Rushin out at SI

I'll preface this by stating I think he's the most talented and clever writer out there, but as a columnist he got old years ago. Every column was an exhibition of how to turn a phrase and nothing more. He never provided insight. I never came away feeling more informed or enlightened.

Each of his pieces was: Phrase I'd give my left nut to turn, phrase I'd give my left nut to turn, phrase I'd give my left nut to turn, phrase I'd give my left nut to turn, phrase I'd give my left nut to turn, phrase I'd give my left nut to turn, phrase I'd give my left nut to turn, phrase I'd give my left nut to turn. The end.

I would get done and feel I was no better off than if I hadn't read the thing aside from being reminded how inadequate I am as a writer.

 

You're right, he's not much of a columnist ... I'd flip right by him and go to Reilly ... but the truth is I respect Rushin a lot more.

 

Why does he have to be educational? Not every columnist has to fit in the same box. Some can just entertain. I find Rushin entertaining -- and I don't care that I haven't learned anything.

 

What are you, 6?

 

that's sweet

 

After years of weekly columns, once would have been nice. How about a couple tear-jerkers? How about something deeper than his baseball card collection? How about something more than a rundown of anagrams? He couldn't mix it up. It was cleverness over substance.

 

This has me sorta curious about Rushin's feature work. I was only familiar with him as a columnist. Anyone reading his column can't deny that he's gifted, but after a while, they all started reading like thinly veiled excuses to exercise his abilities with words. Ganted, not all columns need to have the gravitas of a Greek play, but they should at least be saying something. I never felt his did.

But that's just my opinion. I'm sure there's plenty who love his stuff.

 

Oops. Honest mistake. Somehow in my mind I combined Steve Wulf the old guy with Steve Rushin the word guy ... they had one or two great stories together (side by side on same topic) a number of years ago when I took the magazine on a regular basis and now I seem to always connect the two. Don't ask me why.

 

Write-brained---Why?

 

Thing I always said about Rushin is this: He wrote for himself more often then for the reader. Llike Blondebomber said. As a features writer, he's fabulous. But when he's being that writer getting off on his own word play in his column every other week - I skip right over it.

Quick. Who am I?

Which is to say. ...
Which is to say. ...
Which is to say. ...

 

His column seemed to peak circa 2000. I remember sitting in an airport around that time, by myself, reading his column and laughing out loud so hard I had tears running down my face. People must have thought I was nuts. But that's how talented he is.

Then he started writing about the family on a regular basis, and that's when I quit reading him.

He's probably going to make millions writing screenplays or something... he's capable of doing anything...