Dean Ing Soft Targets

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reaching toward the viewer, was a time-dishonored gesture: the stink-finger sa-lute.
Laughter welled up from the group and gey-sered. Althouse raised his beer in obeisance.
"Ah, about the monodigital scorn, Dahl," Charlie wavered, darting a look at Everett.
Althouse held his hands open, cradling an invisible medicine ball. "C'mon, Charlie, it's perfe
He too risked a sidelong glance at the FCC Commissioner. "And for its public use, our prece
was a recent vice-president."
D'Este: "Of which net?"
"Of the United bloody States," cried Althouse in mock exasperation. "And Rockefellers
Radio City. Yes it's naughty, and yes it's safe!"
"I'm inclined to agree," said Everett, "if it's done by a questionable character for a crucial ef
Chevy Chase, ah, had a finger in that deci-sion."
D'Este leaned the sketch against the solar panels. "A proper Charlie," he repeated, then looked
quickly. "Did you know that British slang for a total loser is a veddy propah Chahlie?"
"Poor Dahl," sighed Althouse. "Did you know that we picked the name `Charlie George' in 1
because semantic differential surveys told me they were the outstanding loser names in
English-speaking world? Bertie is good, 0llie is better; but Charlie George is the people's choice.
"Thanks for nothing," Everett chortled. "I always wondered why citizens band jargon for
FCC was `Uncle Charlie'." Althouse affected surprise, but not chagrin.
Charlie looked back into the middle-distance of his past. "I wasn't too keen to change my n
from Byron Krause to Charlie George," he re-flected, "until I thought about that poem."
Althouse saw curiosity in Everett's face and broke in. "I tacked up my doggerel on a sound-s
bulletin board, and Charlie saw people react, and bingo: Charlie George." He squinted into the
as though studying some sky-written stanza, then recited.
"Heroes all have lovely names,
Like Vance, or Mantz, or Lance or James;
But authors elevate my gorge
By naming losers Charles or George.
There's no suspense on the late, late show:
Big deal the bad guy's Chas., or Geo.
Goof-offs, goons, schliemiels and schmucks:
Georgies every one, or Chucks.
Since the days of big Jim Farley,
Fiction's fiends have been George and Charlie.
No wonder heroes all seem crass
To any guy named Geo. or Chas.
I think I'll change my name, by golly!
My last name's George. The nickname's Cholly."
Everett grinned around his swig of beer, but: "Obviously some of your earliest work," D'
purred.
"Point is, Dahl, it fitted the image I was after," the comedian insisted. "And it's been good to
Your logo is great, by the way; it is a proper charlie." He paused. "I want you to release it to
public domain."
The ensuing moment held a silence so deep, Everett's ear hurt. D'Este broke it with a stran-g
"Just give it away? Like some amateur? No " and there was horror in his hus
" residuals?"
"Oh, I'll pay, Dahl; don't I always? But I want the thing available with no restrictions, for
medium anywhere, anytime. PBS. Mad Mag-azine. The National Enquirer maybe."
"Madness. Madness," D'Este said again, aghast, his normal hyperbole unequal to this task.
reached for a beer.
When Rhone Althouse spoke again it was in almost fatherly tones. "I'm afraid you haven't b
listening very closely, Dahl. It's no accident that Charlie and I are planning to spring this ide
different networks. Charlie's the rudder of several steering committees where the power is in s
veepee. I have a little leverage in ABC and with any positive audience response we can slo
escalate the trend. IF there's no problem in, uh, certain quarters." He raised an eyebrow tow
Everett.
Everett traced a pattern on the label of his beer bottle, thinking aloud. "There shouldn't be
serious objection from us," he began. "It's in the public interest to pit media against terrorism
if you find yourselves in jeopardy it won't be from the Commission." He could not keep an edge
of his voice. "Personally I think you've waited too goddam long already."
"They nearly bagged an FCC man, you mean," Charlie prodded.
"No. Yes! That too. I can't deny personal feel-ings; but I was thinking of ENG people from t
networks, casually hashed like ants under a heel. That's why network execs care. That's why y
iron is hot. But so far I don't hear evidence of any broad scope in your plans."
The comedian bit off an angry reply and Everett realized, too late, that he teetered on the brin
a lecture that none of them needed. Charlie and Althouse had broached the idea months ea
looking for outside support that he represented. This group comprised, not prob-lem, but solutio [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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