RaDical MiDDle - ColdType

Radical Middle | 177
parties that were cropping up all over. He held out a short neat
piece of typing. every paragraph made me laugh a few laughs
and think at least one new thought. I asked his name. He said
“Gus Silber”.
Gus went on to become the most sought-after freelancer in
the game, but to me, not alone, his Frontline articles were his
Top Division. everywhere, he was funny. In Frontline he was
funny and thought-provoking.
Likewise Terry Baron. Big rough tough Terry, “Grizzly” in his
own third-person, was a sportswriter, constantly in three wars
with his editors, over stylebook; match report; editors.
In Terry’s view . . .
l the stylebook was handcuffs. Writing was supposed to
explore, to break bounds, to develop
l the match report was half the story; the other half saw the
quizzical hobo in the parking lot, the groundsmen battling to
dry the field, how the star speaks to the waiter.
l the editors’ job was to suggest changes the writer might
consider making; not to alter copy so that what is printed
shocks the person under whose name it appears.
When Terry handed in his copy it was exactly, down to the
last comma, what he intended it to be. Innocent laypersons may
assume that this is natural in the world of professional writing.
Innocent laypersons are sadly wrong. Many big-name writers
are capable of handing in sloppy half-baked uncorrected drivel
in confidence that the editing process will save their sorry
bacon. Some big-name writers take pride in being sloppy. It
proves rank. The great man’s job is to think profound thoughts,
a humble mechanic at the sub-editors’ table can render them
into english. Not Terry. His work was his work, and changes
must be by agreement.
Terry’s fist had famously left the editor of The Star flat on
his pile carpet after a discussion of these matters. He lost his
job, no surprise, but turned up at the Sunday Times, where he
felt in better tune though far from ideal. We met at a Sunday
lunch. He raved about Frontline and I raved about his piece in