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Weekend Butler: Dolly Parton, rockstar. Bradley Cooper, actor/director/writer. Wisdom: Thich Nhat Hanh & David Hockney. E.B. White defines Democracy. Marcella Hazan’s Carbonara.
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Published: Dec 06, 2023
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Weekend
An unusual week. Two celebrities, famous for a reason bigger than talent: massive intelligence. Don’t skip these interviews because you think you know them. You don’t.
DOLLY PARTON, 77-YEAR-OLD ROCKSTAR
Look at the photo (above). That is one fearless star. And candid: “I wanted the rock people to be proud of me. I wanted them to say, ‘Did you hear Dolly’s rock album? Man, she killed it.’” [To listen to the podcast, click here. To read the interview, click here. ]
BRADLEY COOPER: WRITER, ACTOR, DIRECTOR
The actor who directed “Maestro” wasn’t on an ego trip. He got his first baton when he was 8. A masterful interview by David Remnick. To read the interview, click here. To listen to the podcast, click here.]
IN 1943 THE GOVERNMENT ASKED E.B.WHITE TO DEFINE DEMOCRACY
E.B. White, in The New Yorker: “We received a letter from the Writers’ War Board the other day asking for a statement on ‘The Meaning of Democracy.’ It presumably is our duty to comply with such a request, and it is certainly our pleasure.”
Surely the Board knows what democracy is. It is the line that forms on the right. It is the hole in the stuffed shirt through which the sawdust slowly trickles; it is the dent in the high hat. Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time. It is the feeling of privacy in the voting booths, the feeling of communion in the libraries, the feeling of vitality everywhere. Democracy is a letter to the editor. Democracy is the score at the beginning of the ninth. It is an idea which hasn’t been disproved yet, a song the words of which have not gone bad. It’s the mustard on the hot dog and the cream in the rationed coffee. Democracy is a request from a War Board, in the middle of a morning in the middle of a war, wanting to know what democracy is.
WEEKEND MUSIC
The National, with Rosanne Cash. “Crumble.” To listen to the song, click here. To read a terrific New Yorker profile of The National, click here.]
WISDOM: THICH NHAT HAHN
“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That’s the message he is sending.”
LAST WEEKS: “I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE”
A powerful revival, adapted by the author’s son, who was Sondheim’s collaborator. To read my Harvard Magazine profile of John Weidman, click here. My review here. Tickets here.
WISDOM: DAVID HOCKNEY
“When I’m not in the studio, I feel my age, But when I am in my studio, I feel 30.”
WEKEND POEM
“A Drinking Song,” by William Butler Yeats
Wine comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That’s all we shall know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at you, and I sigh.
WEEEKEND RECIPE: SPAGHETTI CARBONARA
from Marcella Hazan
serves 4
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino Romano
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 4 ounces pancetta, diced (may substitute guanciale or bacon)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons dry white wine
8 ounces dried spaghetti
Fill a large pot with about 3 quarts of water, place over high heat and bring to a boil.
While the water is coming to a boil, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Using the large, shallow bowl you’ll be serving the pasta in, combine the whole egg, egg yolk, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino Romano and parsley, if using. Season with a little salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Using a fork, whisk until thoroughly combined but not so much that you beat a lot of air into the mixture.
In a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, combine the pancetta, olive oil and butter and cook until the pancetta begins to brown but not long enough to make it crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Carefully remove about 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat and add it to the egg mixture to begin to temper the sauce, quickly whisking again with the fork.
When the water comes to a boil, season with 1 tablespoon salt, add the spaghetti and stir until all the strands are submerged. Cook according to the package instructions, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente, or mostly done with just a little bit of bite left.
