The sheer detail is a little beyond extraordinary.
As I type-type-type a way I am listening to the smooth voiced Sinatra. Sure he is dead but his legendary status continues. Yes, through his beautiful voice and not through his actions.
The author wrote for Esquire. What is his name?
Gay Talese
As a journalist it is important to read this brilliant piece of Journalism.
Frank Sinatra has a cold. Is some of the most vivid, vivacious and otherwise clearly written story in a magazine.
Great, now I need to tell you a small synopsis.
Not even a synopsis but kind of ground work of what Frank Sinatra has a cold is about.
It is clear that Talese seemed to have gone everywhere that Frank Sinatra went. From bars to exclusive clubs and beyond. To smoky and crowded filled private clubs to house couches.
We the readers are put on to a journey as if we are right next to the Il Padrone. Il Padrone references Sinatra in the article.-according to Esquire's Gay Talese
He is one of the most famous voices of all time. He is timeless.
Therefore, Talese had to have spent years gathering the research. If not years than months. Explicit detail is what Talese teases us with. He doesn't even tease he just lays everything down for the reader.
Frank Sinatra has a cold starts with one night when Talese sees him in a bar. Two beautiful and majestic blonde women grace his presence. But it is this New Journalism as they call it, this very succinct prose, this descriptive verbiage that make this read memorable. As a writer for Esquire I am sure Talese was told to write stylistically. And this was in April of 1966- according to Esquire's Gay Talese
This is just an incredible writing because we can smell the smoke. We can see Nancy Sinatra. We can hear his music as he preformed it on CBS. We can see his memories and share with Sinatra. You can learn a whole wonderful history about Il Padrone by reading this. Visualizing any of these details is visually stimulating. There's a great part where Talese talks about who was at this private club. A fat woman. Prize fighters and many more very highfalutin people. High class caliber people. People that are movie stars and are very bourgeoisie. Sinatra's inner circle as Talese mentioned was insane. I could only guess that the beautiful actress Ava Gardner, with her glossy black hair would have been included. Hell I don't really know about anyone of that time. Maybe Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin and a couple others. Don Rickles is also mentioned in the story. Sinatra has amazing quotes. If his voice isn't magnetic and all together masterful his quotes sure are. He talks with conviction even whilst being quoted. Oh and to give a name to the place. It was called Jilly's Saloon-according to Esquire's Gay Talese
When he's mad he's damn mad. Or when he likes confrontation he's out for confrontation. For example when at a club Sinatra is eyeing this kid in a suede sweater. I don't remember the color. I just remember that this kid looks like he doesn't belong in this private club. That he shouldn't have stepped foot in there with Sinatra watch-dogging the joint. So then Sinatra makes it apparent and says something like what kinda boots ya got there. The kid doesn't say anything and now Sinatra asks what the hell the boots are made outta of.
Maybe not that but where are they made at? Yeah that's it.
Hiliarity ensues. Deep hilarity ensues. After a little bit of silence Sinatra accosts the man for dressing the way he does. (Paraphrased from Esquire's Gay Talese)
.I don't like the way you're dressed," Sinatra said.
"Hate to shake you up," Ellison said, "but I dress to suit myself."
Now there was some rumbling in the room, and somebody said, "Com'on, Harlan, let's get out of here," and Leo Durocher made his pool shot and said, "Yeah, com'on."
But Ellison stood his ground.
Sinatra said, "What do you do?"
"I'm a plumber," Ellison said.
"No, no, he's not," another young man quickly yelled from across the table. "He wrote The Oscar."
"Oh, yeah," Sinatra said, "well I've seen it, and it's a piece of crap."
"That's strange," Ellison said, "because they haven't even released it yet."
"Well, I've seen it," Sinatra repeated, "and it's a piece of crap."-according to Esquire's Gay Talese
I can just imagine being in the room. Not a fly on the wall. Actually being there and watching the legendary well dressed Sinatra say what he said. Boy! I just picture the power in his voice. The writer wasn't scared. But if that was me I would have left to. You don't piss off a legend. You don't piss off Sinatra.
These were just small pieces in the story I loved. I mean there is so much more to comb over. There isn't enough time. That's my overall take of the story. The ending is very powerful and to me an embodiment of what Sinatra represented and was. You have to do yourself a favor and read the damn story. Talese is an incredible writer. He displays it with Frank Sinatra Has a Cold.
Please follow the below link if you want to learn what Frank Sinatra was. How he lived and more importantly how timeless his music was. This wasn't just about his music but who was Sinatra as a person?
Who was the genuine Sinatra?
I implore you to read this brilliantly, stupendously, written Esquire profile piece.
http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ1003-OCT_SINATRA_rev_
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