“Ninety-eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hardworking, honest Americans. It's the other lousy two percent that get all the publicity. But then, we elected them.”.”
Lily Tomlin
Possibly the greatest living lesbian in the world, Tomlin (1939 and still alive - a second on our list, we thank Sappho) has integrity. When AT&T offered her a cool half million to film an advert for them using her Ernestine incarnation (mouthy but good hearted telephonist) she turned them down, saying it would mean a loss of her artistic integrity. You go, girl! She has been in numerous films and is still going strong, with a remarkable, funny and sometime downright athletic for a woman her age, turn in “I Heart Huckabees” amongst others of late. Although appearing in the “West Wing” the closest she has ever come to shock and awe is playing opposite Dolly Parton and her eponymously named mammaries.
“In every American there is an air of incorrigible innocence, which seems to conceal a diabolical cunning.”
A E Houseman
Houseman (1859 - 1936) was born in Fockbury in England, one of those place names that always raises a titter. Fockbury is fairly amusing in its own right as well. He won an open scholarship to Oxford and in later life taught there, even though Houseman had unexpectedly failed his final exams there. The failure has been blamed on repressed sexual feelings or one of his roommates (OK, all of you now going “ew”, like this never happens now even, give guy a chance. Victoria was on the throne at the time and homosexuality was against the law. Victoria didn't even believe lesbians existed so quite what she would have made of Lily Tomlin is anyone's guess. Ok - a long shot “We are not amused” possibly.) Back to Alfred Edward, his most famous poems are “The Shropshire Lad” cycle, which are as boring as they sound, I'm afraid. He did, however, stick up for Oscar Wilde after his trial with his poem “Oh who is that young sinner with the handcuffs on his wrists?” which was nice.
“Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.”
Dan Rather
Rather (1931 - present) was the news anchor for CBS evening news and had his own show on cable as well. He contributed to “60 minutes” as well and famously launched a law suit against the show when he felt that he had been denied airtime on it. Seventy Million dollars worth of airtime it seems. He gave two million dollars to his University (Sam Houston State) in 2006, which was the largest gift that the university had ever received (can't be much good then). His time in Afghanistan during the Soviet Invasion of the eighties gained him the nickname “Gunga Dan”. In 1990 he interviewed Sadam Hussein who said to him “The United States depends on the Air Force. The Air Force has never decided a war in the history of wars”. Nagasaki and Hiroshima aside, the Hussein chappy got it somewhat wrong. A brave journalist Rather had gained the right to say of those in his profession in 2006 “What many of us need is a spine transplant.”
“Half the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half.”
Gore Vidal
Ah Gore! If America had a king, this guy would probably want to be it! However, like Stevenson at the top of his list, he is far too much the intellectual to be much liked at home and currently resides in Italy. He wrote the first American novel - The City and The Pillar (1948) that featured unambiguous and in your face homosexuality. He was born in 1925 and dropped his two first names Eugene Luther in his teens. His taken name, Gore was the surname of his grandfather, Thomas Gore, who was an Oklahoman Senator. Thus it is that Gore Vidal and Al Gore are related despite their common name being at opposite ends, as it were. He will probably be best remembered for his 1968 novel (his third) “Myra Breckinridge”. He unambiguously believes that Iraq and Afghanistan were planned well in advance of 9/11 and only time will prove him right. Or wrong.
