Cant be bothered to look through the ends of their noses. At this week, the best moment in american, on behalf of literary realism, we need a battalion to head out into the wild and unpredictable country of ours and reclaim it as very property. The trouble is turning yourself in it is that you immediately expose yourself to be from the top, or using characters to exaggerate of modern society but the truth is the opposite pales into insignificance compared with all caps on he tried to capture. Tom wolf was born and raised in richmond and educated Washington University and started his journalistic career with the Springfield Massachusetts union newspaper. Correspondent for the washington post, foreign news prize for his coverage of the cuban revolution. 1962, he moved to the new york tribune where he had to. Writers assigned the sunday supplement which later became newspapers in 1962, 63 afforded him the opportunity to travel to socal to write an article he sent his notes to his editor who published them verbatim, and as a long spontaneous letter dispensing traditional listing conventions and describing visit and personal voice. Thus was born the new journalism. The rest they say is history. This was collected in the book, streamline leaving an instant bestseller top journalists in america and numbered his days at the daily newspaper correspondent. Ask published on the same day 1968, the electric test solidified his reputation as the observer documenter of contemporary american experience. 1970s saw radical and captures, 1976 and madmen quitter where the generation was coined. Other tom wolf contributions include trophy wife and the right stuff. Turning attention to the American Space program, published in 1979 and sold on modern architecture to our house in 1981 required architectural and studies program around the world. Taking a page from the 19th century, portraying new york money culture of the 1980s, first made its appearance in volume during 1984 and five. Tom hundred into fiction. Performing in 1987 and remained bestseller list for over a year. Tom uses a Real Estate Developer hole in the 20 labor for american rights in the turn of the 21st century. During this period in toms life that his sears connection begun. Ellen graduated from the program ten years before his 1998 alexandra entered the freshman class at duke university. Tom participated the very first moms and dads read program during parents weekend in october 1998. As a stunning freshman class with daughters of robert tom wolf. Alexander introduced her father at the event and let the crowd know tom started it when she was seven years old and how pleased she was that was finally completed. [laughter] tom was a gracious and generous dad speaking at the front of the Library Dinner posing for a poster and serving as Commencement Speaker and all the while doing research for new book in an institution of Higher Education which he assured me on several occasions was not duke. [laughter] i took him with me to a faculty meeting and spent time learning and observing and doing basketball and like a train reporter, observing. He spent an semester at Stanford University to complete research on his novel, i am charlotte simmons. Its my pleasure to introduce tom wolf to talk about this today. [applause] thank you very much. It is great to be back at duke. My topic, as david mentioned, this is what in the south or great writing material in the south. First of all,. [inaudible] [laughter] first of all, i have not seen the new south recorded or described in print. For example, you have the same experience i had but its the way its done in mississippi. You get awakened by the sound what there desperate for the grips. [laughter] i didnt like that particular sound. Then the end of june, the end of may through the summer, go to the airport and rent a car and turn on the ignition and wash, your loan back about 4 feet because whoever dropped the car off, left the air conditioning on high. Its another sound. Another i particularly liked is to go to a beautiful place like Thomas Jeffersons at the university of virginia, which is so steep in the memories of this nation, it means so much to the educational course and its a priceless piece of architecture, designed like like angela and your whole soul is engaged, thats when you get thats the leaf blower. [laughter] ive never understood leaf blowers but they use them particularly when you want to see something. Those are all new sounds in the south and they should be recorded in the literature. I say im going to tell all writers in the audience, this is the framework. Im going to tell all would be writers in the audience who are selling those and interested in selling literature, good stuff. [laughter] time now, after all these years to knock it off. Something happens and you realize weve only just begun mining. It is in our audience this afternoon that the following took place in the 1940s in scott county, North Carolina. In North Carolina, the cattlemen were coming down from the hills and everywhere, congregating in General Stores and they were waiting for the representative to come around and they just started talking and then he got on the subject of world war ii, it was raging. One said it seems to me was gone about this whole thing the wrong way. Theres this one man, hitler causing all the trouble and it hitler, we have to send over the forces and think of all of them. Like i said, how are you going to do that . He says to me about and get me over there and ill take care of it. He says how do you want to do it . He says dont worry about that, im going to wait until nightfall and im going to go through the back wall and climbed over and hide behind the tree and im going to hide there all night until he comes out and then ill let him have it. [laughter] i just love that story for two reasons. One, the lack of knowledge of modern security but also we are dealing with, leave these things up to common sense. Cut out the bureaucracy and committee meetings, just let someone with common sense take care of the job. Last august, i attended the physical 500. Its a huge event. Its a nascar race around a halfmile paved track. Halfmile is very short distance for cars going over 200 miles an hour. The stands there are pitched at a very steep angle. When this event is held, 165,000 people, the biggest sporting event in america and im not sure how many were at this particular event. For me, he would have died and gone to heaven if he had seen this. [laughter] here are the 165,000, 165,000. They all arrived, this is like something from a mid evil tournament. Opposing armies have half as many. People would arrive, a lot of the conduct was extended. The physical 500, i saw them lined up in lengths for a mile, rvs and people were having the time of their lives. At the airport, vips, the vips went out to a huge land, as far as helicopters are, just imagine whos moving now, there are all these little girls in the stands but here comes the guys in the suits. They are all people who have never been to a nascar event before. It probably expected to see Something Like the indianapolis 500. They flesh [laughter] every male should cover as much of himself as he can. Theres nothing you can do about your skin. [laughter] my children make fun of me but i think i am the country but the neighborhood favorite, i wear a tank top to the beach. [laughter] id like to encourage all men who are here to do that. [laughter] people they dont to see. Anyway, im getting off subject or. [laughter] that doesnt against my time. [laughter] all the vips, they get into the helicopter and start taking off like gigantic sleek, they all look like praying mantis is. They are carried up into the air and they come down over the truck. Now the track is built like a megaphone. Sitting on the inside of the microphone so you can see the race. In the stands, you feel as if you stood up, if you go this far, he would fall to the track. The noise was 25 raising the crowd and there was a moment in the helicopter when he realized overpowering sound of the helicopter was nullified by the sound coming from the megaphone of the stands. The people coming in by helicopter, the two skywalkers, i note that phenomena it successfully removes an event there are no sounds or excitement, the people just want to see each other anyway. There was so elaborate but meantime, they are very in the stands and this incredible voice goes right to your rib cage. It moves the hair on your head. But i wanted to mention is the people who spoke and i think this was something about the south today, whats the south today . I tell you that from the head of the National Rifle association, whos no longer have to, he was not a celebrity, he was president of the National Rifle association. He spoke all of 30 seconds, nobody spoke for a long time. It was not an inflammatory remark or lousy remark, 165,000 people stood up at once to applaud. That was a show of support. [laughter] then in implication was given. I think it was this but dont hold me to it. Deceased the laws to look with favor upon these brave drivers who risk their lives. They make it possible brave drivers to do what they do what last finally he said in my only son christ jesus. It may seemed like nothing to them but if that implication has been given in San Francisco, los angeles or new york where i live, he would be arrested for a hate crime. [laughter] it sounded so strange. Now the term good old boys, it is not fair and its not completely accurate but it does touch upon something that i think is incredible material riders really live there or they dont. It has to do with the role of the irish and american life. I take my page from james webb, author of the book, james webb was secondary of the navy under ronald reagan. He was the most decorated marine in vietnam. He wrote four novels the first i think was about the vietnam, fuel the fire. James annapolis graduate, is going to the officer corps, he wanted to be a leader and a fighter. He explains. Irish had been the backbone of American Fighting forces, since the revolution. In the civil war, both sides will army the north and the Confederate Army where in the corner at length, people from scotland who then went to ireland, they left many came u. S. , many were for and they will land such as the appellations and they have remained five, anyone whos in the Armed Services. Full everywhere, that was the original source will will country music. Will usually people are talking bad when they talk about rednecks. Redneck is in which is pretty cool like barking up the tree. Tell you how many have no idea that comes from raccoon will barking up the wrong tree. Tom wolfe now that you know is there. I will put it up here. [laughter]. Discuss irish have had a crucial influence on forces but also in the 2004 president ial election. And i dont think this is ever been brought out before. It got down to the crucial state, from the 2000 election. Florida. In 2004, it was the state of ohio predict the early returns were coming from big cities. Cleveland and toledo. It was a runaway for john kerry. Those in cleveland and toledo in the industrial towns along the great lakes. A little bit later, inc. In the tally from southern ohio. This was an irresistible tornado had rush through the whole entire lower part of ohio. Including the city of cincinnati. In the city of cincinnati had been somehow removed from the tally, where george bush had 150,000 votes. Election wouldve gone to carry. That happens to be the sloth of ohio that was settled by the scotch irish. Not only that, one of the main reasons according to surveys after the election. One of the main reasons that the scotch irish voted against kerry was that he was for gun control. And you would think, gun control, that is one issue. But believe me when i say this because irish are alone in this pretty that one issue if youre scotch irish, was an attack on guns but on yourself. Your people, your way of life. Because you were born fighting the constitution guarantee you your rifles. And you will have them. And you wont take the process of governments lying down. Another example the new south or other knoll part of the new south, modern technology in the very leading edge of technology is summed up in a single year, k yeager. Chuck egger was from the hollows of west virginia. Up in the mountains. Only once, with a so far up there they had to piping daylight. [laughter]. He worked in the cast feels as a driller. His older brother worked in the gas fields as a driller and chuck was doing until the Second World War came along. That was a program called the flying fighters because they are forced to dont have enough trained pilots because the standard requirements for College Education and so forth. Will yeager became a pilot thanks to the following sergeants program. Honest first, he shot down two german fighter planes. And on his third, he was shot down. But smuggled out of Southern France and spain for the french underground. And he was told that having been gone through this experience, it was us flying combat again. He went to dwight eisenhower. A set of find combat. And he said if you got that much spirit about it, go fly. He shot down, 13 and have killed was a total tally including two german ship fighters. After the war, he was sent out to Edwards Air Force base as a test pilot. People there could not really understand him. He was a wild muscular, actually looks like sam shepard. Dark hair and he had strange things that a lot of people in the armed forces did not understand. In the past tense he would say ho lp d. It was a funny things. Instead of saying i would disagree with something he would say on hold with that. These were actually phrases from up in the mountains, but the hollows we had the pipe in the daylight. He also, anything he did or said, he had a way of looking at it that communicates, i get this for many people who were with him at the time. He communicated this message. Look at me that way one more time, you will have four more holes in your nose. It finally, because thes ability pilot was going to find the exelon experimental rocket plane. As for too much money. They asked yeager to take a crucial flight to try to break the sound barrier read the asked him how much he would require to do that and he said what you mean. I get 283 a month as a captain. And he went out and broke the sound are you in october 1947. The first person to do that. The speed of sound he broke it. For example, the windshields covered with ice which was a common problem. In one of those pilots bill bridgman, he said he was in a rocket flight and he came down and hit the windshield was covered in ice pretty cannot see a thing. When you flew rockets, theres no power. And he said that yeager came through on his wings and he started telling exactly how to maneuver the plane. And he said just like my old fishing buddy. Total kind of luer put up the trout. Any city was so calm that he couldnt believe there was anything really wrong. Yeager told him and he landed safely. And yeager would be happy signature maneuver. He would go about a hundred feet into a complete rollover and then left out into the desert. Will yeager became such a legend within the flying flute fraternity. Pretty soon you with your all of the pilots and air force base talking like chuck yeager. [laughter]. Because at that time, most Airline Pilots were trained in the military, he started hearing the Airline Pilots talking like chuck yeager. Finally, i knew none of this but at the air force base, i was doing Research Like a stuck. And so i went to the control tower, and i was hearing these ordinary messages. And suddenly there was a message that said, edwards tower, whistling, this is air force nine or nine or five. Altitude 290 feet. And the speed 295 knots. Saw little smoke in the cabinet. Request permission to put her down. Immediately you can see the control tower tense up because they knew outside the altitude, it was like 507,200 and some feet. But youre already above sea level so far that you only about 300 feet off of the deck. We slow down to 295 knots, that means in just a moment, your ex 15 rocket plane is going have the fine characteristics of a set of car keys read back so they were in the control tower saying things Like Air Force jet nine or 95. Are you declaring them or an emergency. And that other voice says, edwards tower, this is the air force 99 or five. Not requesting permission for an emergency. Im just asking permission to put her down. [laughter]. Who is that any said the sky. I said where is he from any said around boston. [laughter]. And i said with that accent. He said yes pretty all you have to do is let them up in the air at the air force base and theyre all going to Start Talking like chuck yeager. [laughter]. There was first time that i was aware of yeager. The realized is just one mans exploits had spread throughout the entire world of flying. And that became my introduction to a became the theme of the entire book. Which is the fraternity and the brotherhood of the right stuff, flyers, military flares particularly. His rank among the brotherhood depends on their own flying courage and coolness. It was sometimes talked about acceptable and unacceptable risks. Going through all of that, by way of stepping up the importance of going out side of your onl ordinary boundaries. Outside of the domestic arena which is concentrated on by so many writers today. Talented writers. And some how some way, seeing outside your own experience. My theory is everybody personal psychology is created by two things. Rather the intersection of two things. One is the setting and who which you are living pretty can be a city, a farm. It could be the air force, it could be a piece. But that something is going to a crucial effect on your life. And you have your own personality and your own psychology. But where they intersect with the setting is where your life and your real personality is created. This is somewhat similar to ferry from, unlike god, almost 200 years ago. His meeting the spirit of the age. And hegel said that every historical happening has its own moral tone. That was his word. His own moral tone. You can try all yo