J.D. Salinger was no goddam phony

So J.D. Salinger died last week. Salinger, a World War II veteran who saw some of the most intense and horrific fighting in the history of mankind in Europe, tried desperately to become a famous author. With the publication of Catcher in the Rye, he became famous in the era before cable television, before the internet, and before (gasp) blogs. Salinger became more famous than he found comfortable and retreated from society making little impact on the world save a few more books and his death last week at 91, and possibly the thousands upon thousands of pages he wrote during his seclusion that might see the light of day now that Salinger has passed on. We will learn what his will says about that.

In a bizarre parallel to the death of the Great Author, the Grammy Awards were held the weekend following his death. Award shows these days are a festival of people with both small and large talent trying desperately to attain what Salinger obtained and shunned -- fame.

I think about the young people on cable who are famous because their father is a lawyer who once was part of a famous trial and because their stepfather is a famous athlete but who have no other readily apparent talents of their own. It is not disturbing that they seek fame, it is disturbing that they have attained it. What's next, becoming famous for being the vapid heiress of a hotel fortune?

For all of the media whoring that goes on in the world for temporary notoriety -- even it means launching a silver balloon into the air while hiding a child in the attic -- the people who seek the limelight with no great lessons or art or athletic skill to offer history will, fortunately, soon be forgotten.

While the talents of a man who never did a 60 Minutes interview or walked on a red carpet to the flashing cameras will live on.

Salinger, you see, was no goddam phony.