It’s interesting that John Ross can manage to turn a tragedy into something about himself. He professes – many times – to be a journalist and aspires to be like his name-dropped “heroes” Thompson and Kerouac.
The fire seems less than tangentially connected to Mr. Ross’s rhetoric on the road. The two very different sections seem to have been written at another time and forced together in order to make him look like a sensitive guy. Even if the musings did come from the tragedy, they still have no business together.
Reductively, journalism is about who, what, when, where and why. Editorially, yes, it can be about “me.” Unfortunately, Mr. Ross’s journalism comes across as inappropriate and self-serving.
Stephen Kennedysenior in theater
