Norman Mailer and Marshall Mcluhan

Two intellectual giants debate violence, alienation and the electronic media in 1968.

Running time: 28 mins.

tags: interviews talks technology

Ashley Johnston : Apr 13, 2007 at 7:27 pm

Mcluhan is annoying
Charles Edward Frith : Apr 16, 2007 at 1:05 pm

C’mon Ashley. McLuhan serves up Norman Mailers head on a platter. The opening scene has MM declaring that violence is a search for man’s identity and in the last minute NM declares that violence, for his friends who like to fight (frequently it seems) is a search for the truth about themselves. I could give another 10 examples, but NM is out of his depth with MM; one of the academic heavyweights of the 20th century.

Sure MM is a little pompous, that’s comes with the turf for proper academics, he is a professor after all. I like Norman Mailer but he is mostly lunging, failing and mispunching in this debate. Definitely on the ropes.

It’s a shame that instead of making it polemical that the producers didn’t encourage the two, to discuss, rather than debate. The two, as MM clearly recognises with interrupted politeness are a lot closer than NM even knew.

Brilliant video find in any case.