"I just passed a notable anniversary. It's been 40 years since I started writing this column. I had been doing scut work at local radio and television stations, waiting for the big break that looked like it was never going to come, when the Oakland Tribune hired me to be its gossip columnist. Only one hitch: I hated gossip. It's so negative, and it's all about celebrities; and the only thing they're usually famous for is being famous."
"All Hollywood sports flicks have the same plot: Guy comes from out of nowhere, becomes a star, turns into a real jerk, loses everything due to a fatal flaw. But his suffering teaches him the error of his ways, then fate rewards him by giving him his life back. In Alexander's case, the fatal law was alcoholism. In mine, it was arrogance."
A writer marked forty years since beginning a column after early scut work at radio and television stations led to a hiring at the Oakland Tribune as a gossip columnist. The writer disliked gossip and chose to profile ordinary, interesting people instead. Bosses noticed the deviation but tolerated it because of fan mail. Success bred arrogance, despite a sister's warning to value the work rather than fame. The career followed a familiar rise-and-fall arc, with an insulting column contributing to a later firing after the paper's sale and an unexpected lack of job offers.
Read at www.eastbaytimes.com
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