Marginal Revolution: Assorted links

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Assorted links

1. Classical music recording is bigger than ever

2. Profile of Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño

3. Markets in everything: durians that don't smell

4. Virginia Postrel's next book, on glamour, an outline

5. It seems that fascist Lawrence Dennis was actually black

6. History's 100 most influential people, as selected by the Japanese

Posted by Tyler Cowen on April 9, 2007 at 01:16 PM in The Arts | Permalink

Comments

the japanese list is hilarious. no ancient greeks. napoleon #2 and caesar 43?! and of course, majority Japanese.

Posted by: michael vassar at Apr 9, 2007 1:19:59 PM

I second that. Jean of Arc? Is this Bill and Ted's?

Posted by: Rue Des Quatre Vents at Apr 9, 2007 1:22:26 PM

Elvis Presley is ranked as more important than Galileo. If not for the Japanese names on the list, you might think it was US teenagers.

Posted by: joan at Apr 9, 2007 1:36:25 PM

I think Kenny Blankenship and Vic Romano both belonged on the 100 Most Infliential list.

Posted by: jp at Apr 9, 2007 1:51:47 PM

How could you not love a list where Bruce Lee just edges out DaVinci?

Posted by: TerriW at Apr 9, 2007 2:04:32 PM

Audrey Hepburn?

Posted by: josh at Apr 9, 2007 2:10:18 PM

Note, the title is "Histories 100 Most Influential people: Hero Edition."

I repeat, "Hero Edition." Tyler Cowen's characterization is a little misleading.

Posted by: Jack at Apr 9, 2007 2:23:27 PM

In Singapore, I once had a friend describe the durian experience as like eating a delicious cream custard in the middle of a public toilet. Personally, I've never been able to get past the smell.

Posted by: Ned at Apr 9, 2007 3:05:17 PM

52: Freddie Mercury - HAHAHAHA, even if it is a 'hero' edition, that's still hilarious.

Posted by: Shaun at Apr 9, 2007 3:34:56 PM

From the hatemongering rant published in the Guardian:

"America's number one intellectual fascist" was, in fact, a light-skinned African American, born in the segregated South - although he "passed" for white among the greatest race hatemongers known to mankind.

Given this is an article about fascists and Nazis, that last lie is particularly mendacious. It was those "greatest race hatemongers known to mankind" who played a major role in liberating Europe from the Nazis - who apparently were, according to the Guradian, less prone to race hatemongering.

Posted by: Randolph at Apr 9, 2007 3:53:22 PM

From the durian article: “'To anyone who doesn’t like durian it smells like a bunch of dead cats,' said Bob Halliday, a food writer in based Bangkok. 'But as you get to appreciate durian, the smell is not offensive at all. It’s attractive. It makes you drool like a mastiff.'”

That sounds like something Proust would have said about ... something else ... if Proust weren't gay.

Posted by: jp at Apr 9, 2007 4:14:05 PM

Randolph, I believe when they are referring to the Nazis when they say "greatest race hatemongers", as Dennis met with high-ranking Nazis. What does seem to be an error is that they refer to Charles Lindbergh as "pro-Nazi", which is a bit like calling people who opposed the war in Iraq "pro-Saddam", although even they for the most part (unlike Lindbergh) haven't served in the war they opposed our entry into.

Posted by: TGGP at Apr 9, 2007 4:22:01 PM

Re: Classical music. At least one part of the accompanying blog post is highly misleading. In 1990, cassette sales were higher than CD sales... and cassettes have dwindled to almost nothing
1990 CD+Cassette Sales: 728.7 x .031 = 22.6 million
2005 CD+Cassette Sales: 707.9 x .024 = 17.0 million

Adding back in iTunes won't help.

Posted by: Jonathan at Apr 9, 2007 5:18:22 PM

"as selected by the Japanese"?

That list was selected by a TV program. It is no more representative of "the Japanese" than a History Channel special would represent the opinions of "the Americans".

"The Japanese" are not a hive mind, Mr. Cowen.

Posted by: Mr. Noah at Apr 9, 2007 8:25:55 PM

I agree with the Freddy Mercury line, I got a kick out of that.

At least they picked Teddy over FDR, who didn't make the cut.

Posted by: happyjuggler0 at Apr 9, 2007 8:35:26 PM

Hmmmm, I just noticed the Japanese list was dated April 1. Coincidence?

Posted by: happyjuggler0 at Apr 9, 2007 8:39:17 PM

I expected the list to be different from Michael S. Hart's "The 100 Most Influential People," but I thought Hart made a good case for his No.1--Mohammed. I am surprised that Mohammed didn't make the list at all.

Posted by: lee at Apr 9, 2007 9:27:31 PM

"a bit like calling people who opposed the war in Iraq "pro-Saddam", although even they for the most part (unlike Lindbergh) haven't served in the war they opposed our entry into."

This comparison is true, but the little addition in the end is sort of silly. After all, most of the people who supported the Iraq war have not served in any way, either. World War II was a very different sort of war.

Posted by: RWB at Apr 9, 2007 9:46:56 PM

un-smelly durians are for wimps!

Posted by: __earth at Apr 10, 2007 2:22:54 AM

You are right, RWB, but if someone had argued against the Iraq war but then after it started enlisted in the army and served there (as odd as that sounds, my best friend did just that), it would be extremely odd to call them "pro-Saddam". It's not quite a perfect analogy since Lindbergh served in combat in the Pacific theater (and as a civilian since he was not permitted to rejoin the Army), but I think it gets the point across. I was not trying to put down critics of the Iraq war or suggesting that declining to serve in it is a mark against one's character, since I fall under both categories.

Posted by: TGGP at Apr 10, 2007 2:28:04 AM

My experience with the durian was that its infamous smell, as well as its compensatory deliciousness, are both greatly exaggerated. OTOH, my traveling associates were quite clamorous about the aroma of my snack, so perhaps I am just unique.

Posted by: Jason Malloy at Apr 10, 2007 5:05:44 AM

The WashPost piece is not a Bolaño profile, or even silhouette, but about publishing angels finding angles for Anglos. Here's a Bolaño profile.

Posted by: nnyhav at Apr 11, 2007 8:34:25 AM

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