Surely you’ve heard of “This Town?” It’s the book–written by New York Times Magazine correspondent Mark Leibovich–that Washington is currently buzzing about because of the bevy of famous-for-Washington personalities blasted throughout it. (Well, not blasted exactly, but let’s just say some of the portrayals aren’t pretty.)
On Tuesday night, Leibovich took “This Town” to the town, appearing at the Politics and Prose bookstore in upper Northwest D.C. The event was packed, with more than 300 people smushed into the store to see what Leibovich had to say.
The author said he’s mostly received “how dare he” criticism of the tome, but not for doing anything wrong journalistically speaking. “But, ‘how dare he,’ in, ‘how about those unwritten rules that members of the club are not supposed to write critically about other members of the club?’ Isn’t that sort of a violation?” Leibovich explained, with “the club” being made up of D.C. insiders.
That being said, the author is no stranger to awkward encounters with prominent Washingtonians thanks to having written a number of political profiles over the years.
A favorite, recalled one audience member, was one Leibovich penned on “Hardball” host Chris Matthews back in 2008. Matthews’ friends found the profile spot on. “I think pretty much everyone who knows him says I captured him,” Leibovich said.
Matthews, on the other hand, was not happy. And he expressed it when both men were at a party being hosted by former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and his wife Sally Quinn.
“[Matthews] kept saying, ‘you cost me a job I really, really wanted,’ and I had no idea what he was talking about,” Leibovich recalled, noting that the “Meet the Press” job was open at the time and that Matthews was mulling a run for the U.S. Senate. “Anyways, he sort of stormed away and actually Ben Bradlee overheard this and he kind of shrugged…and said…’f— him,’ and then he told me to ‘keep my pecker up.’ That’s Ben’s big thing that he tells people.”
Throughout his book, Leibovich writes about the ease in which Washingtonians get second acts. And when it comes to his relationship with Matthews, the rule applies. “Then four years later, at the last party, I saw Chris…and he said, ‘you know, you’re an assassin, but you’re a mentsch and the fact that I like you again proves that I’m not really Irish,’” Leibovich said, quoting Matthews.
