This post was a nice surprise. Not just that someone would have had the presence of mind to mention Freddy Exley, but that apparently Gifford and Exley came to know each other after A Fan’s Notes, and that Gifford even hosted a party for Exley when his last book came out.
http://news.yahoo.com/frank-gifford-death-fred-exley-a-fans-notes-220404916.html
One of the Twitter posts praising A Fan’s Notes is from James Fallows, a long-time fixture at The Atlantic.
Kind of an irony to it all. Much of the point of A Fan’s Notes was Exley’s devastation when he realized that he would always be a fan, and not someone who would make his mark on the world. Obviously, Exley had no idea what his future would bring when he wrote those lines.
PS. More good stuff here – http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/frank-gifford-and-frederick-exley-beyond-a-fans-notes/
Rat Pack, Comedy then Birth of the Blues, by Chuck Strom and Tom Fredrickson
