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Maybe this should be on the S&C board, but it was a Magpie affair...
A mate of mine called Jim Griffin has written a book called "John Wren: A Life Reconsidered", and they launched it at Vic Park last night.
The publisher got up and said his bit, then Eddie gave a speech. He actually talked more about himself and Collingwood than he did the book, but that's fair enough I guess.
Eddie is a fascinating and convincing speaker in the flesh. He doesn't try to appear too smart, he's certainly got more up his sleeve than he presents (it makes it easy for people to underestimate him). He does make the odd mistake while speaking but he just rolls on with great charm and energy.
He said he identified strongly with John Wren, and the similarities are there: poor catholic background, entrepreneurial skills, ambition, political interests, loves the Pies, boundless energy etc.
I reckon Wren might have been smarter than Eddie-McGuire is no moron, he's quite sharp, but Wren was really big time, he built festival hall, fomented the TAB, presaged the development of Olympic park, did business with all the high rollers. Eddie isn't where Wren was at at the same age.
Also Eddie is a lot cleaner than Wren, who was involved in illeagal gambling in his younger days (most likely involving bribing police etc). Eddie wouldn't have done anything worse than a bit of creative accounting on his tax return (if that), or maybe chucking eggs in his teenage years. Still Eddie has picked a potent role model.
Then Griffin got up to talk. He's an old-school catholic academic, loves a stoush and is a great conversationalist. He pulled out a hefty tote bag stuffed with papers which didn't bode well, but the fella is a charming speaker, not an academic bore. He soon had the room laughing and nodding, and right in the palm of his hand (except for the one fella who snuck out).
He tore strips off Manning Clark (quite rightly too-he's a legend but makes some crass errors) and Frank Hardy, who he called a pathological liar (hard to deny). There's a oot of myths about Wren that need sinking, and Griffin sinks just about all of them.
He painted a great picture of Wren, as several have done before. I hadn't realised Wren was so big in showbiz, as well as a major player in politics (he helped out Doc Evatt and maybe even John Curtin, who didn't like him one bit).
Wren's been run down by the Left (because he wasn't a Commo) and the Right (because he was a jumped up catholic who wouldn't stay in his place). He was a very community minded fella who looked after the hard-up before there was the dole.
Griffin is a confident bloke, but not stupid. He said his book could be questioned, but I have to say its a lot better researched than the anti Wren stuff, which so often factually incorrect, and laughably fabricated.
The funniest bit was at the end. Griffin mentioned one of Manning Clarks stunning errors. Clark records that Phar Lap won 2 melbourne Cups-as any schoolboy knows, he only won one. One of Clarks apologistys explains that the great historian really meant Phar Lap should have won 2 cups. Eddie got up and said Manning Clark was now the official historian of Collingwood, and maybe he'd discover we won 40 flags (pity the bloke is dead).
Anyway its worth a read.
A mate of mine called Jim Griffin has written a book called "John Wren: A Life Reconsidered", and they launched it at Vic Park last night.
The publisher got up and said his bit, then Eddie gave a speech. He actually talked more about himself and Collingwood than he did the book, but that's fair enough I guess.
Eddie is a fascinating and convincing speaker in the flesh. He doesn't try to appear too smart, he's certainly got more up his sleeve than he presents (it makes it easy for people to underestimate him). He does make the odd mistake while speaking but he just rolls on with great charm and energy.
He said he identified strongly with John Wren, and the similarities are there: poor catholic background, entrepreneurial skills, ambition, political interests, loves the Pies, boundless energy etc.
I reckon Wren might have been smarter than Eddie-McGuire is no moron, he's quite sharp, but Wren was really big time, he built festival hall, fomented the TAB, presaged the development of Olympic park, did business with all the high rollers. Eddie isn't where Wren was at at the same age.
Also Eddie is a lot cleaner than Wren, who was involved in illeagal gambling in his younger days (most likely involving bribing police etc). Eddie wouldn't have done anything worse than a bit of creative accounting on his tax return (if that), or maybe chucking eggs in his teenage years. Still Eddie has picked a potent role model.
Then Griffin got up to talk. He's an old-school catholic academic, loves a stoush and is a great conversationalist. He pulled out a hefty tote bag stuffed with papers which didn't bode well, but the fella is a charming speaker, not an academic bore. He soon had the room laughing and nodding, and right in the palm of his hand (except for the one fella who snuck out).
He tore strips off Manning Clark (quite rightly too-he's a legend but makes some crass errors) and Frank Hardy, who he called a pathological liar (hard to deny). There's a oot of myths about Wren that need sinking, and Griffin sinks just about all of them.
He painted a great picture of Wren, as several have done before. I hadn't realised Wren was so big in showbiz, as well as a major player in politics (he helped out Doc Evatt and maybe even John Curtin, who didn't like him one bit).
Wren's been run down by the Left (because he wasn't a Commo) and the Right (because he was a jumped up catholic who wouldn't stay in his place). He was a very community minded fella who looked after the hard-up before there was the dole.
Griffin is a confident bloke, but not stupid. He said his book could be questioned, but I have to say its a lot better researched than the anti Wren stuff, which so often factually incorrect, and laughably fabricated.
The funniest bit was at the end. Griffin mentioned one of Manning Clarks stunning errors. Clark records that Phar Lap won 2 melbourne Cups-as any schoolboy knows, he only won one. One of Clarks apologistys explains that the great historian really meant Phar Lap should have won 2 cups. Eddie got up and said Manning Clark was now the official historian of Collingwood, and maybe he'd discover we won 40 flags (pity the bloke is dead).
Anyway its worth a read.