Hey hey Wednesday...just landed in New York and wanted to share some thoughts I wrote from the plane...
I’m crunched into a seat on American Airlines right now, headed to Newark. My seat doesn’t go back and I feel like a rat in a cage, albeit one that flies and does not serve snacks. I’m pretty sure the little old man across the aisle has bed sores, rickets, or a vicious staph infection (or all three really), and is proudly displaying them in a pair of shorts, with a wool plaid blazer as a topper. Sigh. Thank heavens for short flights. Not cute. And even though I’m counting the minutes until I land, my mind keeps wandering to all things Murdoch, and I have a few thoughts. New York always reminds me of my time when I first moved there in '93, the prime era of all things Murdoch. I happened to know a young , Harvard dropout in James many years ago in New York- he dropped out of Harvard to start a record label with my ex boyfriend and his partner. I remember very clearly that even at a very young age (he couldn’t have been more than 25 then), he seemed every bit the leader, the statesman, the lord of the manor. While my boyfriend and I and our sea of friends were always out partying until dawn and raising sheer hell, James was reserved and quiet- he’d sit at home and drink scotch, surrounded by books, most likely first editions. At the time I found that level of maturity slightly preposterous, but also intriguing. He was so different than anyone I had encountered in our age group, but I chalked this up to good breeding and being part of some type of big business royalty. And I’ve watched the power struggle for years as to who would take over when Rupe Dog retires- and had no doubt that James would take the helm- his stint in hip hop probably affirmed that dealing with artists and indie label drama was not something he really wanted, so why not join the family business? It’s hard to fathom this scandal, but I guarantee you it will go down in history as one of the biggest of all time. If you were living in New York in the 90s, or even if you weren’t, maybe you were as consumed with all things Murdoch as I was- and since I was always a New York Post kind of girl, it was hard not to feel the family Murdoch’s presence at every turn. When Fox became the fourth network, it was truly a huge coup- it’s hard to imagine life without “The Simpsons” now, but you have to admit- there was some revolutionary television happening when Murdoch came to power as the steroidal media mogul- now when I watched him this past week, he looks like an old, frail man- and I can’t help but wonder if that’s an act for the cameras, or the real deal. This story has more intrigue than a good spy novel- with everyone going down from Scotland Yard types to a redheaded and decidedly Coddington like editor in chief (she’s somehow Shakespearean that one), to a death of the premiere whistleblower (how is that not mysterious?), all eyes are on the Murdochs again, but not in envy or a curiosity of how they can have so much business prowess, but as a testament to these times we live in- the ultimate age of transparency. It’s almost hard to watch- and the fun has not even yet begun in the States, where the majority of the Murdochs holdings reside. And as the search for the heir apparent continues (if you’ve read Vanity Fair for the past decade and a half or so, you’ve followed the whole bloody saga), it will be interesting to see whether James prevails (I’m thinking not) or one of the other sibs will step in and run the show. Or maybe it’s all about the family taking a quiet back seat and letting somebody else drive for a while. I always found Rupert to be a sinister figure, but not to this level, and especially not when it comes to journalistic integrity. And with everyone and their mother (present company included) reporting the news, this sure doesn’t help an already flailing institution. As pies were thrown yesterday, I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The dismemberment of the Murdoch family and their dynastic reign on media is not so surprising, but more revealing on how keeping things en famille can backfire. Just ask Don Corleone... Cause that’s what’s up this all fall down and newsy kind of Wednesday somewhere in the clouds over the east coast of this here US of A. XO