Mar
3
3
Goodbye, Jon Swift
A wonderfully trenchant and biting satirical voice has left us. The great blogger Jon Swift – Al Weisel – has died. All of his many fans here and throughout the blogosphere will be mourning his loss.
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histrogeek said,
March 3, 2010 at 23:52
Truly the good die before their time. And the useless stick around like a bad smell. NRO and company, not you all, though you should get a physical (see first sentence).
actor212 said,
March 3, 2010 at 23:58
Al (Jon) was always willing to lend a hand to a C-List blogger like me, or pass along a word of encouragement if he found something particularly funny.
I will post a longer musing on his passing later, but I think the great testimony to him is that a) his mom was the one who went blogging to break the news and b) this blog’s comments almost came to a standstill once his death was revealed.
hells littlest angel said,
March 3, 2010 at 23:58
“Since the media is biased I get all my news from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and Jay Leno monologues.”
Jon Swift was brilliant. Such a loss.
commie atheist said,
March 3, 2010 at 23:58
I encourage all Sadly, Nosians to join the Facebook group (see the 2nd link above).
Squirrelgripper said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:00
/sadface. Colbert before there was Colbert.
RIP Al, thanks for the knowing laughs
actor212 said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:02
Colbert before there was Colbert, burt funnier.
Fixed for truthiness.
Scott said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:05
Well, crap. :(
Squirrelgripper said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:05
no doubt. Did it first, did it better
commie atheist said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:07
burt funnier
I rate for Ernie. But point taken.
Looch said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:07
Now, don’t they have to lose one?
(Shit, fuck, piss, etc)
commie atheist said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:09
Now, don’t they have to lose one?
Their bile, contempt and hatred for all things good keep them alive well past their sell-by dates. Case in point: Dick Cheney.
Jody said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:14
Further, the right have no intellectual giants to mourn, should they pass.
Somehow I can’t imagine anyone over there getting too worked up of Pantload kicked it, for example. Not even his mom.
Mothra said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:19
I can’t believe that. I wondered why he’d been silent for so many months. His columns were brilliant.
Jody said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:19
too worked up IF Pantload, etc.
Regardless. This sucks. RIP Mr. Swift.
Big Bad Bald Bastard said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:28
His satire was biting, and he bit the right people.
My condolences to his loved ones, this only compounds their already considerable loss.
kingubu said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:30
Man, you know, this really blows.
The top-drawer snark from ‘Jon Swift’ and S,N! was about they only thing that kept me from losing my damn mind during some of the Bush years.
kc said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:37
Damn. That’s just not fair.
g said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:42
He and Steve Gilliard are probably looking down and watching.
Batocchio said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:42
I just got the news a while ago. It’s a tremendous loss. Condolences and best wishes to his family and friends.
TomMil said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:44
My father recently passed away as well. I remember turning him onto Jon’s reviews of books he hadn’t read about 2 or 3 years ago and watching him laugh so hard while sitting at the computer that I thought I was going to have to perform cpr. I have missed reading Jon’s posts for the last year and may he rest in peace.
Xecky Gilchrist said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:52
How tragic. : (
PopeRatzo said,
March 4, 2010 at 0:53
Now, don’t they have to lose one?
To match this loss, they’d have to lose at least a few dozen.
I vote for Mark Levin to lead the way.
Patrick said,
March 4, 2010 at 1:40
Despite political disagreements (I’m a rightish libertarian), Swift was nice enough to nominate a blog I wrote for one of the many blogging awards he’d already, deservely, received. I had a number of email exchanges with him and found him to be unfailingly cordial.
The worst sin in Swift’s universe wasn’t to be a right-winger. It was to be a right-winger without a sense of humor. God speed you, Jon Swift.
actor212 said,
March 4, 2010 at 1:44
burt funnier
I rate for Ernie. But point taken.
I saw that when I typed it, but couldn’t correct it after hitting “submit”. I figured Jon would want me to suffer the slings and arrows to pierce my pomposity.
tonyd said,
March 4, 2010 at 1:49
What a tragic loss in the world o’ snark…checked and checked the site week after week – every single post was some form of pure genius !
You shall be sorely missed!
RIP
Lesley said,
March 4, 2010 at 2:02
The very talented Al Wiesel’s web page: http://www.livefastdieyoungbook.com/homepage.htm
His photo suggests he lived life to the fullest and enjoyed himself. Thank God for that.
Lesley said,
March 4, 2010 at 2:03
er..Weisel. (dsylexia)
RodeoBob said,
March 4, 2010 at 2:10
Yeah, he was doing the schtick long before Colbert picked it up, and he was sharper at it too…
Swift was a true gentleman blogger: his blogroll policy was respectful, clear, and deeply considerate for all those who struggled in obscurity. I remember his strident takedown of Atrios’ “Blogroll Amnesty” as the bit of doublespeak that it was.
Swift nailed conservatives to the wall, but didn’t spare liberals either. I have a clear recollection of his snark at the “Kos diarist strike” as being both pointless, and stupid.
Swift wrote the way I wish I could write: using the smallest blade in the most meticulous manner to give the most stinging cuts.
Jennifer said,
March 4, 2010 at 2:16
This. Sucks.
parsec said,
March 4, 2010 at 2:24
He skewered with a light, deft touch. R.I.P.
sjohntucson said,
March 4, 2010 at 3:07
Son of a bitch fucking bastard shit cock piss.
I am so, it is so, I am, there is, shit. There are no fucking words. Goddammit he was funny, and during the Great Derangement I often felt like he was the only writer who could truly present the crazy polished to a bright luster so that none, NONE could deny just How. Fucked. Up. the “conservative” point of view had become. I was, truth be told, a little miffed that he hadn’t posted in so damn long, and now I would give my left goddam nut for just one more paragraph of his brilliant, diamond-clear, white-hot funny….
and I am just a reader. I can’t even comprehend how those who knew him IRL can cope with his loss. I am barely coping with it.
Candy said,
March 4, 2010 at 3:20
So sorry to hear this. RIP.
skippy said,
March 4, 2010 at 4:06
he was so brilliant, that many readers (usually conservative) read his stuff and took it at face value.
tho i never met him in real life, i considered him my friend.
this is devastating news.
jim said,
March 4, 2010 at 4:30
Very sad news.
The mark of a great satirist is in how many of their targets fail to see the joke & instead praise them for it … & I’m willing to bet that even now there are a few wingnuts who will be shattered to learn that one of their best & brightest is gone.
El Cid said,
March 4, 2010 at 4:43
Bye Jon. You made me laugh in some of our darkest times.
gocart mozart said,
March 4, 2010 at 5:07
His life was all too swift.
tigrismus said,
March 4, 2010 at 5:09
The world is an emptier place, and Dick Cheney lives on. Proof here is no justice, nor mercy, nor karma, nor purpose. Foo.
islmfaoscist said,
March 4, 2010 at 5:14
I can’t believe it but I’m crying.
It’s just a really rare thing to run into someone who (as Letterman liked to say) understands the show.
And Al/Jon Swift, I mean this most sincerely: we hardly new ya, but we damn sure liked what you shared.
May you journey on to the best of all possible worlds, and encounter many tasty new recipes for poor babies.
alec said,
March 4, 2010 at 6:08
I’ve heard tell that it was an aneurysm, and if it’s any consolation I’ve learned via my father having to live with one that they’re about the quickest, least painful way of dying awake there is. Depending on where in the brain it is, it’s generally over before you’re sure there’s something wrong.
Pour one out for a homeboy.
Rightwingsnarkle said,
March 4, 2010 at 6:51
Jon Swift was simply the best.
Thanks for your thought-provoking humor and generous spirit, Al.
Rightwingsnarkle said,
March 4, 2010 at 6:57
PS – He had the slowest-loading blog I’ve ever seen, and I think it was intentional.
Porlock Junior said,
March 4, 2010 at 8:50
@jim–
Part of the big joke, a rather sweet one was that it was not just his targets who failed to get it. I followed a link a minute ago to a classic,
http://jonswift.blogspot.com/2006/08/science-is-dead.html
and right near the top of the comments we’ve got a tirade on what a stupid blog it is from an anon who quite surely is not playing satire games. Not really unusual at that blog, and perhaps as great an achievement as the number of wingnuts who didn’t get it. And educational for when we’re tempted to think that people On Our Side are the really sharp ones.
islamfaoscist said it, so I’ll say it again, Jonny we hardly knew ya.
Dhalgren said,
March 4, 2010 at 14:56
Jon Swift was simply awesome. He will be sadly missed.
actor212 said,
March 4, 2010 at 15:30
Y’know what I was reminded of this morning?
I was reminded that Jon Swift battled Facebook and won, over their policy of disallowing pseudonyms. He paved the way for a lot of people who wanted to scrupulously segregate their blogging/performing persona from their real lives, to avoid the kind of shit that Michelle Malkin would insist on imposing.
actor212 said,
March 4, 2010 at 15:31
I’ve heard tell that it was an aneurysm
Sadly, it was an aneurysm, but an aortic one. He suffered two on the way to his dad’s funeral last week.
He died on the operating table from a stroke.
Trilateral Chairman said,
March 4, 2010 at 16:05
I’d just like to say that his Michael Ledeen is Dead is one of the most nearly perfect bits of satire I’ve ever encountered.
Lunch Lady said,
March 4, 2010 at 19:19
Well, poop. Would a cookie help, kid?
Larkspur said,
March 4, 2010 at 22:16
Does anyone know if Jon’s mom needs help with medical or funeral expenses? Maybe it’s been discussed elsewhere. If so, I’d appreciate a link. Thanks.
Dr Zen said,
March 5, 2010 at 0:52
Now that fucking sucks.
Chuck Butcher said,
March 5, 2010 at 9:10
So long Jon, you will be missed. Is it irony that our sad stories are co-mingled?
Dr. Psycho said,
March 5, 2010 at 18:43
No, if karma were going to be balanced, the Right should *gain* someone as smart as Jon Swift, who would help them heal their diseased and dysfunctional movement. But I doubt there is such a person out there, or likely to be.
That man…I can think of no higher praise than to say that he deserved to use that name.
flawedplan said,
March 7, 2010 at 8:10
I loved his writerly gifts, but had a crush on Jon because he was so nurturing, and cared about building community, and being a quiet mentor. He brought out the best in us. Without browbeating or making people wrong. His every confrontation was a masterpiece of class and heart, I couldn’t get enough of him and now I never will.
meepmeep09 said,
March 9, 2010 at 7:13
test2
meepmeep09 said,
March 9, 2010 at 7:14
Al Weisel’s mother posted the following in the comments to the final post in ‘Jon Swift’s’ blog the morning after his Saturday burial. (I added linkage from the “Friends of Al Weisel, Unite!” text to the appropriate Facebook site.)
meepmeep09 said,
March 9, 2010 at 7:15
test3
meepmeep09 said,
March 9, 2010 at 7:16
Al Weisel’s mother posted the following in the comments to the final post in ‘Jon Swift’s’ blog the morning after his Saturday burial. (I added the linkage from the “Friends of Al Weisel, Unite!” text to the appropriate Facebook site.)