Basta

Have you heard the news? Quondam presidential hopeful Michael Avenatti, popularly known as Creepy Porn Lawyer (CPL), has been found guilty on all counts of attempting to extort money from Nike. He awaits sentencing.

Race Cars! No coke obvs

Avenatti, signature sign-off Basta, who obviously isn't a coke addict, represented famous prostitute Stormy Daniels in a case against Trump, which ended badly with Stormy being ordered to pay 45's legal costs. But the once and not so future president started to sink under the sheer weight of hubris and totally fictional cocaine bills.

Prostitute. Clearly no coke

Before you could say "8 Ball," CPL was hauled before the court for fraud, extortion, skulduggery and malfeasance. Nike, it seems, didn't take kindly to the wannabe race car driver's cokehead's attempt at blackmail, and his former wife's not too keen either. 

No Coke Involved Whatsoever

But look, here at the Compound we don't sit and gloat. No, we hope that a coke free CPL has learned his lesson and will rise from the ashes to use his skills to help us all in the not inconsiderable task of making America great again.

A Man in Full without any coke whatsoever

I know, you're saying, "Is this a chapter in a Tom Wolfe novel,  like Bonfire of the Vanities or A Man in Full?!?" What can we say? Cinéma vérité.

Basta,

LSP

Tom Wolfe, Literary Genius or Southern Fop?

I like reading Tom Wolfe's books, and what's not to like? He can write with a laser-like accuracy that's as enjoyable as it's at times disturbing, which leads some to rate him as a latter-day American Dickens or Dostoyevsky.

I'm sure Wolfe would modestly dispute such claims and with that in mind, I once asked a woman of the South if she liked the famous author.

"Mr. Wolfe," she exclaimed, "is a Southern Fop."

She may well have had a point. Here's Tom Wolfe on Hunter Thompson, who he thinks may have been the "great comic writer of the 20th century."

From Bauhaus to Our House,

LSP