I knew it wasn't the New Yorker, but I did some research to jog my memory. There was a fracas associated with the New Yorker several years ago, at a symposium to launch a special issue to which he had contributed, when he referred to Farrakhan disparagingly (I believe he called him a head- case, or something like it), and got into a shouting match with Cornel West, from Harvard. However, the incident you asked about involved getting into a fight with a colleague at the Village Voice. This is from a profile in Salon:
It's true that Crouch's blustery style and pugilistic spirit can sometimes get a little out of control. In another bit of Crouchian legend, he got fired after throwing down some street fighter justice on a Village Voice colleague who disagreed with his dislike of gangsta rap music -- a brief but intense dust-up that led to the police being called and Crouch getting the ax. Crouch later described this as the best thing that could have happened to him, careerwise: "I want them to know that just because I write, doesn't mean I can't also fight," he said.
I don't know who started it, my guess is that the colleague pushed him, or harangued him in his face, and he threw the first punch, which is why he got blamed......... |
