That’s my Mad Man ad man dad, man
Before he died, my ex-ad man dad saw a few episodes of the TV show Mad Men. He hated it—he said, because "you don't make great ads by drinking and having sex all day."
I think he hated it because it made him man jealous of his own working life, as an advertising creative director from the same era.
I'm going through some of Dad's old memos for a writing project, and came across this one, written to his counterpart on the Admiral appliance account, in 1967.
From: TOM MURRAY
Confidential
I was told the other day by Mr. Meyers that the old man at Admiral doesn't want sport coats, long hair, or colored shirts.
I will not, repeat will not tell my people what they can and can't wear, from sideburns to smoking jacket. [The agency chairman] made a tough speech about keeping out of our hair and letting us make advertising. Certainly if we aren't going to let them tell us what to write we're not going to let them tell us how to dress.
Just in case someone bugs you about this.
Tom
I always wished I had a boss like that, but I guess I'm lucky to have had a dad like that.
Progress: Fake it ’til you make it
This is the sort of statistic that, despite devastating funding cuts at all 600 Chicago Public Schools, further overcrowding their hot classrooms with dysfunctional kids and captained by teachers on the fence between apathy and uncontrolled rage, the Chicago School Superintendent would like us to take as good news.
From the Sun-Times last week:
"Reports of serious student behavior problems have dropped 77 percent at six targeted schools—and Chicago Schools CEO Ron Huberman credited his $60 million anti-violence initiative."
Yay.