Nonblogroll

Nonblogroll
: I’ve decided to start a list of people who should blog but don’t — the nonblogroll. A year ago, that list included Steven Johnson, but then he started blogging. So I thought it was time for a new list. My start:

: Dan Okrent, new public editor of The Times. He says he’s not going to but we should talk him into it, for a blog would be a great way to interact with the paper’s audience and critics; it would humanize the relationship and diffuse some of the gunpowder. And Dan’s a smart guy and a good writer.

: Kurt Andersen, host of Studio 360. I bugged him to blog once. He demured. He needs more bugging.

: Simon Dumenco, now editor of Colors. Even though he denies being a blogger, he is one, at heart.

: Tom Friedman, columnist for The Times. No introduction needed. Sure, he’s busy. But there must be a hundred ideas and links each week that don’t make it into his column. Share them, Tom.

: Maureen Dowd, columnist for The Times and blog whipping girl. Just because you’d all have so much fun.

: Michael Ledeen, columnist for the National Review. He interacts with bloggers, leaving comments here and on Iranian weblogs. He’s controversial. He’s interesting.

: John Podhoretz, columnist for the New York Post. He’s also very blogsmart and also controversial. I bugged him about blogging in email a few months ago; he said he’s busy writing a book. OK, John, when you’re done….

: Bill Clinton. The blogging President. He’s dying for a bully pulpit and a blog would be perfect.

: Howard Stern. Just the occasional link to something he likes.

Who else? Leave your nominations in the comments. If I agree, I’ll add them (because it’s my nonblogroll). [I’ll put them on the actual ‘roll later, when I’m not in Starbucks.]

: UPDATE: Good names coming into the comments. Keep ’em coming.

19 responses to “Nonblogroll”

  1. Alex Carnevale Avatar

    I would love to see some young, non-militant Palestinian bloggers.

  2. tom mangan Avatar

    I’m sure a conclusion could be drawn from the fact that all these famous influential newsies don’t have blogs, but it might not reflect too well on all us denizens of the blogosphere.

  3. norm rush Avatar

    definitely should be blogging: Russ Smith(MUGGER), Camille Paglia and Mark Steyn (Mark has a website with his articles and answers emails online but saves his best insights for his printed articles)

  4. Matt Avatar

    Howard Stern, could be the new ‘lanche guy. Last spring my wife (http://liquidcourage.blogmosis.com) wrote a few snarky posts about Dick Smothers Jr. and his new career in porn . He later appeared on Stern and she got around 8,000 hits over two days just from Google seaches.
    My vote is for P.J. O’Rourke, writing in the same style as CEO of the Sofa.

  5. Ed Avatar

    In no particular order:
    Hunter Thompson
    James Woods, the actor
    Mayor Bloomberg
    Jim Florentine (Frequent Stern Show guest)
    Larry David
    Susan Estrich

  6. Michael J. Totten Avatar

    I’d like to see blogs by Paul Berman, Salman Rushdie, and Christopher Hitchens.

  7. Dan Avatar

    Norman Podhoretz
    Shelby Steele
    Dennis Miller
    Peggy Noonan

  8. Howard Avatar

    Joe Queenan
    Anna Quinlan
    Tina Fey
    Colin Quinn
    Eddie Izzard
    Chris Rock
    George Carlin

  9. Tim Avatar

    Tina Fey — OK, but only if she spills the beans on the scar.
    Camille Paglia, Camille Paglia, Camille Paglia. Love her.

  10. tom mangan Avatar

    This is a fun exercise in wishful thinking, but the cranky skeptic in me wonders we oughta be careful what we wish for. For starters, all these famous people blogging will make it that much harder for any of the rest of us to attract an audience (admit it, you do check your hit counts) … and the time these people spend blogging will come at the expense of the time they’d spend doing the stuff that made us like them to begin with. It’s kinda like inviting celebrities to your birthday party … they become the center of attention and everybody forgets who the party’s for.

  11. jr Avatar

    Also in no particular order
    -Susan Sontag (for all the obvious reasons and because she’s infinitely more interesting than Maureen Dowd)
    -Michael Musto (the daddy of snark and an incomparable raconteur – Choire is damn good but could use the competition)
    – Martin Amis (a blog seems more suited to his rambling these days – let the games begin);
    – Joan Didion (a much-needed antidote to Tina Brown)
    – Steven Brill (because there’s always room for another aggressive legal/media watchdog of his caliber)
    – Robert Brustein (because the theater community needs more blogs by first-rate critics and commentators; Terry Teachout is terrific but could use some more company)

  12. Jeremy Brown Avatar

    In no particular order…
    On the basis of wit and talent, regardless of politics:
    Fran Liebowitz
    Mo Rocca (and/or any of his crowd)
    Keith Olberman
    Beck Hansen
    Robyn Hitchcock
    Paul Krassner
    Jackie Mason
    Robert Klein
    Anthony Lane
    Martin Amis
    Spike Lee
    For their political perspective:
    Christopher Hitchens!
    Ron Silver
    Michael Ignatieff
    Paul Berman
    Julius Lester
    Because they say the darnedest things:
    Marlon Brando
    Courtney Love
    Silvio Berlusconi
    A moderated assortment of guest bloggers: NYC subway lecturer/panhandlers; barroom cranks; Taxi drivers; Urban,rural,yankee,southern (etc.) know-it-alls.

  13. Greg Piper Avatar

    Will Saletan of Slate, one of the few insightful analysts out there with a much smaller audience than he should have. Matt Groening, the Simpsons creator, and Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park also – we know they have lots of opinions and can state them in a controversial and amusing way. Oh, and the Weekly Standard’s Matt Labash.

  14. KMK Avatar

    Cassandra Butts
    Shirin Ebadi
    Sabine Herold
    Faranaz Nazir
    Elaine Chao
    Ruth Bader Ginsburg
    Condoleezza Rice
    Jill Abramson
    Ann Telnaes
    Diana Jordan

  15. O' Avatar

    Me
    (heh)

  16. 'swonderful Avatar
    ‘swonderful

    Second that Maureen Dowd. I would never leave her comments box alone.
    Also. Fareed Zakaria, because everytime I think I have him figured out, he says something either Brilliant or Stupid. That just begs for blogging.

  17. Dave F Avatar

    Howard Stern could call his blog Not Safe for Work.

  18. Marcel Perez Avatar
    Marcel Perez

    Howard Stern could co-host a blog site with either Elephant Boy or Vin the Retard. That’s about the quality of intellectual exchange you could expect with a man from whom I have never heard a serious comment in his over 20 years on the airwaves.

  19. John Rambow Avatar

    How about Simon Doonan, of Barneys fame? His columns in the NY Observer are pretty bloggy to start with. He’s just fun to read, and he doesn’t take anything too seriously.