collected by Reg Green
When William Buckley was dying, his devoted son Christopher sent regular bulletins to relatives and friends. Detailed and informative, and with the family brand of independent thinking, one of these focused on his urine. It read : “I would describe it as the color of a fine Riesling: umber, full-bodied, with hints of creatinine and red blood cells with a nice finish.”
6 Responses
Had the author mentioned any of Buckley’s brilliant turns of phrase this brief offering could not have been anything other than successful. Instead he offers a glass of urine which, though colorful, is clear enough for the abused reader to know that something in very bad taste has been served.
To Sour Beer Lou: I quoted Christopher, not William, Buckley. Get some sleep.
Lighten up, Lou.
@Reg Green — Ur innate talent for significant selections is getting bladder and bladder. Beware the risk of being labeled a pissant.
While the grateful reader is always happy to get a tidbit of wit during the reading day one can be forgiven for not wanting to see attempts at cleverness that involve a direct comparison between a glass of urine and a glass of wine. Scatalogical witticisms tend toward the crappy, right? This should not be misconstrued as whining on my part, per se, but rather a friendly and helpful recommendation to the poster that some obscure comments are obscure for a reason.
To Sour Beer Lou, Christopher Buckley was looking for a way to soften for a moment the pain of losing a father he adored. If you can’t understand that, iconoclastic writing will always be above your head.