Episode 481: The Other Guy Was No Joke
Summary
This episode explores the fascinating life of Joe Flaherty, a high school dropout and dock worker who became a celebrated writer for The Village Voice. His son, Liam, shares insights into Joe's observations of New York's deindustrialization and evolving diversity, as well as his challenging role managing Norman Mailer and Jimmy Breslin's visionary yet theatrical 1969 mayoral campaign. The discussion also touches on Flaherty's love for sports, the changing face of Brooklyn, and the "writer's life."Episode description
Joe Flaherty was a dock worker and high school dropout on the wrong side of 30 when he found an unexpected writer’s life beginning as a columnist for the Village Voice. A couple years later, he was running the 51st State campaign of Norman Mailer and Jimmy Breslin as two of the city’s most famous writers made their bid to run it on a 51st State platform built around the idea of giving New Yorkers more control of their own neighborhoods and slogans including “No More Bullshit” and “The Other Guys Are The Joke.”
Joe’s son Liam joins Lit NYC to talk about the very different Park Slope he grew up in, what his father accomplished in his short life before succumbing to prostate cancer at just 47 years old, what his dad would make of Mamdani’s new era, and much more.