010 / 6:28 pm
Author News

Ego much?

Let’s say you’re a successful writer-journalist with a reputation for calling people’s shit. And let’s say you’re being interviewed by another journalist who mentions he doesn’t care for a book you wrote. You:

A) Bite your tongue and make a mental note to hate his next book.
B) Laugh it off.
C) Throw your coffee in his face and storm out of the cafe.
D) Wait for that milkshake you ordered, drink it and then throw your coffee in his face and storm out.

If you’re Matt Taibbi it turns out you choose C and follow up with a little big-tough-guy arm waving.
Um, seriously? I am waiting for this to not be true. Seems a little too melodramatic, even for a writer. Shouldn’t this have happened over Twitter or something?

37 Comments

  1. jereme

      hahaha oh my god.

      people read this trash?

      “journalists”

  2. jereme

      hahaha oh my god.

      people read this trash?

      “journalists”

  3. dan

      rappers are the most graceful in dealing with insults. diss tracks = 21st/20th century duel.

      let us exchange insulting rhymes rather than coffee to the face.

  4. dan

      rappers are the most graceful in dealing with insults. diss tracks = 21st/20th century duel.

      let us exchange insulting rhymes rather than coffee to the face.

  5. Richard

      sounds like he felt a bit ambushed

  6. Richard

      sounds like he felt a bit ambushed

  7. Sean

      Yeh, might be some subtext here. Will we get the coffee-thrower take?

      But this post does lead into a fav HTML subject. Ga-ga the writer. Hater on the writer.

      Can anyone navigate in-between?

  8. Sean

      Yeh, might be some subtext here. Will we get the coffee-thrower take?

      But this post does lead into a fav HTML subject. Ga-ga the writer. Hater on the writer.

      Can anyone navigate in-between?

  9. anon
  10. anon
  11. ( )

      Sounds like someone is getting a little too close to the truth. Taibbi is one of the only mainstream journalists out there who is pointing out the obvious vis-a-vis Wall St, i.e., that they are nothing more than criminals; that they are gangbanging the citizens of the United States; that they will do it again when they get a chance. I guess someone from AIG, or Lehman made a call to the publisher of New York magazine, a magazine that has had its head up the ass of the NYC elites since wayback.

  12. ( )

      Sounds like someone is getting a little too close to the truth. Taibbi is one of the only mainstream journalists out there who is pointing out the obvious vis-a-vis Wall St, i.e., that they are nothing more than criminals; that they are gangbanging the citizens of the United States; that they will do it again when they get a chance. I guess someone from AIG, or Lehman made a call to the publisher of New York magazine, a magazine that has had its head up the ass of the NYC elites since wayback.

  13. ( )

      They also shoot each other.

  14. ( )

      They also shoot each other.

  15. anon

      Please name one rapper who’s shot a rapper.

  16. dan

      the perfect response to the ultimate diss.

  17. anon

      Please name one rapper who’s shot a rapper.

  18. dan

      the perfect response to the ultimate diss.

  19. jereme

      Following an altercation outside Hot 97, a member of Game’s entourage was shot by a friend of 50’s. Interestingly, 50 and Game later denounced their animosity via a press conference, and exchanged hugs as a gesture of truce. But fans were skeptical, dismissing the truce as a publicity stunt. 50 later disclosed that he had written five songs on The Documentary. The Game’s true capabilities came under fire. Enter G-Unot, a movement strictly designed to discredit 50 and his G-Unit crew.

  20. jereme

      some people are bad at aiming. some people are bad at killing.

      some aren’t.

      know your audience.

      most “rappers” understand this basic concept.

      writers do not.

  21. jereme

      Following an altercation outside Hot 97, a member of Game’s entourage was shot by a friend of 50’s. Interestingly, 50 and Game later denounced their animosity via a press conference, and exchanged hugs as a gesture of truce. But fans were skeptical, dismissing the truce as a publicity stunt. 50 later disclosed that he had written five songs on The Documentary. The Game’s true capabilities came under fire. Enter G-Unot, a movement strictly designed to discredit 50 and his G-Unit crew.

  22. jereme

      some people are bad at aiming. some people are bad at killing.

      some aren’t.

      know your audience.

      most “rappers” understand this basic concept.

      writers do not.

  23. Stu

      The last line says it all.

  24. Stu

      The last line says it all.

  25. shaun

      SHUT THE FUCK UP DAN
      NEXT TIME I SEE YOU, YOU’RE GETTING COFFEEFACED

  26. shaun

      SHUT THE FUCK UP DAN
      NEXT TIME I SEE YOU, YOU’RE GETTING COFFEEFACED

  27. Paul

      I would have chose (B)

      hehe

  28. Paul

      I would have chose (B)

      hehe

  29. Jhon Baker

      A homeless man in McHenry County was recently sentenced to two years in prison for throwing fresh coffee in the face of a barista. While I oftentimes agree with the critique with how they malign my coffee, I could only throw it in the face of another in attempt to create a diversion and try to hobble away (I’m crippled so the coffee would really help). As absurd as a two year sentence is, sometimes there are only so many ways to communicate. However, being a professional tattle tale and BS highlighter, I find it smacks of the HS bully to dish and not be able to take. Even the Catholics occasionally have to eat a little crow.

  30. Jhon Baker

      A homeless man in McHenry County was recently sentenced to two years in prison for throwing fresh coffee in the face of a barista. While I oftentimes agree with the critique with how they malign my coffee, I could only throw it in the face of another in attempt to create a diversion and try to hobble away (I’m crippled so the coffee would really help). As absurd as a two year sentence is, sometimes there are only so many ways to communicate. However, being a professional tattle tale and BS highlighter, I find it smacks of the HS bully to dish and not be able to take. Even the Catholics occasionally have to eat a little crow.

  31. anon

      I’m not sure what you’re saying. I’m not sure why you put ‘rappers’ in scare quotes. In that 2005 shooting, neither 50 Cent nor the Game was the shooter.

  32. anon

      I’m not sure what you’re saying. I’m not sure why you put ‘rappers’ in scare quotes. In that 2005 shooting, neither 50 Cent nor the Game was the shooter.

  33. Edward Champion

      The closest thing to this that’s happened to me is Danica McKellar grabbing the list of questions out of my hand — shortly after I asked her why she was fond of resorting to sexist stereotypes when addressing young girls — and then dictating to me what I could or could not ask her. I told her that the interview was over and that I don’t do conditional interviews. She freaked out when she found out that the microphone was still on, which I had forgotten to turn off, and I agreed not to put up that part, which revealed this more menacing McKellar. Being a man of my word, I won’t, although the temptation to make a mashup has crossed my mind a few times.

      I’ve been kicked out of rooms by overdiligent scurity. I’ve had authors storm off when they couldn’t answer a question. But I’ve never had coffee thrown at me. Nor have I made anyone cry. There were more diplomatic ways for James Verini to conduct the interview. He was an idiot to phrase his distaste like that. But Taibbi shouldn’t have reacted like that.

  34. Edward Champion

      The closest thing to this that’s happened to me is Danica McKellar grabbing the list of questions out of my hand — shortly after I asked her why she was fond of resorting to sexist stereotypes when addressing young girls — and then dictating to me what I could or could not ask her. I told her that the interview was over and that I don’t do conditional interviews. She freaked out when she found out that the microphone was still on, which I had forgotten to turn off, and I agreed not to put up that part, which revealed this more menacing McKellar. Being a man of my word, I won’t, although the temptation to make a mashup has crossed my mind a few times.

      I’ve been kicked out of rooms by overdiligent scurity. I’ve had authors storm off when they couldn’t answer a question. But I’ve never had coffee thrown at me. Nor have I made anyone cry. There were more diplomatic ways for James Verini to conduct the interview. He was an idiot to phrase his distaste like that. But Taibbi shouldn’t have reacted like that.

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