From the Vault of Art Shay: The Legend of Andy Borowitz
By Art Shay in News on Aug 17, 2011 4:00PM
Like most handicapped kids, Andy Borowitz rose above his problems\r\nand, despite not having a head or arms, liked to help his mom shop at Lord & Taylor. (Art Shay)
Years later, when the family fell on hard times and Harvard\'s tuition fee became exorbitant, Andy won a dramatic scholarship that helped him become president of the \<i\>Harvard Lampoon\<\/i\>. Like the \<i\>New Yorker\<\/i\> magazine, which would seek him out eventually, they are famously, as one court has held, a comic journal for adults. (The couple sometimes worked as a model for Paul Strand, and one of Strand\'s pictures similar to this, is at the Art Institute.). (Art Shay)
Andy\'s vaunted vault into the arts, he averred to one feature writer, was based on the skills he learned on the streets of Shaker Heights, Ohio. It helped him understand candidate Michelle Bachmann\'s January birthday wish in August for the late Elvis Presley and her calling down unsuspecting Believers, ready or not, for The Rapture with hymn-based Ragtime: \"No Christian Left Behind.\" (Art Shay)
At Harvard, Andy prided himself on always being early or first in line if possible. (Art Shay)
On an early trip to London he mocked a Beefeater for not being a vegan on Bond Street, now a favorite hangout of the international Revolutionary Set (largely vegetarian). (Art Shay)
One of the strongest influences on young Andy was Pavel Powellski. leader of ICU, a sect worshiping eye patches -- symbolizing the world\'s turning a blind eye to its troubles. (Art Shay)
During his formative years Andy\'s bent was as a great Bears fan and foul shooter right up there with Smokey. He participated in some of the Bears\' and Bulls\' antic road showings. His short- one hibernation marriage to a Honeybear cheerleader ended up as an SI cover story. George Plimpton played him in the movie. (Art Shay)
Every fourth communication in these final days of life as we knew it is from a friend sending me something irreverently funny by somebody yclept Andy Borowitz. At the moment Andy's lapping poor Jon Stewart, because his face is pleasantly ugly and would only fall apart grimacing. Also someone has to succeed Mark Twain,etc. Andy notes that perfectly coiffed Rick Perry, in and out (head of steam inside, near-Blagojevichian hair out), only participated in the Tea Party suicide pact or whatever happened to those 17,105 farm folk in Ames, Iowa because they thought they were voting for Batman 3 or 4's successor. Borowitz is, don't you know, strangely in favor of Perry's plan for universal hair care regardless of sex.
"Get a bang outta Perry...?"
So I dispatched my research squad in all different directions to find out why Andy called Emily Dickinson "a jerk" and why he thinks poor Michele Bachmann is preparing America for The Rapture- "No Christian left behind" or "No Christians left behind left behind, one. " Having already worked with Woody Allen, Wallace Shawn and David Sedaris, he should know what he's prevaricating about, especially since he studied playwriting at Harvard with an old acquaintance of mine from Brooklyn College who wrote plays about goats.
This was 15 years before Borowitz was born.
But it doesn't matter if your time has come.
If you can't wait until this time every Wednesday to get your Art Shay fix, please check out the photographer's blog, which is updated regularly. Art Shay's book, Nelson Algren's Chicago, is also available at Amazon.
