Remembering P.J. O’Rourke: A Conversation with Rob Long and Peter Robinson
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- Recorded on February 15th, 2022
When P. J. O’ Rourke passed away on February 15, 2022, America lost one of its greatest observers and chroniclers of culture and politics since Mark Twain. But O’Rourke wasn’t just reporting events from the sidelines. Through his work in National Lampoon and countless other magazine articles and books, he contributed original works as well. O’Rourke appeared on Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson three times over the years, including his final appearance in May 2020 with his lifelong friend, writer Andrew Ferguson. In this special edition of Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson, TV writer, humorist, and essayist Rob Long and Peter Robinson remember O’Rourke and discuss his work and the influence he had on their lives and careers.
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I am saddened to hear of his passing. Indeed I did first discover his writings in Rolling Stone as a teenager in the '80's. Then quickly discovered his other pieces and books. Holidays in Hell was definitely a favorite.
And what about 'Give War a Chance'. Hilarious.
I used to work in the events industry in Washington. Several years ago, I did a house party where Mr. O'Rourke was a guest. The space was rather small, and over the course of the evening I overhead several snippets of his conversations. I can report that he spoke with much wider-ranging references to history than one commonly hears at Washington dinner parties. I wished I could stand there and talk with him for a while, but of course I could not because I was staff, not a guest. Anyway, it's a good memory. R.I.P.
Irish here but people like him epitomise what America at it’s best gave to the rest of us. After death a man will surely lose his Americanness but the truth he spoke may that follow him forever.
Thanks for doing this. I can only ask for more which what we always wanted from P. J.. May God bless him and his family.
The protagonist in one of my stories is called Edward (Eddie) Gable (using the Clark Gable spelling). If you're a war veteran and an artist (painter) and divorced then you may be the non-fiction version of him!
He was a giant in my eyes. I started reading him as teen in the seventies, screaming at his stuff in National Lampoon, and then as he grew older with those mentioned in the video. Condolences to his family, he'll be missed.
Such a loss...a wordsmith who made us smile and at the same time educated us and got us to think. I always enjoyed hearing him speak and his books, well, if you're here, you probably know. Vaya con Dios PJ - Fair winds, a good dog and big coveys...
Thank you, guys. I loved him, too
I didn't like his late-life political outlook,
but I enjoyed and admired him as a person.
I just learned of his passing.
RIP, Sir!!!
A truly great man who inspired me in countless ways. I feel bereft...
I discovered P.J. in Rolling Stone. Instantly loved his work. I imagine he and Mark Twain are having a hell of a good time discussing events of the day.
Thank you for this.
This was just wonderful, gents. Thank you.
Great video. P.J. O'Rourke was a great voice, who will be greatly missed.
He was a rare genius. His books are mesmerizing.
Thank you for this. He was wonderful and will be missed.
Thanks Peter and Rob: I thought I knew him, but you gave me more.
PJO reflects the evolution of many of his age. I am one. I hope posterity understands this. May others carry the torch and pass it on.
Loved PJ.
Bought all his books. They were hilarious.
Very sad. One of his best lines IMHO was "If you think medical care is expensive now, just wait until it's "free." I spent the evening before taking the Michigan State Bar Exam in 1974 reading the National Lampoon High School Yearbook he authored feeling that it was better preparation for the exam to have a laugh and relax than to try to get one last read through on the Rule Against Perpetuities. And I passed. He will be missed.
Wonderful thinker and writer
My mother bought a subscription to the National Lampoon for me when I was an undergraduate in 1971. That was my introduction to PJ O'Rourke and I have enjoyed his essays, quotes and books ever since. I still cherish my copy of the High School Year Book Parody that never fails to bring a smile to my face. Thank you PJ for all the humor and wit that you have gifted to the world.
What a great mind, and a great loss.
Fan since the Lampoon. Missed already
Yes like alot of the comments I discovered him in the 80's via Rolling Stone. He had a towering intellect and an incisive wit but there was also a humbleness to him which probably came from growing up poor in Toledo. He understood big government but more importantly the plight of the little guy because of it, and could make you laugh out loud in the process.Rest in Peace, Rise in Glory.
Thank you for posting this. We will miss him, and are praying for his family. So very grateful that we had the opportunity to meet him and listen to him lecture in 2013.
Courage.
Thanks for the tribute to PJ.
Brilliant writer that had a profound effect on my thinking and my children. We owe him a real debt.
Holidays In Hell was an eye opening discovery for me (and so many others). Funny as Hell. Right on the edge of tears and laughter. RIP PJ O’Rourke.
Many decades, never a dull moment with PJ. Nice Theotokos BTW.
My favorite P.J. O'Rourke quote (bastardized from memory) "My daughter came to me with the classic complaint of youth. It's not fair. Nothing is fair. Life isn't fair. I responded, That's right. Life isn't fair. Number one, you were born in America. Number two, you're pretty cute. Number three, your mother and I make quite a bit of money. Compare that to all the other people in the world. Life isn't fair sweetheart. And you better pray it doesn't get fair anytime soon!"
I'm going to really miss him. Modern Manners was an hilarious classic.
He was amazing, I’m so sorry he had cancer and died too soon, poor guy 😔
Nice tribute to PJ. The world is really going to miss him. Now, I need to root around the attic because I think I still have my copy of the National Lampoon Sunday Newspaper Parody.
I remember the title of his book :
"Don't vote , it just encourages the bastards !"
Nicely done!
Imagine thinking that the government is in service of the people who are sovereign. It was the US goal, but it quickly turned to centralized federal powers with the people's rights no longer a concern.
He wrote for Car & Driver.
Wow. Unexpected. I’m was wondering where he was
I read everything P.J. wrote when I was a teenager in the '90s. He's part of the reason I'm a writer now, and I usually have his voice in my head when I'm trying to be funny in print. This video is the first I heard of his death. It was also, with an unpleasant coincidence, uploaded on my birthday.
Sorry to see you go, Peej. You taught the 12-year-old me that commies love concrete.
More than anything, I loved the fact that he made fun of himself. We live in the age of “snark” where the so-called “funny men and women” show nothing but contempt for their audience. Reading PJ always felt like I was having a conversation with a friend who cared for me, warts and all.
There are some genuine, laugh out loud anecdotes in Holidays in Hell and in the essays of Republican Party Reptile. Must dust those off for a reread this weekend in honor of a most enviable talent. He was just so ... damn ... good. What a loss.
P. J. O’Rourke - Though you skipped the Youth in Asia thing, you did more than your share of middle-age in Asia and in a great many other interesting elsewheres. You have left us far too soon, and you will be missed. Rest in Peace is the usual sentiment, but in your particular case there is probably much to see, to sift through and analyze, and to comment on in your own droll fashion.
What, no mention of his writing for Car and Driver? I was sorry to hear of his passing, but when I think of all the obituaries I have read in recent years, it seems we Boomers are not living as long as our parents. Perhaps just an impression. He was a funny, incisive, and human writer.
Endorsed Hillary in 2016...what a conservative! What a libertarian!
If you want to turn Holidays in Hl into a TV series, talk with the new journalist Tim Pool about making it happen. He's a 36-year-old independent journalism who got his start going into the thick of it, and he's looking for stories to turn into video content for "Timcast".
One of the saddest things about PJ's passing, for me, is that we're never going to get to see him talk about taking drugs with Hunter Thompson on the Joe Rogan Experience, or get interviewed by Tim about on-the-ground reporting from dangerous places on Timcast IRL.
Irreplaceable seems appropriate
The one about India and hemp can't remember name
He wrote for car and driver
On Rush Limbaugh anniversary, sad...
Eat the Rich - sounds like sound advise to me .......