Matt Taibbi: Difference between revisions
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After the death of conservative commentator [[Andrew Breitbart]], in March 2012, Taibbi wrote an obituary in ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'', titled "Andrew Breitbart: Death of a Douche".<ref>{{Cite web|title = Andrew Breitbart: Death of a Douche|url = https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/andrew-breitbart-death-of-a-douche-20120301|accessdate = 2015-08-26}}</ref> Many conservatives were angered by the obituary, though Taibbi claimed that it was "at least half an [[Homage (arts)|homage]]", claiming respect for aspects of Breitbart's style but also alluding to Breitbart's own openly derisive obituary of [[Ted Kennedy]]. |
After the death of conservative commentator [[Andrew Breitbart]], in March 2012, Taibbi wrote an obituary in ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'', titled "Andrew Breitbart: Death of a Douche".<ref>{{Cite web|title = Andrew Breitbart: Death of a Douche|url = https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/andrew-breitbart-death-of-a-douche-20120301|accessdate = 2015-08-26}}</ref> Many conservatives were angered by the obituary, though Taibbi claimed that it was "at least half an [[Homage (arts)|homage]]", claiming respect for aspects of Breitbart's style but also alluding to Breitbart's own openly derisive obituary of [[Ted Kennedy]]. |
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In 2017, Taibbi came under fire for excerpts from ''The Exile: Sex, Drugs, and Libel in the New Russia'', which Taibbi had co-authored with [[Mark Ames]] in 1999. The excerpts detail the sexual harassment of employees at ''The Exile''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2017/10/27/twenty-years-ago-in-moscow-matt-taibbi-was-a-misogynist-asshole-and-possibly-worse|title=Twenty years ago, in Moscow, Matt Taibbi was a misogynist asshole—and possibly worse|author= Aimee Levitt|date=October 27, 2017|publisher=[[Chicago Reader]]|accessdate=2017-10-30}}</ref> Taibbi called the behavior described “reprehensible” and said it was fiction.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155396910849652&set=a.10154385776759652.1073741825.602324651&type=3&theater|title=Matt Taibbi October 26, 2017 Facebook post|accessdate=2017-10-30}}</ref> The book itself, however, contains a note saying that it is a work of non-fiction.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/people-taibbi/u-s-journalist-faces-sexual-harassment-furor-over-memoir-idUSL2N1N30IH|title=U.S. journalist faces sexual harassment furor over memoir|author=Dan Whitcomb|date=October 28, 2017|publisher=[[Reuters]]|accessdate=2017-10-30}}</ref> |
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== Bibliography == |
== Bibliography == |
Revision as of 20:29, 30 October 2017
Matt Taibbi | |
---|---|
![]() Taibbi in 2008 | |
Born | Matthew C. Taibbi March 2, 1970 |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Bard College (BA) |
Occupation(s) | Journalist, political writer, columnist |
Spouse | Jeanne |
Relatives | Mike Taibbi (father) |
Matthew C. "Matt" Taibbi (/taɪˈiːbi/; born March 2, 1970) is an American author and journalist. Taibbi has reported on politics, media, finance, and sports, and has authored several books, including Insane Clown President (2017),[1] The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap (2014), Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America (2010) and The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion (2009).
Personal life and early years
Matt Taibbi was born in 1970 to Mike Taibbi, an NBC television reporter, and his wife. According to Matt, his surname Taibbi is a Sicilian name of Lebanese/Arabic origin, but his father, who is partly of Filipino-Hawaiian descent,[2] was adopted as a child by a Sicilian-American couple who possessed the surname.[3] He grew up in the Boston, Massachusetts, suburbs. He attended Concord Academy in Concord, Massachusetts, and graduated in 1992[4] from Bard College located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. He spent a year abroad studying at Saint Petersburg Polytechnical University in Russia. Taibbi is atheist/agnostic.[5]
Career
Taibbi lived and worked in Russia and the former USSR for more than six years. He joined Mark Ames in 1997 to co-edit the English-language Moscow-based, bi-weekly free newspaper, The eXile, which was written primarily for the city's expatriate community. The eXile's tone and content were highly controversial. To some, its commentary was brutally honest and gleefully tasteless; others considered it juvenile, misogynistic, and even cruel.[6][7][8] In the U.S. media, Playboy magazine published pieces on Russia both by Taibbi and by Taibbi and Ames together during this time. In 2000, Taibbi published his first book, The Exile: Sex, Drugs, and Libel in the New Russia. He later stated that he was addicted to heroin while he did this early writing.[9]
In 2002, he returned to the U.S. to start the satirical bi-weekly The Beast in Buffalo, New York. He left that publication, saying that "Running a business and writing is too much." Taibbi continued as a freelancer for The Nation, Playboy, New York Press (where he wrote a regular political column for more than two years), Rolling Stone, and New York Sports Express (as Editor at Large).
Taibbi left the New York Press in August 2005. It was shortly after his editor Jeff Koyen was forced out over issues raised by Taibbi's column, "The 52 Funniest Things About The Upcoming Death of The Pope".[10][11][12] "I have since learned that there would not have been an opportunity for me to stay anyway", Taibbi later wrote.[13]
Taibbi became a Contributing Editor at Rolling Stone, writing feature-length articles on domestic and international affairs. He also wrote a weekly political online column, titled "The Low Post", for the magazine's website.[14]
Taibbi covered the 2008 presidential campaign for Real Time with Bill Maher.[15] He was invited as a guest on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show[16] and other MSNBC programs. He also has appeared on Democracy Now![17] and Chapo Trap House,[18] and served as a contributor on Countdown with Keith Olbermann.[19] Taibbi is an occasional guest on the Thom Hartmann radio and TV shows. He is a regular contributor/guest on the Imus in the Morning Show' on the Fox Business network.
Financial journalism
His July 2009 Rolling Stone article "The Great American Bubble Machine" described Goldman Sachs as "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money".[20][21][22] In financial and political media the expression "Vampire Squids" has come to represent the perception of the financial and investment sector as entities that "sabotage production" and "sink the economy as they suck the life out of it in the form of rent".[23]
Tackling the assistance to banks given in foreclosure courts, Taibbi traveled to Jacksonville, Florida to observe the "rocket docket." He concluded that it processed foreclosures without regard to the legality of the financial instruments being ruled upon, and sped up the process to enable quick resale of the properties, while obscuring the fraudulent and predatory nature of the loans.[24]
Financial scandals were frequently headlines in 2012, and Taibbi's analyses of their machinations brought him invitations as an expert to discuss events on nationally broadcast television programs.[25][26] In a discussion of the Libor revelations, Taibbi's coverage [27] was singled out by Dennis Kelleher, president of Better Markets, Inc., as most important on the topic and required reading.
In February 2014, Taibbi joined First Look Media to head a financial and political corruption-focused publication called Racket.[28] However, after management disputes with First Look's leadership delayed its launch and led to its cancellation, Taibbi returned to Rolling Stone the following October.[29]
Sports journalism
Taibbi also wrote a column called "The Sports Blotter" for the free weekly newspaper, The Boston Phoenix, until September 2010. He covered arrests, civil suits, and criminal trials involving professional, college and at times, high school athletes.
Awards
In 2008, Taibbi was awarded the National Magazine Award in the category "Columns and Commentary" for his Rolling Stone columns.[30] He won a Sidney Award in 2009 for his article "The Great American Bubble Machine".[31]
Controversy
In March 2005, Taibbi's satirical essay, "The 52 Funniest Things About the Upcoming Death of the Pope",[32] published in the New York Press, was denounced by Hillary Clinton, Michael Bloomberg, Matt Drudge, Abe Foxman, and Anthony Weiner. Subsequently, the editor who approved the column was fired.[33] Taibbi defended the piece as "off-the-cuff burlesque of truly tasteless jokes," written to give his readers a break from a long run of his "fulminating political essays". Taibbi also said he was surprised at the vehement reactions to what he wrote "in the waning hours of a Vicodin haze".[34]
Journalist James Verini, while interviewing Taibbi in a Manhattan restaurant for Vanity Fair, said Taibbi cursed and threw a coffee at him, then accosted him as he tried to get away, all in response to Verini's volunteered opinion that Taibbi's book, The Exile: Sex, Drugs, and Libel in the New Russia, was "redundant and discursive".[35] The interview took place in 2010, and Taibbi later described the incident as "an aberration from how I've behaved in the last six or seven years".[36]
After the death of conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart, in March 2012, Taibbi wrote an obituary in Rolling Stone, titled "Andrew Breitbart: Death of a Douche".[37] Many conservatives were angered by the obituary, though Taibbi claimed that it was "at least half an homage", claiming respect for aspects of Breitbart's style but also alluding to Breitbart's own openly derisive obituary of Ted Kennedy.
In 2017, Taibbi came under fire for excerpts from The Exile: Sex, Drugs, and Libel in the New Russia, which Taibbi had co-authored with Mark Ames in 1999. The excerpts detail the sexual harassment of employees at The Exile.[38] Taibbi called the behavior described “reprehensible” and said it was fiction.[39] The book itself, however, contains a note saying that it is a work of non-fiction.[40]
Bibliography
Books
- The Exile: Sex, Drugs, and Libel in the New Russia (ISBN 0-8021-3652-4). Co-authored with Mark Ames, and published in 2000 with a foreword by Eduard Limonov. A movie based on the book is under development by producers Ted Hope and James Schamus of Good Machine.[41]
- Spanking the Donkey: On the Campaign Trail with the Democrats, (ISBN 1-56584-891-8). A campaign diary from the 2004 US presidential election, published by New Press in 2005.
- Spanking the Donkey: Dispatches from the Dumb Season, (ISBN 978-0307345714). Published by Three Rivers Press (August 22, 2006).
- Smells Like Dead Elephants: Dispatches from a Rotting Empire, (ISBN 0-8021-7041-2). Published by Grove Press, Black Cat in 2007.
- The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics & Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire, (ISBN 0-385-52034-4). Published by Spiegel & Grau in 2008.
- Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America, (ISBN 0-385-52995-3). Published by Spiegel & Grau in 2010.
- The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap, (ISBN 978-0812993424). Published by Spiegel & Grau (April 8, 2014).
- Insane Clown President: Dispatches from the 2016 Circus, (ISBN 978-0399592461). Published by Spiegel & Grau (January 17, 2017).
- I Can't Breathe: A Killing on Bay Street, (ISBN 978-0812988840). Published by Spiegel & Grau (October 24, 2017).
Selected works
- Archive of Rolling Stone "The Low Post" articles
- Archive of Taibbi's articles in The Nation
- Archive of Taibbi's AlterNet articles
- "Wall Street's Naked Swindle"
- "The Truth About the Tea Party"
- "The Great American Bubble Machine: How Goldman-Sachs Blew up the Economy"
- "Invasion of the Home Snatchers"
References
- ^ "Matt Taibbi's New Book: 'Insane Clown President'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ Mike Taibbi (January 20, 2009). "Obama's story inspires search for roots". NBC. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
- ^ https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/552583735682424833
- ^ Stavru, William (12 November 2012). "Interview: Matt Taibbi '92". Bard College. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ 'Interview with Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi', friendlyatheist.com, 29 April 2008 (accessed 10 May 2008).
- ^ Rolling Stone Magazine, issue 800, November 26th 1998.
- ^ Jack Hamann (1999-09-23). "The Russia Factor" (Reprint). CNN Perspectives. (see also Hamann's site)
- ^ Martha Bayne (July 13, 2000). "Beast in the East: In Moscow's Exile, hard news jumps in bed with misogyny and mayhem". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
- ^ Lost Exile. Vanity Fair
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-10-26. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Buffalo Beast reprint of original NYPress article - ^ Jeff Koyen's Exit Interview Archived 2005-11-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 14, 2006. Retrieved November 11, 2005.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Taibbi, Matt (2005-08-24). "New York Press - MATT TAIBBI - End of the Road". Nypress.com. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
- ^ Matt Taibbi: Rolling Stone Archived December 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Real Time: Matt Taibbi follows the Clinton campaign in Youngstown, Ohio"
- ^ "The Rachel Maddow Show Guest List: Week of March 30, 2009". Retrieved 2009-04-01.
- ^ ""Worst Congress Ever: Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi on How Our National Legislature Has Become a "Stable of Thieves and Perverts""". 2006-10-27.
- ^ ""Episode 11 - Cranking the Donkey feat. Matt Taibbi "". 2016-05-22.
- ^ Stelter, Brian (20 June 2011). "At New Network, Olbermann Sets Sights on MSNBC". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
- ^ "Matt Taibbi". Investopedia. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ Salmon, Felix (2011). "Giant Sucking Sound". Book Forum.
- ^ Taibbi, Matt (July 13, 2009). "The Great American Bubble Machine". Rolling Stone (1082–1083).
- ^ L. Randall Wray, "Growing recognition of the need for the Job Guarantee", EconoMonitor, 16 January 2014
- ^ Taibbi, Matt, "Invasion of the Home Snatchers", Rolling Stone, 10 November 2010
- ^ June 22, 2012 Bill Moyers Show
- ^ July 4, 2012 Viewpoint with Elliot Sputzer
- ^ Taibbi, Matt, Why is Nobody Freaking Out About the LIBOR Scandal?, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2012
- ^ Somaiya, Ravi (2014-02-19). "Start-Up Site Hires Critic of Wall St". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
- ^ McCarthy, Tom (31 October 2014). "Matt Taibbi returning to Rolling Stone after split from First Look Media". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ "Magazine Publishers of America, NMA Winners". Magazine.org. 2010-04-22. Archived from the original on 2008-07-28. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Matt Taibbi, Hillman Foundation". Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- ^ "The 52 Funniest Things About The Upcoming Death of The Pope". Archived from the original on 2015-10-26. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "New York Press Editor Quits Over Article". The New York Times. 8 March 2015.
- ^ "Keep Pope Alive" Archived 2008-01-19 at the Wayback Machine, March 16, 2005, New York Press. Retrieved Mar 29, 2010.
- ^ Verini, James (2010-02-23). "Lost Exile | Culture". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
- ^ "The Father of the Squid | The New York Observer". Observer.com. 2010-10-19. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
- ^ "Andrew Breitbart: Death of a Douche". Retrieved 2015-08-26.
- ^ Aimee Levitt (October 27, 2017). "Twenty years ago, in Moscow, Matt Taibbi was a misogynist asshole—and possibly worse". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
- ^ "Matt Taibbi October 26, 2017 Facebook post". Retrieved 2017-10-30.
- ^ Dan Whitcomb (October 28, 2017). "U.S. journalist faces sexual harassment furor over memoir". Reuters. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
- ^ "Search at". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
Further reading
Interviews
- "Looting Main Street" video by Democracy Now!, April 12, 2010
- 23 April 2011, 25 April 2010, 9 July 2009, 14 April 2005 interviews on Behind the News with Doug Henwood
- Matt Taibbi: "Why Isn’t Wall Street in Jail?" (Complete Interview) on Democracy Now!, February 22, 2011
- Covering Up Wall Street Crimes: Matt Taibbi Exposes How SEC Shredded Thousands of Investigations on Democracy Now!, August 23, 2011
- "Too Crooked to Fail": Matt Taibbi Says Bailouts, Fraud are the Secrets to Bank of America’s Success on Democracy Now!, March 22, 2012
- Matt Taibbi on the Explosive Resignation of Goldman Sachs Executive Greg Smith on Democracy Now!, March 22, 2012
- Matt Taibbi: Libor Rate-Fixing Scandal "Biggest Insider Trading You Could Ever Imagine" on Democracy Now!, July 19, 2012
- Matt Taibbi Explains Wall Street’s "License to Steal," Offshore Tax Havens and Private Equity Firms on Democracy Now!, July 30, 2012
- Matt Taibbi: The Secret to Mitt Romney’s Fortune? Greed, Debt and Forcing Others to Foot the Bill on Democracy Now!, August 30, 2012
- Matt Taibbi: After Laundering $800 Million in Drug Money, How Did HSBC Executives Avoid Jail? on Democracy Now!, December 13, 2013
- Matt Taibbi on the Unfolding Libor Scandal and What Sen. DeMint’s Departure Means for Fractured GOP on Democracy Now!, December 13, 2012
- Matt Taibbi & William Black on Bailout Secrets & How New Foreclosure Deal Spares Banks from Justice on Democracy Now!, January 11, 2013
- Matt Taibbi: U.S. Student Loan Bubble Saddles a Generation With Debt and Threatens the Economy on Democracy Now!, August 20, 2013
- Matt Taibbi on How Wall Street Hedge Funds Are Looting the Pension Funds of Public Workers on Democracy Now!, September 26, 2013
- Matt Tiabbi, author of Divide: American Injustice and the Age of the Wealth Gap. Interview with Mitch Jeserich on KPFA, April 14, 2014
- Who Goes To Jail? Matt Taibbi on American Injustice Gap From Wall Street to Main Street on Democracy Now!, April 15, 2014
- Matt Taibbi and Bank Whistleblower on How JPMorgan Chase Helped Wreck the Economy, Avoid Prosecution on ''Democracy Now!, November 7, 2014
- Matt Taibbi: World’s Largest Banks Admit to Massive Global Financial Crimes, But Escape Jail (Again) on Democracy Now!, May 21, 2015
- Matt Taibbi on Baltimore, Freddie Gray and How Legal System Covers Up Police Violence on Democracy Now!, May 21, 2015
- Eric Holder Returns to Wall Street-Tied Law Firm After Years of Refusing to Jail Bankers on Democracy Now!, July 8, 2015
- Matt Taibbi on Trump's Position on NATO, Russia & his Campaign Head's $13 Million Scandal in Ukraine on Democracy Now!, August 16, 2016
Biographical works
- Lloyd Grove column featuring denouncements, The New York Daily News
- Background: Matt Taibbi in Bullpen, a publication of the New York University school of journalism
- "Fed Time for Gonzo at Rolling Stone: Political Reporter Matt Taibbi Surrounds Capitol Hill With Barbed Ire", The Washington Post
- "Lost Exile: The unlikely life and sudden death of The Exile, Russia's angriest newspaper", Vanity Fair
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- 1970 births
- Living people
- American male journalists
- American journalists
- American political writers
- American male writers
- 21st-century American newspaper founders
- American expatriates in Russia
- American atheists
- New York Press people
- American columnists
- Bard College alumni
- Writers from Boston
- 20th-century American writers
- 21st-century American writers
- Rolling Stone people
- American finance and investment writers
- American writers of Filipino descent
- American people of Native Hawaiian descent