PJ O'Roarke has died.

[nolabear]

He was a conservative, yes. But he wasn’t nuts. He was a wonderful, biting satirist who was brave enough to be edgy, sometimes cringe-inducing, and no cow was sacred. He was editor of National Lampoon, which taught me more about that fact than anything.

The smart, brave, talented artists of my youth are walking on. I like the world still, but it’s less mine every day.

Peace, you old monster. 😢

[Shrek]

1. I shook his hand at a book-signing once

One of a kind.

[Kali]

2. I enjoyed some of his writing.

I hear you.

[Ohio Joe]

6. I remember liking his stuff for National Lampoon back in the 70s

I don't remember what any of it was today though.

[Xavier Breath]

45. I recall having seen a doc about the National Lampoon

that showed his work and influence at the magazine. Of all the work discussed, the one item that stuck out most was the infamous Volkswagen parody ad, which landed the magazine a huge lawsuit from VW.

[marie999]

51. Is that the one showing a VW Bug floating?

I'm not sure if it is okay to write the ad underneath?

[Xavier Breath]

52. That's the one.

It was creative in its way. But I'm going to err on the side of caution and not post it. Perhaps you're braver than me

[nolabear]

44. The twitter tributes are stunning. Ben Shapiro and Dan Savage agree.

Can world peace be far behind?

[lisa58]

3. He voted for Hillary...

Because he knew trump was dangerous. I had a lot of respect for him.

[Sneederbunk]

4. Liked his humor and work at National Lampoon.

[AngryOldDem]

16. Same.

I wish I could remember the details, but there was a chapter in one of his books that was just so hilariously funny. I think it was about a road trip. I just remember laughing until I thought I would split.

The losses come every day, it seems.

[cinematicdiversions]

5. Read him a lot in my youth.

He taught me to drive a sports car properly... for better or worse.

[Caliman73]

7. Conservative Comedy has died with him.

Agreed, his views and mine did not match, but he I think put comedy above ideology and wouldn't say things that weren't funny just to promote conservatism.

Today's "conservative" comedians are banal and cruel. They have no humanity like O'Roarke did.

[beaglelover]

8. Very sad. I always enjoyed him when he was on Bill Maher.

[lame54]

9. He killed the National Lampoon...

Always on Bill Maher
Never funny

[ChazInAz]

15. My opinion, too.

His "humor" was sledgehammer heavy handed, and as a conservative he always punched down with his attempts at satire.
I found him grievously unfunny.

[frogmarch]

54. Same here. nt

[tenderfoot]

39. Ditto

eom

[Clash City Rocker]

10. He endorsed Hillary, in fact

He was a semi-regular on a great NPR show called “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.” If you’ve never listened to it, you should, it’s hilarious. I remember hearing him (reluctantly) endorsing Hillary there. Like many old-school Republicans, he had some standards.

He crossed the line sometimes, but he was always funny, and there are few funny Republicans in the world, so I made allowances. Thankfully, Ben Stein is still around, so we haven’t run all the way out of funny Republicans, but they’re scarce.

[nolabear]

46. Oh yes. The first announcement came from Peter Sagal.

Deeply sad.

[electric_blue68]

49. I didn't know he endorsed Hillary. "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" is a great...

News Quiz show. It's very funny!

One of the best things is telling a news story along with two other fake stories and the phone in contestant has to pick
the true. Sometimes they are almost farcical, outlandish, or fantastical - even some of those turn to be true. 😄

You get quips from the panelists. They're special guests.

[LisaM]

79. He took a lot of pot shots at her, though.

I wouldn't call it an endorsement,. exactly.

[electric_blue68]

81. Got it 👍

[AZSkiffyGeek]

11. I rarely agreed with his politics

But he was thoughtful, biting and really fucking funny. A giant of political satire.

[thomski64]

74. was just as far left as the rest of us

,,hanging out at Mac 'n Joe's down the alley in Oxford. In '67

[crickets]

12. Back in the day, when I still subscribed to Rolling Stone and PJ was on the writing staff,

I used to look forward to his articles. They were long, entertaining, and informative journeys. Parliament of Whores also comes to mind. I often disagreed with him, but he was never boring.

[happybird]

20. +1

[Withywindle]

31. I enjoyed some of his work too, like that

At his best, he was like the conservative Hunter S. Thompson. I didn't agree with him, but he sure as hell could write, and I respect that.

[ItsjustMe]

13. P.J. O'Rourke Quotes

“Making fun of born-again Christians is like hunting dairy cows with a high powered rifle and scope.”
― P.J. O'Rourke

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/14549850.P_J_O_Rourke

“The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it.”

[Journeyman]

14. "I like the world still, but it's less mine every day." . . .

a fitting coda to lives well lived.

[George II]

17. Not all conservatives are, as you say, "nuts". Nor are they all bad people.

[Moostache]

33. I agree...kinda like not all Trump voters are Nazis, but all Nazis are Trump voters...(n/t)

[nolabear]

47. Well I know. But "conservative" is a broad term.

[George II]

48. Yes, and it's evolved over the last several decades, maybe mostly since the Nixon days....

A couple of my favorite writers were arch conservatives William F. Buckley and William Safire.

Both were biting, but neither overly nasty (although they could be at times) and not innately cruel or vicious. They could also listen to reason and discuss things civilly.

[The Mouth]

78. Those who *CAN'T* discuss things civilly

Don't deserve to be listened to, mere mocked, ignored and contravened.

[BobTheSubgenius]

18. I remember seeing him in an interview, and he said he was voting for HRC.

He said "I think she's wrong about everything, but at least she's wrong within normal parameters."

In the moment, I thought "That's the best we're EVER going to get from him." And it was.

[mountain grammy]

66. Yes I remember that..I posted that quote on FB.

Love him on Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me. Rest In Peace

[BobTheSubgenius]

67. I'm sorry, but I don't remember your post.

Just the quote.

[nuxvomica]

19. I used to read him in NatLamp

Even when he was on Real Time or Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!, he pushed the conservative message but was always uneasy with the numberless excesses of the right, as any satirist would be. He always seemed a particularly affable fellow, wanting to laugh with you, not destroy you, which is rare among conservatives.

[PurgedVoter]

21. The only funny conservative has now passed away.

I think he was conservative by religious nature.

His book "Eat the Rich," examined other countries and tried to see why one government/economic system worked and prospered while another failed. If you read it and read between the lines you can see what he was trying to say to himself but could not hear. The countries that did well were countries with lower corruption. The countries with lower corruption were countries where compassion was expected from the leadership. O'Roarke documented this but never quite connected the dots.

Godspeed and rest in peace. You will always be a warning that brilliance can be blind.

[philly_bob]

25. +1

[WestMichRad]

28. Very good comment about his book.

Thanks for that good insight!

[LymphocyteLover]

30. very interesting comment-- thanks!

[c-rational]

41. Most interesting comment, with truth. I have felt our democracy worked because we have a

sacrosanct judiciary, but I like the correlation with corruption. Thanks.

[bahboo]

22. wow...couldn't have been that old, could he...

seemed like you could actually have a discussion with him.

[2naSalit]

24. He was 74.

I remember him from Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! He was pretty funny there.

[greatauntoftriplets]

23. A good friend of mine is his first cousin.

She had idea of seating me with him at one of the family weddings of her kids (she has six) so that I could spar with him on politics. Unfortunately, it never happened. I was there, but he never attended. It might have been interesting.

[bif]

26. Wow! Very sad. I grew up with the National Lampoon!

And I have to say, I was shocked when he turned conservative.

[Paladin]

27. Sorry to hear it, despite his politics.

His best work was at the National Lampoon.

[bif]

29. I believe it was a short story that National Lampoon's Vacation is based

In the short story, the family lives on Rivard Blvd. in Grosse Pointe. That's the street I grew up on! But the address was something like 12 Rivard, which doesn't exist.

[hlthe2b]

32. What a shame. I liked him, even if I disagreed politically on most.

We'll miss your wit and intelligence.

[90-percent]

34. a conservative comedian just came to mind

adam corolla. (partnered with jimmy kimmel a decade or two ago) back before our epidemic and fear and gullibility (which current republics strive for like its a good way to be.

or like finally coming out of their hateful racist ignorance and well, cant sugar coat this; dumbness.)

like when they're in the audience and everybody's laughing. he doesn't understand the joke, but laughs because everybody else is.

continuing to finish the beginning sentence, from "epidemic";

divided us into tribes, like something out of college anthropology. I don't think we wanna be tribes and warring. we want to like each other, but the psychopath narcissist cruel bastards ruin it. like pooty-poot. hes got the classic sadistic cruel greedy thieving mafioso moves just like so many other despots adolf Mussolini, stalin, trump, Pinochet, Franco idi amin, kahadiffi, mao, tucker carlson, etc.

and this history repeating how unnecessary wars get started by monsters at this very moment at (in?) Ukraine.

oh, Dennis Miller is another conservative comedian. used to love him, but he lost his mojo. he could not come up with funny stuff in the later part of his career, kinda like ted nugent, who is everything a human should not be.

joe piscopo.....

might be others, intelligence is job one for comedy and that's why most comedians are dems. some people are saying that.

-90% Jimmy

[calimary]

35. There goes another one.

Sheesh - they’re dropping like fall leaves this year.

[reACTIONary]

36. Conservative ? No. I would say....

.... libertarian going on libertine.

Glad I outlived the bastard!

[sky_masterson]

37. He was a rare Likeable one.

RIP

[Liberal In Texas]

38. Loved the National Lampoon Radio Hour and the N.Lampoon parodies.

Used to record the radio show every week on an old clunky reel-to-reel machine. The parody "Bored of the Rings" had me and my college friends rolling on the floor. These may have been in pre-conservative days.

Damn cancer. Only 74.

[sarchasm]

40. I prefer my conservatives to have a sense of humor.

... at least I can relate in some small way.

Definately one of the good ones. A decent human being. He will be missed.

[Xavier Breath]

42. He attended Miami University

just down the road a piece from me in Oxford, OH. I enjoyed listening to him on Wait...Wait... over the years. He would always tow the conservative line, true, but there were no sacred Republican cows with him.

[JohnSJ]

43. I think he died of lung cancer

[bcool]

53. From what I remember reading his books he was fond of cigars n/t

[Shrek]

50. "Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work"

". . .and then they get elected and prove it."

Who here would disagree?

[whathehell]

55. PJ O'Roarke: "Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work.."

then they get elected and prove it".

[JI7]

57. What kills people is saying no difference between Bush and Gore

and saying Hillary is worse than Trump.

[nolabear]

58. Noted.

[nolabear]

61. As are many, on all sides of politics.

[Celerity]

76. The Atlantic is not a propaganda rag 'full of hate speech, racism, and purposeful disinformation

that kills people.'

[applegrove]

60. I loved reading him. Didn't always agree but he was talented.

[RobinA]

62. He Was Hilariously

funny. He wrote a description of visiting an aircraft carrier, or some such, and it was the funniest thing I've ever read to this day.

[tenderfoot]

63. "If you think health care is expensive now, just wait 'til it's free."

Bwaa ha ha!!!

He was so funny.



The same people that think he's hilarious probably think "dead baby" and "AIDS" jokes are hilarious too.

[nolabear]

65. I can't speak for anyone else, but

I liked that he placed himself as an outsider watching the fight. I disagreed with many, MANY of his views but he was far from the stupid reactionaries on the current right. He liked to call out what he called out, and he did it with precision and a certain equanimity that could be shockingly funny.

He wasn’t a Hillary fan but he hated tfg. He skewered equally when he thought it deserved. National Lampoon under his hand made some godawful jokes, which was the point. I watched from the outside too and could dislike what I disliked and laugh at what either startled me into admiring its audacity or actually broke me up.

I appreciate your pov. I’m glad we can talk.

[czarjak]

64. My Libertarian brother-in-law votes Republican and then swears he's not one! Dambedest thing.

[msdogi]

68. Modern Manners

One of my favorite books, amusing, irreverent. I always liked him.

[FakeNoose]

69. Rest in Peace P.J. O'Rourke

[Joinfortmill]

70. Amen

[Wolf Frankula]

71. Two more Peej quotes.

"I thought Donald Trump was unstable and dangerous. I still do."

"A smart foreign policy is one that keeps you out of Afghanistan."

Wolf

[PatrickforB]

72. Yes, our world is moving on. Do you remember the Can't Buy a Thrill album?

The song Midnite Cruiser:

Thelonius my old friend
Step on in and let me shake your hand
So glad that you're here again
For one more time
Let your madness run with mine
Streets still unseen we'll find somehow
No time is better than now

Tell me where are you driving
Midnight cruiser
Where is your bounty
Of fortune and fame
I am another
Gentlemen loser
Drive me to Harlem
Or somewhere the same

The world that we used to know
People tell me it don't turn no more
The places we used to go
Familiar faces that ain't smilin' like before
The time of our time has come and gone
I fear we been waiting too long

Tell me where are you driving
Midnight cruiser
Where is your bounty
Of fortune and fame
I am another
Gentlemen loser
Drive me to Harlem
Or somewhere the same

Or, as Roland of Gilead says in the Gunslinger, the world has moved on.

[nolabear]

73. I can hear it!

I take great pleasure in the fact that my kids have had a close cohort of friends since they all hung out at our house ( they’re in their mid thirties now). They all have different lives but can reach back and feel those times still.

Come to think of it though, if you move up into the twenties I have old friends and attachments too, so maybe it’s not all gone. And, being a writer, I’ve used a lot of it as material in fiction. That said, a whole lot that was always there…isn’t.

[JohnnyRingo]

75. I'm truly saddened.

"Holidays In Hell" about his foreign assignments is about the funniest thing I've ever read.
So is everything else he wrote.

Raise my glass to a great writer.

[markbark]

77. Two quotes from him that stick in my head

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenaged boys

and

The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn.
The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it.

[2Gingersnaps]

80. At our house the local newspaper, Rolling Stone, and Stereo Review were standard.

PJ O'Roarke was a Rolling Stone regular who help the flamingest of young liberals to read and try to comprehend the other sides point of view, and he did it with biting sarcasm damn him! Moth to flames.

[WillUSAF]

82. I liked him. Didn't agree with everything but I liked his satire.....RIP friend