THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 9, 1996 TAG: 9601090029
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEX MARSHALL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
THE OTHER NIGHT, my wife and I saw the new movie ``The American President.'' The woman in the glass booth at the Commodore in Portsmouth was reading the second issue of George, the new magazine about politics started by John F. Kennedy Jr.
``I really like it,'' said the middle-aged woman, as she flipped the pages of the thick, glossy magazine. ``I think Kennedy writes really well. And I like all the ads.''
The magazine was open to the interview between Kennedy and movie actor Warren Beatty, where Beatty talked about his involvement in politics dating back to Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign in 1968.
The evening was turning into a fragrant mishmash of politics and entertainment. Here we were, seeing a fictional movie starring Michael Douglas playing a president who resembles Bill Clinton, while the ticket-taker read a magazine started by a real president's son, who is interviewing Beatty, another actor, about his involvement in real-life politics.
I've been watching George closely, in part because I had an article published in the issue the ticket-taker was reading, but also because any new general-interest magazine on politics is a fascinating event.
George, to those who missed the initial bonfire of pre-publication publicity, is named for George Washington. It looks like Vanity Fair or Esquire, with glossy fashion ads, and plenty of photos and snappy layouts. The first issue featured Cindy Crawford in a wig; the second featured Robert De Niro.
The conventional wisdom is that nothing bores readers more than politics. Kennedy, with George, gets around this by turning politicians into personalities, and celebrities into political thinkers.
A ludicrous idea, at first glance. But George may be a thoughtful place where ordinary Americans can read and talk about politics. With its mix of Hollywood and politics, it seems to be perversely breaking the rigid walls of insiderdom that keep politics in the hands of professionals.
Those weren't my first thoughts. Initially Kennedy said something like George intended to cover politics the way the media usually covered sports. What a horrible idea, I thought. Americans are already too inclined to sit back and watch politics like a spectator sport, enjoying the car-crashes, but not willing to participate.
But by interviewing Madonna about what she would do if she were president, having Sen. Bob Kerrey review the movie my wife and I saw, and asking Lamar Alexander who his favorite Beatle is, it may be bringing some sunshine into the musty chambers of political life.
The first issue featured an article about Julia Roberts' trip through Haiti. The magazine asked Roberts why she went to the tiny Caribbean country, and what she learned there. I learned something about Haiti, as well as about Roberts.
In a weird way, by taking the political views of Roberts or Madonna seriously, it gives all political views more legitimacy. It's as if by allowing Roberts to talk about politics, it also allows the average Joe or Jane to talk about them, who instinctively knows that Roberts isn't any more of an expert than he or she is.
It also may help humanize politicians. Having Sen. Kerrey of Nebraska review a movie pushes Kerry out of his political skin, and pushes the reader to view a politician as more than just a speech maker and bill introducer.
Most political writing has the air of the pros writing about the pros. A professional political reporter will tell us how a professional political consultant intends to get a professional politician elected.
So it fits that most political columnists, like Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, have sneered at George. Madonna is stepping on their privileged turf. I wonder if that is not a good thing.
Not that I like everything about George. Many articles are silly and shallow. Some, like the one about Bob Dole's letter to the editor campaign, both expose and revel in the latest cynical political maneuver. This is like reviewing porn movies, but preserving the moral high ground by panning the flick.
The magazine's ultimate fate, including its content and style, depends on whether anyone buys it.
But I tell you, I can't remember the last time I saw a ticket-taker reading a magazine about politics. ILLUSTRATION: John F. Kennedy Jr. is co-founder and editor-in-chief of
George.
The October/November 1995 issue of George featured Cindy Crawford in
a wig.
by CNB