Even Jean Shepherd's "I, Libertime" couldn't come close.
4
A live well lived. Thank you.
8
In the era of fake news, today I note the passing of its inventor, Alan Abel. Having met him in my teens at the All-Ohio State Fair Band, and finally in the midst one of his last attempts at the media, I’ve grown to realize the many truths contained in his work.
11
I just read the article......I'm so inspired!
10
What a life! What a story! What a great obituary! Great job!
19
He should have offered to write headlines for National Enquirer. The cock-eyed satire of his spoofs would have fit right in with them - and it's gullible readers.
4
Fascinating read!
The headline rubs right up against "Headless Body Found in Topless Bar."
8
Long Live G. Clifford Prout!!
7
I had the pleasure of befriending Alan after meeting him on Metro North on my commute to my work at a NY PR agency in the 1990s. Though he was several decades my senior, I appreciated his humor and enjoyed spending time over lunch at the Carnegie Deli and elsewhere chatting about his many adventures and plotting new ones. Though we lost touch, I am saddened to hear of his passing and know he would get a kick out of this obit. RIP to a genuine original. Xo
18
Great lead.
5
In 2016 I tried my best to get friends and family to vote for Yetta Bronstein for president. I said, “Vote for Yetta. Things will get betta,” over and over. Not one of them was willing. And now look at the mess we’re in. ... We will miss you, Alan.
19
This sort of hoaxing would have been a reasonable avenue of occupation for a more reasonable version of out president. Unfortunately number 45 needs to make his hoaxes real.
2
Nice work Margalit. I laughed till I cried.
9
I've always dream of pulling off a harmless hoax. Perhaps one day I will pick up the mantle from Mr. Abel.
6
Proves once again there is not a group of super geniuses as editors of news organizations. Always good to keep in mind. That was the point of his humor, nothing more, nothing less. A great American.
5
"As The Coshocton Tribune reported that July, Private Abel, who had taken up the drums as a boy, was assigned to the 29th Army Air Forces Band."
Exactly! I remember my Dad, a WW1 veteran, telling me: "If you have to go to the Army (drafted), join the band. They never go to the front."
5
Mr. Abel’s life (who I had never heard of before) and Ms. Fox perfect recounting of it, together brought a smile to my face this morning. Proof that there is always room in life for good writers and renegades, rebels, and rogues.
33
Back when clickbait had a heart and a brain.
17
I will not rest easy until I see that there is no retraction or correction on this in tomorrow's NY Times.
25
Are you sure this time?
15
I remember many of his hoaxes, but didn't realize he was the origin of them all. He was an American original. I think the world is a smaller place without him; certainly it is duller.
26
Obituaries are not normally such good reading.
25
Preying on pride, vanity and ignorant outrage,
He incited my envy.
14
A joyous tale of an interesting life. It's clear you had fun writing this. This deserves its place among the Times' great obits. Thank you.
30
Who knows, maybe unknown to us, he dreamed up Trump the candidate not realizing that people would vote for him. Of course, someone like Trump would be cooperative in the stunt. Something like "The Candidate" book/movie.
8
A talent in short supply but greatly needed...harmless humor.
10
Abel's calling was to show us that life really can be funny. But it only works when it is innocent fun. The hoax we are enduring now is no laughing matter.
18
My father was born a month later, in the same town...I wonder if they knew each other?
7
Thank you for this marvelous obit on an absolutely unique American. (By the way, I died two weeks ago and have yet to see my obit. I sent it in last week. Is there a problem?)
32
A shame, really, that today all the hoaxers seem to be from the alt-right, bent on spreading misery if not actual physical pain and, a la Alex Jones, making a dandy profit from their lies.
16
Rest well, Alan. You made me chuckle.
12
Hooray for the excellent obituary page, writers, editors, and subjects alike!
21
Thank you NYT and than you Mr Abel. I'd like to believe that he would be happy to know he was the truthful (?!) subject of a piece that brought smiles in these difficult times.
Seriously.
15
This obit made me realize I’ve accomplished nothing in life!
13
Ever on the watch for immodesty, I raced to measure my three cats. All shall be underweared, shortly.
14
Finally, something to really laugh about. It is pieces like this that make my subscription worth it. The writer deserves a well dressed horse, a gallon of champagne, and a paradiddle. I’m now thinking that “Limit: Two Per Customer” would be a fitting inscription on his headstone (whether he has one or not). Thanks for restoring my faith in random acts of humor.
31
Ha! Best obituary for the man possible...
9
Sad to hear of his ACTUAL passing. He made us laugh and just as important for a small town like Coshocton, he made us proud.
9
Great write-up - the world needs more whimsy bombers like this :)
8
Hmmm.... has anyone actually seen the body?
8
He worked for a day as a liquid fertilizer salesman?
There's some irony here.
9
I had the great good fortune to meet Alan in the late 1960s. He gave me a bit part in his film “Is There Sex After Death?” — a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Alan was a one-off; a perceptive, intelligent, humorous, genius of a gadfly whose comedic wit relied not on brute force but, paradoxically, on subtlety dressed up in high heels and a boa.
In recent years we spoke and exchanged emails hoping to arrange a get-together at his favorite diner in Connecticut but something always got in the way.
Some advice: if you have an Alan Abel in your life, make time; get together.
37
I remember Abel with periodic publicity stunts in the '80s (innocent fun in a pre-internet era).
The truth is stranger than fiction though: I thought it was a hoax in the early days of the G.W. Bush administration when John Ashcroft was hired, & being a notorious prude, he ordered that all of the nude statues at the Justice Department building be covered in custom-made robes at a cost of several thousand dollars. That reminded me of Alan Abel, but this was no hoax!
56
@DennisD
It makes me wonder about Pence . .
19
@DennisD Bush's Attorney General John Ashcroft had the unique distinction of having lost his race for the Senate to a dead man----a fact which was known to every voter in Missouri!
13
@DennisD
Ahh, John Ashcroft, who lost his race for Senate to a dead man. Thanks for the memories.
14
I loved this guy he alone was making the press stay honest and they hated him for it because they kept falling for every single trick he came up with.
21
A perfect gem, only the way Margalit can write them.
21
Fascinating. I remember hearing about his hoaxes as a boy, and played his pieces written for snare drum from sheet music. I never knew the connection until now.
17
Never before heard of this man, but just the titles of some of these stunts made me laugh and I don't see how they would have harmed anyone. The most prescient one was surely "The Faking of A President".
40
Of course is he now outdone with the real 'faking of a President' RIP Mr. Abel.
6
To @Gregory Y,
I am the same way, having never heard of this guy until his obituary. But ia have to tell you that I am a fan of his humor. He has been there for a long time, and the comment he made about being a court jester is prescient.
7