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puts it which makes her so entertaining. A sledgehammer
cracking a nut; the spectres of Dorothy Parker and
Marx ganging up on straw-celebs like Catherine Zeta
Jones and Michael Douglas is sometimes just what you
need. Can we really imagine a nice campaigning little
Julie Burchill? Brrrr. I must have been even more pissed
than I imagined.
The day after our meet, amidst the industrial hangover,
I reflect on the massive hatred Julie inspires. Two
years back she managed to take the number 85 spot
in the Channel 4’s most hated Britons poll. Not high
enough in her view I’m sure. But why was she there?
Because of her narcissism, arrogance and self-obsession?
I’d hazard a guess she’s not the only columnist to
suffer such flaws. She is however one of the very few to
openly acknowledge it, sign-post it, flaunt it, and make
a very good joke out of it.
Because of extreme opinions, repeating her obsessions?
Let’s think of these wonderful creatures we
call “columnists”. Richard Littlejohn, Gary Bushell
BUY Julie Burchill books online from and
… straight-off bigots peddling the same old poison
week after week, and always kicking the weak, never
the strong, with far higher readerships too – not on
the list. The late-now-but-not-then Lynda Lee-Potter,
bitching hideously about celebs throughout her whole
career, bigger readership again. Her name’s not down,
she’s not coming in. A hundred odd male journalists
with just as ‘messy’ private lives as Julie; they don’t
get the spawn of Beelzebub treatment either. Could the
fact that she can write each one of them into the dirt at
least partially explain this bonfire of loathing? I rather
think it could. Julie says people who write hatefully
about chavs reveal more about themselves than they
do of their targets. Perhaps there’s an element of selfidentification
with that. And perhaps she’s right.
Of course I’m hopelessly, and rather pathetically
compromised (there, I’ve said it first) by spending
sloshed out time in her charming and generous presence.
But I wasn’t disappointed. And long may she rain
bile over us. �
133
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