Conference 2003 on Norman Mailer Society

Mailer and Magazines

Sat, 01 Nov 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Inaugural conference of the Norman Mailer Society, Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, November 1, 2003, 10:45 a.m. Panel 1 of 3: Christopher Napolitano, Carol Polsgrove, and Gay Talese; Barbara Probst Solomon, moderator. Transcribed from the session recordings; the Society’s records hold the transcripts. Gaps the transcriber couldn’t hear are marked as they were then. Bios of the speakers are on the conference page.

The transcripts don’t record the order of the three talks; they appear here with Carol Polsgrove first, as her opening suggests, and Gay Talese, who answers her, last.

Mailer and Film

Sat, 01 Nov 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Inaugural conference of the Norman Mailer Society, Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, November 1, 2003, 1:45 p.m. Panel 2 of 3: Mickey Knox, Michael Mailer, and D. A. Pennebaker; Robert F. Lucid, moderator. Transcribed from the session recordings; the Society’s records hold the transcripts. Gaps the transcriber couldn’t hear are marked as they were then. Bios of the speakers are on the conference page.

Lucid: This panel, this afternoon, as you know, is a panel devoted to the idea of “Mailer in Film” which is in one sense a huge subject - the relationship of the writer, quite clearly a writer, not in any sense a filmmaker whose reputation rests upon his identity as a filmmaker. Nevertheless, a figure whose relationship to film as writer is no laughing matter. Something to talk about. I don’t know that we’re going to come at it from a such a lofty point of view, however, the question of the relationship of the contemporary writer to film in some sense, somebody ought to, somebody no doubt already has. What we’re going to do is just come at this from our peculiar points of view. Every one of us , particularly my 3 friends here, have a relationship to the question of Mailer and film, each quite different from the other. And between them quite a lot of light should get flooded on the subject or directed toward the subject anyway. Let me just say or confession that this session today – to say that this session is unrehearsed is to not even begin to cover the way – this is spontaneity itself. You’re not going to meet four fellows who are more well-intentioned than this throughout the whole course of the day. I’m sure of that – if that’s the whole thrust of your lives. So, we’re going to just hand it off to each other as we go along. I’m going to start with the gentleman to my right, Donn Pennebaker. I was on a set with him in 1968 and all his friends then called him Penny – I don’t know if they still do. And that set was the set of “Maidstone”. Let me turn to D.A. Pennebaker. Without trying to give you – you have, all of you, from your programs, small capsule biographies of all of these people already which I had some hand. So, perhaps, insofar as further identity, if necessary, each person will supply it as we go along. Donn?

Working with Mailer

Sat, 01 Nov 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Inaugural conference of the Norman Mailer Society, Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, November 1, 2003, 3:30 p.m. Panel 3 of 3: Jason Epstein, Lawrence Schiller, and John Taylor “Ike” Williams; J. Michael Lennon, moderator. Transcribed from the session recordings; the Society’s records hold the transcripts. Gaps the transcriber couldn’t hear are marked as they were then. Bios of the speakers are on the conference page.

Lennon: Okay, we’re going to begin the final panel called “Working with Mailer” and the panelists have all worked with Norman Mailer in one capacity or another. I think the relationships that a few of us have had with Norman have difference, markedly, although there’s a great deal of overlap. All of us have either edited Norman or worked with him interviewing or have had a variety of relationships with him that go back a number of years. But before we start, I want to mention the name of Mickey Knox’s new book which he gave us and we were trying to get flyers here but somehow the publicity operation at Nation Books was not up to the task. The name of the book is Good, the Bad, and the Dolce Vita: The Adventures of an Itinerant Actor in Tinsel Town, Paris, and Rome and that book will be coming out in 2004, in the spring. Mickey has been working on it for 5 years; it’s published by Nation Books. And we’re going to start out with Mr. Larry Schiller. Larry …

Photos, 2003 Conference

Sat, 01 Nov 2003 00:00:00 +0000

The Society’s inaugural conference, Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, November 1, 2003: the business meeting, the three panels, and the keynote luncheon. Scans of prints in the Society’s records. Back to the 2003 conference.