Comments on: Aaron Sorkin is a pitcher or a catcher?

Question: Aaron Sorkin is a pitcher or a catcher?

felix — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 09:16:20 -0800

Sometime within the last month, someone blogged a great parody of Aaron Sorkin's writing style, imagining a discussion between a pitcher and a catcher (or maybe a manager) conferring on the mound.

The context was whether Studio 60 will survive or not, which for the sake of humanity I personally pray it does. Since there are about ten trillion blog posts of that format, I'm hoping that someone remembers this one.

The conversation went something like

PITCHER: So here we are at the World Series.
CATCHER: Brazil. In 1948, Brazil produced 53 million bananas.
PITCHER: I got a Brazilian wax the other day. But perhaps that is more information than you intended to obtain.
CATCHER: Let's walk. In 1952, Brazil underwent a dramatic revolution in its weaving industry.
PITCHER: I'm hoping for a dramatic revolution on my fastball.

And so on. But better. Anyone?

By: hamster

hamster — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 09:21:07 -0800

Have you read McSweeney's Aaron Sorkin Visits a Dental Hygienist yet?

By: GeekAnimator

GeekAnimator — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 09:21:22 -0800

This one?

By: felix

felix — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 09:40:13 -0800

5 minutes. Nice job internets.

By: cribcage

cribcage — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 10:32:44 -0800

Yeah...that's actually really terrible. Just to pick one glaring mistake out of the dozen I found on a cursory reading: Sorkin obsesses over dividing one coherent thought across two characters' dialogue — like, for instance, when he split that Margaret Mead quote between Sheen and Malina — so when Leo says, "Then you know what you've got to do," Danny wouldn't toss a throwaway interjection and leave Leo to finish the line.

If you think it's funny, so be it — but that's an incredibly poor imitation of Sorkin's writing style.

By: jdroth

jdroth — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 10:44:07 -0800

Also, Sorkin loves to have characters repeat phrases to each other. The parody seems to have entirely missed this concept.

I love Sorkin's writing, mannerisms and all, but I have to take it in small doses. I own the Sports Night DVDs (I think it's his best work). Normally I'd watch an entire series back-to-back-to-back. I can't do that with Sports Night because after a couple of episodes the Sorkinisms get too annoying.

But still, the man can write.

(I love that Sorkin's characters are intelligent. As a tangent: I'm watching the Seinfeld DVDs. The show is as good as I had remembered. But what I hadn't remembered is how smart it is. The characters are smart. The dialogue is smart. It's laden with history and literature. Larry David is awesome. So is Sorkin.)

By: felix

felix — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 10:58:20 -0800

I wouldn't say it's an incredibly poor imitation. It hits a lot of the high notes, and the scenario is a pretty funny one. But since you're throwing stones, let's hear your sorkin parody, maybe it'll be even more super awesome!

By: cribcage

cribcage — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:21:06 -0800

You're right. Perhaps the quarterback was aiming for a magic, invisible ghost. I have never played NFL football, therefore I am disqualified from observing that there were no eligible receivers in that part of the field.

I apologize.

By: felix

felix — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:44:54 -0800

Having summoned, and then managed to vanquish, the Mysteriously Bitter One True Defender of the Authentic Voice of Alan Sorkin, my work here is done. *cape* *whoosh*

By: chicobangs

chicobangs — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:56:08 -0800

Oh, we're a hydra, josephine. My glass house is freshly windexed, so I can see the woodenness of some of the dialogue. Those are good stabs, though. (And word up on Sports Night being his best work. That stuff glistens.)

By: kindall

kindall — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:10:07 -0800

Having summoned, and then managed to vanquish, the Mysteriously Bitter One True Defender of the Authentic Voice of Alan Sorkin, my work here is done. *cape* *whoosh*

I imagine it must be very embarrassing to have just referred to him as "Alan."

By: felix

felix — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 08:46:28 -0800

*tears off chapeau, throws it on the floor*
*stamps on it*

oh you thrice-damnable jackanape!