Andy Rooney has passed away at 92 after complications from minor surgery.
Andy would be the first to tell you that he had a wonderful life. And in fact, he did tell you exactly that in his final commentary on 60 Minutes which was aired barely a month ago. (See the video above if you missed it.)
Rooney was an old-school wordsmith. He was a loyal company man and a hard worker.
But here's why he mattered: Andy didn't seek to become a television personality. He was, through and through, a writer -- and a damned good one.
Andy wrote good crisp, clear, concise copy. He wrote short, succinct sentences. He avoided fancy writing and unnecessary adornment.
He followed all the rules of good writing but he knew that a really fine writer has to break a few rules, too. And he wasn't afraid to break rules when he had to.
Andy Rooney spoke his mind. But in an age of crassness and vulgarity, he said what he had to say in a clean, spare, smart style. He never insulted his audience's intelligence. He was never condescending. He came across as an everyman but an everyman who could put what you were thinking into just the right words. He had an ear for everyday language of real people -- real Americans.
Yes, he seemed cranky at times, but who isn't? And the crankiness was part of Andy Rooney's schtick -- it became a vital element of his persona.
Above all, Andy Rooney was pretty much just as you saw him. He went on the air as he was. The office he sat in was his actual office. The books behind him were his books. The junk on his often cluttered desk was his junk. The bushy eyebrows were all his, and so were the ruddy cheeks. That's just the way he was. And that's how you saw him.
Andy Rooney didn't want to be a celebrity.
He simply wanted to be Andy Rooney. That was his actual name and that's who he really was, always. That's all he aspired to be.
He was a thoroughly American member of the Greatest Generation who never sought to be a well-known person or a TV personality and never sought undue attention.
He was authentic.
And he will be greatly missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment