- Marty Beckerman
-
Marty Beckerman (born January 23, 1983) is an American journalist, humorist, and author. He is a native of Anchorage, Alaska, and started his career with The Anchorage Daily News, when he was still a junior and sophomore at Steller Secondary School.[1] His humor columns appeared between 1998 and 2000 in The Anchorage Daily News, which is Alaska's largest newspaper, maintaining a circulation of 70,000 readers. He gained international attention when he was fired from his $15 per week columnist job, after asking a 13-year-old female cheerleader — during an unapproved interview — how it feels "to be a urine stain on the toilet seat of America."[2]
Beckerman wrote his first novel at the age of 16[3] and graduated from the American University in Washington D.C. with a degree in journalism in three years. He is known for the professional attention he received from the literary community at a relatively young age, as well as his literary skills and the subject matter of his work, which focuses primarily on teen angst. On June 21, 2010, it was announced that Beckerman was brought on board the staff of Esquire Magazine to serve as the News and Features Editor of the magazine.[4][5]
Contents
Notable works
Death to All Cheerleaders
In 2000, Beckerman compiled his newspaper columns published by the Anchorage Daily News and wrote his first novel. Death to All Cheerleaders: One Adolescent Journalist's Cheerful Diatribe Against Teenage Plasticity, although published independently, gained national attention. At the time that his book was published, he was still a sophomore in high school. In spite of his youth, his work has often been compared to that of Hunter S. Thompson, Lenny Bruce, and the Pulitzer-prize winning author, Dave Barry.[3]
Following the publication of Death to Cheerleaders, Beckerman gained a patron in John Strausbaugh, contributor and editor of The New York Press. An October 5, 2000 review of the book by the Press stated that "Marty is a very precocious smart-ass with a mean streak of cynicism."[6]
The Anchorage Daily News stated on September 29, 2000 that "Once the initial shock of Beckerman's profanity and hatred wears off, there are some highly readable and humorous gags. Frequently hilarious."[6]
In addition to his work with The New York Press, Strausbaugh is also a regular contributor to the New York Times, The Washington Post, and Cabinet Magazine. He found a copy of Beckerman's self-published novel, loved it and hired him as a columnist, which necessitated a move to Brooklyn, New York.[3]
While living in New York, Beckerman met a literary agent who had reviewed a recent manuscript that he had written and began contacting publishing houses on behalf of the author. They ended up making a lucrative connection with MTV Books, and working jointly with Simon & Schuster, Beckerman's second novel was published.
Generation S.L.U.T.
In 2004, the widespread publicity of Cheerleaders led to a deal for Generation S.L.U.T.: A Brutal Feel-Up Session with Today's Sex-Crazed Adolescent Populace, which was published by Simon & Schuster and MTV Books. S.L.U.T. is Beckerman's acronym for "Sexually Liberated Urban Teens". This second book authored by Beckerman is critically acclaimed and is considered one of the first explorations into the sex lives of modern teens.[3] The success of S.L.U.T. brought Beckerman to the national and international literary arena, while he was still a student in his junior year at American University.
One of Beckerman's primary goals in writing S.L.U.T., was to present a balance between sexual freedom and sexual responsibility. The book describes the problems and pressures with which teens of this modern era are constantly bombarded. Beckerman was just 20 years old at the time of publication. While HBO Films optioned the movie rights and hired a director, the film has not yet begun production. The options have also since expired.
When asked whether the book is a work of fiction or nonfiction, Beckerman replies that it is both. "The core of the book is the novella, but then I've got all the statistics, quotes from real kids, news clippings and other nonfiction elements. So I'm making the emotional case with my fictional characters, and the journalistic case with the hard numbers and quotes."[3] The book has been translated into numerous languages. His book was notably reviewed by Hunter S. Thompson, who said of S.L.U.T, "Good work, you morbid little bastard,"[7] of which Beckerman considers the greatest compliment of his career.[8]
Dumbocracy
In September 2008, the Disinformation Company published Beckerman's third book, Dumbocracy: Adventures with the Loony Left, the Rabid Right and Other American Idiots. Journalist Daniel Kurtzman, who has been widely cited as an expert on political humor by major media outlets around the country, recommended and proclaimed on his political humor guide on About.com that Dumbocracy was one of the Top 25 political humor books of all time, comparing the novel to the works of Dave Barry, P.J. O'Rourke, Bill Maher, Al Franken, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert.[9]
Ralph Bernardo, managing editor of Disinformation said of Dumbocracy, that Beckerman spent "four years with foot soldiers of the Left and Right-pro-choice and anti-choice, pro-gay rights and anti-gay rights, pro-war and anti-war, and delivers a searing, hilarious indictment of the True Believer mentality."[10] Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic Magazine, said of the book, "This is called thinking. And if more people — on both sides — were prepared to acknowledge their own shifts of view and to explain and examine exactly why they have changed with the times, our public discourse would be immeasurably improved."[11][12]
Personal politics
Beckerman has held divergent political positions. According to an article he wrote for Salon, he was initially a "passionate liberal" upon entering college, as was his very liberal girlfriend. As he progressed through his education, he began rebelling against other strong liberals in college, including professors who pushed their "utopian and hypersensitive politics". Beckerman became a strident hard-right conservative for a time, notably when writing and promoting Generation S.L.U.T. This shift in his political outlook and advocacy caused a bit of confusion among his fellow students on campus. Not surprisingly, his liberal girlfriend chose to end their relationship.[13]
Beckerman says that he also acquired "a finger-wagging puritan bent, which made absolutely no sense for a 20-year-old guy who was getting laid and intoxicated on a steady basis."[14] By 2008, after disputes with friends and family, and a long running email conversation with a psychologist, he moderated his position to a more laid-back liberalism.[15]
Media appearances
Print, television, and radio appearances
The publication and success of Generation S.L.U.T. propelled Beckerman onto the national and international spotlight. He has been featured by The New York Times, the New York Post, The Guardian, ABCNews.com, MSNBC, Salon.com, Fox News Channel, and National Public Radio.
Featured magazine publications
Beckerman has written for Playboy, Discover Magazine, Radar Magazine, Reason Magazine, The Huffington Post, New York Press, Jewcy.com, AintItCoolNews.com, and The Daily Beast.
Further reading
- Beckerman, Marty. Death to All Cheerleaders: One Adolescent Journalist's Cheerful Diatribe Against Teenage Plasticity, Infected Press, 2000, 200 pages. ISBN 978-0970062901
- Beckerman, Marty. Generation S.L.U.T. Online, Simon & Schuster, 2004, 224 pages. ISBN 978-0743480369
- Beckerman, Marty. Dumbocracy: Adventures with the Loony Left, the Rabid Right and Other American Idiots The Disinformation Company, 2008, 224 pages. ASIN: B001NEKIGS
References
- ^ "Marty Beckerman is Stronger Than You". Popmatters.com. http://www.popmatters.com/books/features/020905-beckerman.shtml. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ Steven Wells (March 15, 2006). "Guardian UK: Cheerleading, a sport in crisis". London: Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2006/mar/15/ussport.stevenwells. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Michael Schaub. "An Interview with Marty Beckerman". Bookslut. http://www.bookslut.com/features/2004_04_001876.php. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ "Marty Beckerman | Disinformation". Disinfo.com. http://www.disinfo.com/tag/marty-beckerman/. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ "Esquire Magazine – USA mens lifestyle news & opinion magazine". Mondotimes.com. http://www.mondotimes.com/2/topics/5/entertainment/55/4205. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ a b "Death to All Cheerleaders : One Adolescent Journalist's Cheerful Diatribe Against Teenage Plasticity (9780970062901): Marty Beckerman: Books". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0970062907. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ "Generation S.L.U.T.: A Brutal Feel-up Session with Today's Sex-Crazed Adolescent". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0743471091. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ Generation S.L.U.T.: A Brutal Feel ... – Google Books. Books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=FOBsntl2oqAC&dq=Generation+S.L.U.T.:+A+Brutal+Feel-Up+Session+with+Today%27s+Sex-Crazed+Adolescent+Populace&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ "Top 25 Political Humor Books of All Time". Politicalhumor.about.com. June 17, 2010. http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalgifts/tp/aatpbooks.02.htm. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ "Marty Beckerman". Disinfo.com. http://www.disinfo.com/tag/marty-beckerman/. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ "Marty Beckerman's Dumbocracy". Disinfo.com. July 23, 2008. http://www.disinfo.com/2008/07/marty-beckermans-dumbocracy-fk-your-blog/. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ "Dumbocracy: Adventures with the Loony Left, the Rabid Right, and Other American Idiots". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NEKIGS. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ Bee, Samantha (November 10, 2009). "Marty Beckerman: Recovering Republican". Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2009/11/10/recovering_republican/index.html. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ Bee, Samantha (November 10, 2009). "Marty Beckerman: Recovering Republican". Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2009/11/10/recovering_republican/index.html. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ Bee, Samantha (November 10, 2009). "Marty Beckerman: Recovering Republican". Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2009/11/10/recovering_republican/index.html. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
External links
Categories:- 1983 births
- Living people
- People from Anchorage, Alaska
- American University alumni
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
