Atlantic
Magazine Celebrates Its 150th Anniversary
Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing
Arts
November 8, 2007
Written by
Wendy R. Williams
Photogrpahed by Rod Nunez
Opposite Photo:
Patti Smith
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In an age where magazines
rise and fall, immolating on the fickle fire of
public opinion (and the lack of advertising dollars),
The Atlantic
Magazine has hit the impressive goal of
over one-hundred-and-fifty-years of publication.
The now Washington based magazine started in Boston
as a simple little brown paper magazine, commencing
publication in the days when African Americans were
slaves and women could not vote.
It is now one-hundred-and-fifty
years later and The Atlantic Magazine held
a most unusual party (even for New York) to celebrate.
Invited guests (everyone from burlesque artist Angie
Pontani to Mayor Bloomberg) entered the auditorium
from the loading dock where they checked in and
were then freight-elevated up to the auditorium
stage for the party which began at 6:30 PM. As each
illustrious guest entered the stage, they were greeted
by the Publisher of Atlantic Magazine, Justin Smith,
the Editor in Chief of Atlantic Magazine, James
Bennet, and a bevy of photographers (including New
York Cool's exquisitely polite Rod Nunez).
Guest for the evening
included: Master of Ceremonies P. J. O'Rourke; former
Massachusetts Governor William Weld; writer Christopher
Buckley (Thanks for Smoking); Arianna Huffington
(The Huffington
Post); Georgette Mosbacher (the glamour girl
of the first Bush administration); author Tom Wolfe
(in his signature white suit); singers Patti
Smith and Josh
Ritter; late-night-cable-shock-queen Robyn
Byrd; Angie Pontani of The
Pontani Sisters; actor Robert De Niro; Police
Commissioner Raymond Kelly; Mayor Michael Bloomberg;
musician Moby;
performer Murray
Hill; man-about-town David Noh in his signature
sneaks; and many more.
(Be sure to scroll down and see Rod Nunez's photographs
of the party guests.)
It was a highly diverse
crowd, but the one thing that all the guests seemed
to have in common is a belief that the world can
change through political action. From former Massachusetts
Governor William Weld who later in the evening proposed
that we should elect a President and Vice President
from different parties, to an exhausted-looking
but fervent Patti Smith to drag-king Murray Hill
who by simply standing in the room exemplified the
struggle inherent in the politics of gender (he/she
also looked cute and fun and might be surprised
to hear that he/she exemplied anything other than
good taste in pink plaid jackets).
Then 7:30 PM arrived
and the rest of the guests arrived and filled the
audience. These guests had been invited to the show
but not to the cocktail party and thus began the
before-mentioned bit of unusualness or controversy
(someone really needs to slap a blood pressure cuff
on Gawker.com).
The party invitees continued to stand on the stage,
drink cocktails and eat hor doeuvres while the speakers
moved to one of the podiums set on opposite sides
of the stage to speak to the newly arrived audience.
So, the cocktail party guests then became a-la-Nutcracker-party-scene-performers
for the ensuing show.
P. J. O'Rourke was
the master of ceremonies and he must have thought
this arrangement was slightly strange because he
began his ramarks with, “We’re having
a party up here, while you watch it from down there.
It’s stupid.”
I, however, had moved
to sit with the audience so I could comfortably
take notes and thought the party-on-the-stage idea
(even with its nose-against-the-window-pane aspect)
was novel and fun.
P. J. O'Rourke then
introduced several speakers who had each been asked
to give a short talk on a specific aspect of the
American Idea.
Arianna Huffington
came up with one of the funniest bits. Asked to
write a Haiku poem, she actually wrote four, one
of which was:
"Founding father
George
Famously could not tell lies.
George Bush, not so much.”
Musician Moby had been asked to comment on the idea
of intellectual property. After stumbling with the
idea a bit (he said he was overworked and had asked
for a simpler question), he came up with a quick
sound bite, "Don't invest in anything that
can be downloaded.
P. J. O'Rourke introduced
former Massachusetts Governor Williams Weld as the
Joanie Mitchell of politics. Governor Weld speaking
about "What's Wrong with Washington" said
that since the Republicans took over Congress in
1994, the atmosphere has become poisonous.
The other speakers were: Mark Bowden on "Media
of Storytelling"; Azar Nafisi on "Perception
and Reality of America"; and the always witty
Christopher Buckley on "The Funniest Thing
about America."
After the speakers had finished,
singer Josh Ritter performed a short (and stirring)
set from another podium on the opposite side of
the stage. When he finished, Patti Smith took to
the stage. Patti told the audience that her first
introduction to The Atlantic was when she was a
child and her father showed her an article in the
magazine that Martin Luther King had written titled,
"Letters
from Birmingham Jail." Smith performed
two songs and then read a poem about freedom; the
legendary Smith's performance was the highlight
of very interesting and only slightly controversial
party.
So here's to The Atlantic! Congratulations
on your 150th birthday!
James Bennet (Editor in
Chief of The Atlantic), Mayor Michael Bloomberg
& Atlantic Publisher Justin Smith
Robyn Bird, Murry Hill and
Angie of the Potani Sisters
Robert DeNiro Speaks with
Police Commissioner Kelly
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