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Overdrive: A Personal Documentary
The acerbic editor-cum-political commentator-cum-novelist reveals many of the less-well-known facets of his energetic life in a chronicle that covers seven days and numerous activities, people, and opinions
262 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
1 person is currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
William F. Buckley Jr.
183 books338 followersWilliam Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American author and conservative commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing style was famed for its erudition, wit, and use of uncommon words.
Buckley was "arguably the most important public intellectual in the United States in the past half century," according to George H. Nash, a historian of the modern American conservative movement. "For an entire generation he was the preeminent voice of American conservatism and its first great ecumenical figure." Buckley's primary intellectual achievement was to fuse traditional American political conservatism with economic libertarianism and anti-communism, laying the groundwork for the modern American conservatism of US Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and US President Ronald Reagan.
Buckley came on the public scene with his critical book God and Man at Yale (1951); among over fifty further books on writing, speaking, history, politics and sailing, were a series of novels featuring CIA agent Blackford Oakes. Buckley referred to himself "on and off" as either libertarian or conservative. He resided in New York City and Stamford, Connecticut, and often signed his name as "WFB." He was a practicing Catholic, regularly attending the traditional Latin Mass in Connecticut.
Buckley was "arguably the most important public intellectual in the United States in the past half century," according to George H. Nash, a historian of the modern American conservative movement. "For an entire generation he was the preeminent voice of American conservatism and its first great ecumenical figure." Buckley's primary intellectual achievement was to fuse traditional American political conservatism with economic libertarianism and anti-communism, laying the groundwork for the modern American conservatism of US Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and US President Ronald Reagan.
Buckley came on the public scene with his critical book God and Man at Yale (1951); among over fifty further books on writing, speaking, history, politics and sailing, were a series of novels featuring CIA agent Blackford Oakes. Buckley referred to himself "on and off" as either libertarian or conservative. He resided in New York City and Stamford, Connecticut, and often signed his name as "WFB." He was a practicing Catholic, regularly attending the traditional Latin Mass in Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 16, 2015
Read this on a Twitter tip from Vanity Fair's James Wolcott. I didn't know anything about it before that.
This book was like catnip for me: WFBjr's bravado, convictions, and tell-it-like-it-is mode (which many mistook for arrogance) probably speaks to parts of me that would be better left alone. But still: the book sucks you in. The genre itself is a fascinating experiment: a meditative diary on "a week in the life of" WFB. But through the use of flashbacks, vignettes, ruminative mini-essays, it becomes much more than that. The paperback edition includes a long introduction in which Buckley responds to reviewers and critics of the book--worth the price of admission in itself.
One takeaway: This book made me want to dictate correspondence. Buckley takes a lot of heat for talking about riding around in a stretch limo, but as he points out, this is really just a way of extending his office. I found myself envious of his ability to keep up a broad and lively correspondence (each day includes a report on his mail and correspondence) because he was dictating for others to execute. Surely in our digital age there has to be simple way for a pleb like me to do something similar.
This book was like catnip for me: WFBjr's bravado, convictions, and tell-it-like-it-is mode (which many mistook for arrogance) probably speaks to parts of me that would be better left alone. But still: the book sucks you in. The genre itself is a fascinating experiment: a meditative diary on "a week in the life of" WFB. But through the use of flashbacks, vignettes, ruminative mini-essays, it becomes much more than that. The paperback edition includes a long introduction in which Buckley responds to reviewers and critics of the book--worth the price of admission in itself.
One takeaway: This book made me want to dictate correspondence. Buckley takes a lot of heat for talking about riding around in a stretch limo, but as he points out, this is really just a way of extending his office. I found myself envious of his ability to keep up a broad and lively correspondence (each day includes a report on his mail and correspondence) because he was dictating for others to execute. Surely in our digital age there has to be simple way for a pleb like me to do something similar.
September 29, 2017
Hard not to rate this 5-stars, because it was exactly what I expectged it to be, and I liked it a lot. It's a kind of diary, with flashbacks, of Buckley's hectic life during a single week in 1982. Much good prose, excerpts from interesting correspondence, reminiscenses and anedotes about friends famous and non, much appreciation of music, sailing, and mostly people.
May 26, 2025
one week in the life of Wllliam F. Buckley
to quote the Mark My Words Blog
William F. Buckley Jr.’s 1983 book “Overdrive: A Personal Documentary,” is a fascinating look inside Buckley’s day to day life. “Overdrive” chronicles just a week in Buckley’s life. Specifically, it covers the events in Buckley’s life from November 16, 1981 until November 23, 1981. And during that week, Buckley packs in more than most people could do in a month. “Overdrive” is a follow-up to Buckley’s 1971 book “Cruising Speed,” which followed a similar formula as he chronicled a week in his life in 1970.
Politically, I am very liberal, and there are few areas in which William F. Buckley and I share the same position. That being said, I find Buckley to be a singularly fascinating person. Last year I read his son Christopher’s book “Losing Mum and Pup,” which is a memoir about the deaths of his parents. I was an admirer of Christopher Buckley’s political satire, but “Losing Mum and Pup” blew me away. It’s a fantastic book, funny, warm, sad, and touching all at the same time. As I read “Losing Mum and Pup” I said to myself, “I have to find out more about William F. Buckley, because he sounds like an amazing guy.” I had known of Buckley since I was a kid, even though I grew up in a thoroughly Democratic household. I’m not sure exactly how I knew who William F. Buckley was, but I grew up during the 1980’s, so it was probably just osmosis.
Reading “Overdrive” gave me an appreciation for Buckley’s intelligence and his personal integrity. Buckley had many friends who were liberals, and the fact that they held different political opinions did not affect their friendship. Buckley was tenaciously loyal to his friends, no matter who they were. “Overdrive” also gave me an appreciation for Buckley’s incredible energy and stamina. “Overdrive” takes place during the days just before Buckley’s 56th birthday, yet his schedule would be taxing for a man half his age. Buckley wrote a syndicated newspaper column three times a week, hosted a weekly television show “Firing Line,” and was the editor of the biweekly magazine “National Review.”
It seems peevish to wish for more details in a book that covers just one week in pretty minute detail, but I do wish that Buckley would have provided an hour-by-hour breakdown of his time. I’d like to know: when did he get up? When did he go to bed? How long exactly did it take him to respond to those five letters? How exactly did he allocate his time in order to make the most out of it? In a 1978 interview, Buckley gave the answer to his productivity: “Deadlines. I have deadlines for everything. I find them liberating.” Buckley expounded a little more in a 1983 interview: “I had three deadlines this weekend. And because they simply had to be done, they were done…The people I pity are not the people who have deadlines, they’re the people who don’t have deadlines.” That sounds easy enough, right?
It’s obvious from “Overdrive” that Buckley made the most of every moment. Even during “down” time he is always working on something, even if it’s just responding to his mail. And Buckley frequently responded to his mail as he was being driven around in his limousine. This brings us to the somewhat touchy subject of William F. Buckley’s limousine. In the Introduction to the paperback edition of “Overdrive,” Buckley answered those who had criticized the book. Excerpts from “Overdrive” appeared in “The New Yorker” in January and February of 1983, and they caused something of a critical firestorm. Critics were harsh on what they perceived to be Buckley’s solipsistic attitude in penning such a book. Of course, a book written by anyone covering a week in one’s own life is by its very definition solipsistic, but there you go. When “Cruising Speed” was published in 1971, an interviewer asked “Don’t you think it a bit much to write an entire book devoted to the events of a single week?” Buckley’s tongue in cheek response was “I don’t know. John Keats devoted an entire ode to a single Grecian urn.” (p.154) Upon publication of “Overdrive” in August, 1983, the book encountered a frosty reception from many book reviewers. As Buckley himself writes, “These critics were uniformly…upset, might be the generic word to describe their emotions…They found the book variously boring, boorish, presumptuous, vain, arrogant, illiterate, solipsistic, and other things.” (Introductory epilogue, p. xviii-xix) Critics were also upset at what they perceived to be Buckley’s delight at his upper-class lifestyle. Nora Ephron, writing in “The New York Times,” said “He has written a book about money.” (p.xix) Ephron then goes on to criticize Buckley’s emphasis on his limousine, seeing it as emblematic of his lifestyle. But Ephron had missed the point. “Overdrive” is not a book about William Buckley’s money; it’s a book about William Buckley’s life. And yes, William Buckley’s life might look very different from yours and mine. But, if we’re reading a book written about a week in someone’s life, the type of people who would write such a book will probably lead a very different life than you and me. Yes, William F. Buckley had a customized limousine. William F. Buckley was also a very successful writer and speaker who made a lot of money during his life. Thus, his life will be quite different from most people’s lives. But that is exactly why Buckley’s life is interesting to read about.
........
1981 was a perfect time for Buckley to write “Overdrive,” as it was the first year of Ronald Reagan’s Presidential administration, and Buckley was one of the people in the conservative movement most responsible for Reagan’s ultimate rise to power. Reagan and Buckley were quite close, and that makes “Overdrive” a little more interesting. Throughout “Overdrive” Buckley shifts between the past and present, as something in the present invariably brings back a memory. And while this style is very true to life, as many random memories come our way during the course of a day, it sometimes makes “Overdrive” a trifle challenging to read. More than a couple of times I had to go back and double check myself as I wasn’t sure if an event was actually happening in the present or if it was a past memory.
Buckley begins Monday, November 16th, 1981, at his desk in his office, which is a converted garage in his home in Stamford, Connecticut. The first few pages of the book bring about reminiscences about buying the house with his wife Pat, the pheasant he always sees on his lawn in the morning, and the desk he’s working at, which he bought in Mexico in 1951 when he was working for the CIA. (Buckley’s superior officer in the CIA was E. Howard Hunt, of Watergate infamy.) By the time the reader first encounters Buckley at mid-day on Monday, he has already written his newspaper column for the day. Buckley doesn’t go into much detail about his newspaper columns, as he doesn’t even tell us what his column that day was about. Buckley was able to write extremely quickly, and could polish off a column in half an hour! However, Buckley claimed to not enjoy writing. He compared himself to his fellow conservative columnist George F. Will, who said “I wake in the morning and I ask myself: ‘Is this one of the days I have to write a column?’ And if the answer is ‘Yes,’ I rise a happy man.” (p.76) In contrast, Buckley writes, “I, on the other hand, wake neither particularly happy nor unhappy, but to the extent that my mood is affected by the question whether I need to write a column that morning, the impact of Monday-Wednesday-Friday is definitely negative. Because I do not like to write, for the simple reason that writing is extremely hard work, and I do not ‘like’ extremely hard work.” (p.76-7) This coming from a man who often produced 350,000 words a year for publication, a man who wrote a newspaper column three times a week for 45 years, and who published 57 books during his lifetime! Methinks he doth protest too much.
What exactly did Buckley’s week chronicled in “Overdrive” look like? Here are thumbnail sketches of WFB’s activities for each of the days he covers:
Monday-Buckley writes his column at home in Stamford, then goes into New York City, in his limo. Goes to “National Review” offices, meets with editors. Hears classical pianist Rosalyn Tureck at Carnegie Hall.
Tuesday-up early to fly to St. Petersburg (Florida, NOT Russia) for a lunchtime lecture. Flies back to New York City for a benefit for the New York City Ballet. After the ballet, goes to the home of Ahmet Ertegun, the President of Atlantic Records.
Wednesday-Writes his column early. Lunch with his sister Priscilla, who works for “National Review.” Attends an 8-hour theater performance of Charles Dickens’ “Nicholas Nickleby,” with Ron Reagan, the President’s son. Buckley writes of the play, “Surely the most captivating theatrical experience I’ve ever had.” (p.98)
Thursday-Prepares remarks for a 20-minute speech at the Waldorf. Writes a letter to Ronald Reagan. Accepts offer to act as host of American showing of miniseries “Brideshead Revisited.” Gives speech at the Waldorf, and then flies to Toledo, Ohio to give another speech at a dinner for the Friends of the University of Toledo Libraries. Writes his Friday column late Thursday night before going to bed.
Friday-Flies to Louisville, Kentucky, to tape two episodes of “Firing Line.” Writes the introductions for his guests on “Firing Line,” which he finds to be the most difficult of the many things he does. The first episode to be taped deals with the issue of busing to effect school desegregation. Buckley admits that he doesn’t get the show off to a smooth start, as he botches the names of scholars who have written reports on busing. The rest of the show goes better. Between shows Buckley gets the message that President Reagan was calling for him. Buckley calls the White House, but the President is unavailable right now, but will be available in half an hour. Buckley knows that won’t work, as he has another hour-long “Firing Line” to tape, so he tells the White House he’ll call back in an hour. Such was the power of William F. Buckley in 1981! The second episode of “Firing Line” features John Y. Brown, then the Governor of Kentucky. The show goes well, although Buckley writes “The effort to get him to intellectualize his point is not working.” (p.149) After the show finishes taping, Buckley talks to President Reagan on the phone. Buckley has tickets to fly back to New York City, but the flight is canceled, so he must spend the night in Louisville.
Saturday-Flies back to New York City. WFB responds to more letters. One of the highlights of “Overdrive” is reading Buckley’s responses to the letters he receives. In letters to strangers, Buckley is usually very witty, and with his friends he is very kind and generous. I greatly admire what a nice person Buckley seemed to be; throughout “Overdrive” he exudes a kindness and graciousness to all of his friends. Buckley is always quick to praise his friends, which is an appealing trait. One thing that struck me as I revisited some passages from the book is that for an American male born in the year 1925, William F. Buckley was very much in touch with his emotions. Very early in the book Buckley reprints the moving eulogy he delivered at his friend Harry Elmlark’s funeral. Elmlark worked for Buckley’s newspaper syndicate, and Buckley had worked closely with Elmlark for many years. Most of their working relationship was over the telephone, and Buckley writes “When he called and you were occupied, he would not call again. ‘I always know you’ll call me back,’ he said to me once; and it is a sadness very nearly disabling to know that I cannot call him back again.” (p.25) That’s a lovely thing to say about a friend. Another great quote is from a letter that Buckley wrote to author Keith Mano, who had dedicated a book to Buckley. “There is no way to thank you for this, except to insist that you should know the measure of my gratitude, and to accomplish that will require a lifetime.” (p.192-3) Another good friend of Buckley’s, the British actor David Niven, is staying at their house for the weekend. The Nivens and the Buckleys wintered in the same resort town in Switzerland, which is how they became friends. Buckley writes of the problems that Niven has been having controlling his voice lately, which a doctor has told Niven is due to overwork. Sadly, the doctor was very wrong, and Niven’s trouble controlling his voice was the first sign that he had ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which would kill Niven in July, 1983, just before “Overdrive” was published.
Sunday-Buckley starts the day by saying, “I rose early because the day would be crowded.” (p.206) You know, as opposed to the other days of the week he’s just described. Buckley answers more letters before Mass. We learn that WFB didn’t care for the Vatican II reforms of the Catholic Church. WFB visits his friend Tom Hume in the hospital. David Niven is in rare form at lunch, doing many wonderful impersonations-no trouble with his voice today. After lunch WFB’s son Christopher makes a surprise visit. At this time Christopher was a speechwriter for Vice-President George H.W. Bush. WFB goads Christopher into taking the boat out for a quick sail.
Monday-Halfway into writing his column, Vice-President Bush calls WFB. Bush has to cancel his appearance at a fundraising lunch that day for “National Review.” Bush cannot leave Washington because of a federal government shutdown. WFB attends the “National Review” editorial conference. Goes back to his apartment for lunch, Jeane Kirkpatrick, then US Ambassador to the United Nations, is replacing Bush as the speaker. After the lunch, WFB writes his “Notes and Asides” column for “National Review.” Works on the book jacket cover for his forthcoming book about sailing, “Atlantic High.” Visits his mother at her apartment. Has dinner with his “National Review” editors. Goes to bed.
That’s quite a week. As I noted at the beginning of this review, I’m impressed with William F. Buckley as a person, even when I don’t agree with him. I’m impressed by Buckley’s obvious intelligence and his love for the arts. Some of the most fun passages of “Overdrive” are Buckley writing about the music of Bach. I’m also impressed by Buckley’s loyalty and devotion to his friends. He always makes a point of mentioning his friends’ good qualities, and he is generous in his praise of them without ever seeming sycophantic. “Overdrive” is also a testament to how much Buckley enjoyed his life. Throughout the week he doesn’t complain about being tired, or being frustrated that he has to spend the night in Louisville. He seems to enjoy all of his experiences, taking them as they come, and being happy that he is doing work he enjoys while surrounded by family and friends. Who could ask for anything more?
to quote the Mark My Words Blog
William F. Buckley Jr.’s 1983 book “Overdrive: A Personal Documentary,” is a fascinating look inside Buckley’s day to day life. “Overdrive” chronicles just a week in Buckley’s life. Specifically, it covers the events in Buckley’s life from November 16, 1981 until November 23, 1981. And during that week, Buckley packs in more than most people could do in a month. “Overdrive” is a follow-up to Buckley’s 1971 book “Cruising Speed,” which followed a similar formula as he chronicled a week in his life in 1970.
Politically, I am very liberal, and there are few areas in which William F. Buckley and I share the same position. That being said, I find Buckley to be a singularly fascinating person. Last year I read his son Christopher’s book “Losing Mum and Pup,” which is a memoir about the deaths of his parents. I was an admirer of Christopher Buckley’s political satire, but “Losing Mum and Pup” blew me away. It’s a fantastic book, funny, warm, sad, and touching all at the same time. As I read “Losing Mum and Pup” I said to myself, “I have to find out more about William F. Buckley, because he sounds like an amazing guy.” I had known of Buckley since I was a kid, even though I grew up in a thoroughly Democratic household. I’m not sure exactly how I knew who William F. Buckley was, but I grew up during the 1980’s, so it was probably just osmosis.
Reading “Overdrive” gave me an appreciation for Buckley’s intelligence and his personal integrity. Buckley had many friends who were liberals, and the fact that they held different political opinions did not affect their friendship. Buckley was tenaciously loyal to his friends, no matter who they were. “Overdrive” also gave me an appreciation for Buckley’s incredible energy and stamina. “Overdrive” takes place during the days just before Buckley’s 56th birthday, yet his schedule would be taxing for a man half his age. Buckley wrote a syndicated newspaper column three times a week, hosted a weekly television show “Firing Line,” and was the editor of the biweekly magazine “National Review.”
It seems peevish to wish for more details in a book that covers just one week in pretty minute detail, but I do wish that Buckley would have provided an hour-by-hour breakdown of his time. I’d like to know: when did he get up? When did he go to bed? How long exactly did it take him to respond to those five letters? How exactly did he allocate his time in order to make the most out of it? In a 1978 interview, Buckley gave the answer to his productivity: “Deadlines. I have deadlines for everything. I find them liberating.” Buckley expounded a little more in a 1983 interview: “I had three deadlines this weekend. And because they simply had to be done, they were done…The people I pity are not the people who have deadlines, they’re the people who don’t have deadlines.” That sounds easy enough, right?
It’s obvious from “Overdrive” that Buckley made the most of every moment. Even during “down” time he is always working on something, even if it’s just responding to his mail. And Buckley frequently responded to his mail as he was being driven around in his limousine. This brings us to the somewhat touchy subject of William F. Buckley’s limousine. In the Introduction to the paperback edition of “Overdrive,” Buckley answered those who had criticized the book. Excerpts from “Overdrive” appeared in “The New Yorker” in January and February of 1983, and they caused something of a critical firestorm. Critics were harsh on what they perceived to be Buckley’s solipsistic attitude in penning such a book. Of course, a book written by anyone covering a week in one’s own life is by its very definition solipsistic, but there you go. When “Cruising Speed” was published in 1971, an interviewer asked “Don’t you think it a bit much to write an entire book devoted to the events of a single week?” Buckley’s tongue in cheek response was “I don’t know. John Keats devoted an entire ode to a single Grecian urn.” (p.154) Upon publication of “Overdrive” in August, 1983, the book encountered a frosty reception from many book reviewers. As Buckley himself writes, “These critics were uniformly…upset, might be the generic word to describe their emotions…They found the book variously boring, boorish, presumptuous, vain, arrogant, illiterate, solipsistic, and other things.” (Introductory epilogue, p. xviii-xix) Critics were also upset at what they perceived to be Buckley’s delight at his upper-class lifestyle. Nora Ephron, writing in “The New York Times,” said “He has written a book about money.” (p.xix) Ephron then goes on to criticize Buckley’s emphasis on his limousine, seeing it as emblematic of his lifestyle. But Ephron had missed the point. “Overdrive” is not a book about William Buckley’s money; it’s a book about William Buckley’s life. And yes, William Buckley’s life might look very different from yours and mine. But, if we’re reading a book written about a week in someone’s life, the type of people who would write such a book will probably lead a very different life than you and me. Yes, William F. Buckley had a customized limousine. William F. Buckley was also a very successful writer and speaker who made a lot of money during his life. Thus, his life will be quite different from most people’s lives. But that is exactly why Buckley’s life is interesting to read about.
........
1981 was a perfect time for Buckley to write “Overdrive,” as it was the first year of Ronald Reagan’s Presidential administration, and Buckley was one of the people in the conservative movement most responsible for Reagan’s ultimate rise to power. Reagan and Buckley were quite close, and that makes “Overdrive” a little more interesting. Throughout “Overdrive” Buckley shifts between the past and present, as something in the present invariably brings back a memory. And while this style is very true to life, as many random memories come our way during the course of a day, it sometimes makes “Overdrive” a trifle challenging to read. More than a couple of times I had to go back and double check myself as I wasn’t sure if an event was actually happening in the present or if it was a past memory.
Buckley begins Monday, November 16th, 1981, at his desk in his office, which is a converted garage in his home in Stamford, Connecticut. The first few pages of the book bring about reminiscences about buying the house with his wife Pat, the pheasant he always sees on his lawn in the morning, and the desk he’s working at, which he bought in Mexico in 1951 when he was working for the CIA. (Buckley’s superior officer in the CIA was E. Howard Hunt, of Watergate infamy.) By the time the reader first encounters Buckley at mid-day on Monday, he has already written his newspaper column for the day. Buckley doesn’t go into much detail about his newspaper columns, as he doesn’t even tell us what his column that day was about. Buckley was able to write extremely quickly, and could polish off a column in half an hour! However, Buckley claimed to not enjoy writing. He compared himself to his fellow conservative columnist George F. Will, who said “I wake in the morning and I ask myself: ‘Is this one of the days I have to write a column?’ And if the answer is ‘Yes,’ I rise a happy man.” (p.76) In contrast, Buckley writes, “I, on the other hand, wake neither particularly happy nor unhappy, but to the extent that my mood is affected by the question whether I need to write a column that morning, the impact of Monday-Wednesday-Friday is definitely negative. Because I do not like to write, for the simple reason that writing is extremely hard work, and I do not ‘like’ extremely hard work.” (p.76-7) This coming from a man who often produced 350,000 words a year for publication, a man who wrote a newspaper column three times a week for 45 years, and who published 57 books during his lifetime! Methinks he doth protest too much.
What exactly did Buckley’s week chronicled in “Overdrive” look like? Here are thumbnail sketches of WFB’s activities for each of the days he covers:
Monday-Buckley writes his column at home in Stamford, then goes into New York City, in his limo. Goes to “National Review” offices, meets with editors. Hears classical pianist Rosalyn Tureck at Carnegie Hall.
Tuesday-up early to fly to St. Petersburg (Florida, NOT Russia) for a lunchtime lecture. Flies back to New York City for a benefit for the New York City Ballet. After the ballet, goes to the home of Ahmet Ertegun, the President of Atlantic Records.
Wednesday-Writes his column early. Lunch with his sister Priscilla, who works for “National Review.” Attends an 8-hour theater performance of Charles Dickens’ “Nicholas Nickleby,” with Ron Reagan, the President’s son. Buckley writes of the play, “Surely the most captivating theatrical experience I’ve ever had.” (p.98)
Thursday-Prepares remarks for a 20-minute speech at the Waldorf. Writes a letter to Ronald Reagan. Accepts offer to act as host of American showing of miniseries “Brideshead Revisited.” Gives speech at the Waldorf, and then flies to Toledo, Ohio to give another speech at a dinner for the Friends of the University of Toledo Libraries. Writes his Friday column late Thursday night before going to bed.
Friday-Flies to Louisville, Kentucky, to tape two episodes of “Firing Line.” Writes the introductions for his guests on “Firing Line,” which he finds to be the most difficult of the many things he does. The first episode to be taped deals with the issue of busing to effect school desegregation. Buckley admits that he doesn’t get the show off to a smooth start, as he botches the names of scholars who have written reports on busing. The rest of the show goes better. Between shows Buckley gets the message that President Reagan was calling for him. Buckley calls the White House, but the President is unavailable right now, but will be available in half an hour. Buckley knows that won’t work, as he has another hour-long “Firing Line” to tape, so he tells the White House he’ll call back in an hour. Such was the power of William F. Buckley in 1981! The second episode of “Firing Line” features John Y. Brown, then the Governor of Kentucky. The show goes well, although Buckley writes “The effort to get him to intellectualize his point is not working.” (p.149) After the show finishes taping, Buckley talks to President Reagan on the phone. Buckley has tickets to fly back to New York City, but the flight is canceled, so he must spend the night in Louisville.
Saturday-Flies back to New York City. WFB responds to more letters. One of the highlights of “Overdrive” is reading Buckley’s responses to the letters he receives. In letters to strangers, Buckley is usually very witty, and with his friends he is very kind and generous. I greatly admire what a nice person Buckley seemed to be; throughout “Overdrive” he exudes a kindness and graciousness to all of his friends. Buckley is always quick to praise his friends, which is an appealing trait. One thing that struck me as I revisited some passages from the book is that for an American male born in the year 1925, William F. Buckley was very much in touch with his emotions. Very early in the book Buckley reprints the moving eulogy he delivered at his friend Harry Elmlark’s funeral. Elmlark worked for Buckley’s newspaper syndicate, and Buckley had worked closely with Elmlark for many years. Most of their working relationship was over the telephone, and Buckley writes “When he called and you were occupied, he would not call again. ‘I always know you’ll call me back,’ he said to me once; and it is a sadness very nearly disabling to know that I cannot call him back again.” (p.25) That’s a lovely thing to say about a friend. Another great quote is from a letter that Buckley wrote to author Keith Mano, who had dedicated a book to Buckley. “There is no way to thank you for this, except to insist that you should know the measure of my gratitude, and to accomplish that will require a lifetime.” (p.192-3) Another good friend of Buckley’s, the British actor David Niven, is staying at their house for the weekend. The Nivens and the Buckleys wintered in the same resort town in Switzerland, which is how they became friends. Buckley writes of the problems that Niven has been having controlling his voice lately, which a doctor has told Niven is due to overwork. Sadly, the doctor was very wrong, and Niven’s trouble controlling his voice was the first sign that he had ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which would kill Niven in July, 1983, just before “Overdrive” was published.
Sunday-Buckley starts the day by saying, “I rose early because the day would be crowded.” (p.206) You know, as opposed to the other days of the week he’s just described. Buckley answers more letters before Mass. We learn that WFB didn’t care for the Vatican II reforms of the Catholic Church. WFB visits his friend Tom Hume in the hospital. David Niven is in rare form at lunch, doing many wonderful impersonations-no trouble with his voice today. After lunch WFB’s son Christopher makes a surprise visit. At this time Christopher was a speechwriter for Vice-President George H.W. Bush. WFB goads Christopher into taking the boat out for a quick sail.
Monday-Halfway into writing his column, Vice-President Bush calls WFB. Bush has to cancel his appearance at a fundraising lunch that day for “National Review.” Bush cannot leave Washington because of a federal government shutdown. WFB attends the “National Review” editorial conference. Goes back to his apartment for lunch, Jeane Kirkpatrick, then US Ambassador to the United Nations, is replacing Bush as the speaker. After the lunch, WFB writes his “Notes and Asides” column for “National Review.” Works on the book jacket cover for his forthcoming book about sailing, “Atlantic High.” Visits his mother at her apartment. Has dinner with his “National Review” editors. Goes to bed.
That’s quite a week. As I noted at the beginning of this review, I’m impressed with William F. Buckley as a person, even when I don’t agree with him. I’m impressed by Buckley’s obvious intelligence and his love for the arts. Some of the most fun passages of “Overdrive” are Buckley writing about the music of Bach. I’m also impressed by Buckley’s loyalty and devotion to his friends. He always makes a point of mentioning his friends’ good qualities, and he is generous in his praise of them without ever seeming sycophantic. “Overdrive” is also a testament to how much Buckley enjoyed his life. Throughout the week he doesn’t complain about being tired, or being frustrated that he has to spend the night in Louisville. He seems to enjoy all of his experiences, taking them as they come, and being happy that he is doing work he enjoys while surrounded by family and friends. Who could ask for anything more?
September 17, 2022
Buckley enjoyed annoying people by rubbing it in that he was a wealthy, happily married, professionally successful man with an exciting high profile job and a bunch of rich and famous friends. What could be more obnoxious than that? And, of course, just to make it perfectly annoying, he was a clever, witty, and articulate conservative.
This book was his most blatant attempt to annoy the kind of people who he annoyed. This is a diary/memoir of seven typical Buckley days from November of 1982. His days are filled with limo rides to the airport, dashing off newspaper columns, speeches to 100s of important people, drinks and parties with celebrates from Henry Kissinger to Carol O'Connor to David Nivens, friendly phone calls with President Raegan and Vice President Bush, filming episodes of his successful TV show "Firing Line", or sneaking out for a quick sail with his son or friends on his sail boat.
In between all of that he is firing off letters and articles to a huge variety of causes, friends, enemies and the curious people who write him because he is famous. The letters give him a chance to drop in his takes on issues and stories and reminisces.
I enjoyed it all. He is a good story teller with good stories to tell. He knows we are interested in the minutiae of his kind of life. He tells us how he got his custom limo and how he works on airplanes and how to not waste time filming a TV show and how to get three columns a week written.
His 1982 conservative world view is on clear display. He was friends with a young, conservative Congressman who was caught soliciting a young man. He resigned from Congress. Buckley meets him a few years later He is back with his wife. Buckley's non-ironic conclusion is "the phenomena of the sometime homosexual, wholly cured, is not one with which most of us is familiar."
The book was written in the first days of word processors. It is amusing to have Buckley struggle with the fairly complicated computer technology that was necessary to using a word processor in those days. It was a long way from emojis on a cell phone.
The book is full of interesting stuff. There is no big overarching theme. It is, as advertised, a week in the life of a wealthy, clever, articulate connected conservative star.
This book was his most blatant attempt to annoy the kind of people who he annoyed. This is a diary/memoir of seven typical Buckley days from November of 1982. His days are filled with limo rides to the airport, dashing off newspaper columns, speeches to 100s of important people, drinks and parties with celebrates from Henry Kissinger to Carol O'Connor to David Nivens, friendly phone calls with President Raegan and Vice President Bush, filming episodes of his successful TV show "Firing Line", or sneaking out for a quick sail with his son or friends on his sail boat.
In between all of that he is firing off letters and articles to a huge variety of causes, friends, enemies and the curious people who write him because he is famous. The letters give him a chance to drop in his takes on issues and stories and reminisces.
I enjoyed it all. He is a good story teller with good stories to tell. He knows we are interested in the minutiae of his kind of life. He tells us how he got his custom limo and how he works on airplanes and how to not waste time filming a TV show and how to get three columns a week written.
His 1982 conservative world view is on clear display. He was friends with a young, conservative Congressman who was caught soliciting a young man. He resigned from Congress. Buckley meets him a few years later He is back with his wife. Buckley's non-ironic conclusion is "the phenomena of the sometime homosexual, wholly cured, is not one with which most of us is familiar."
The book was written in the first days of word processors. It is amusing to have Buckley struggle with the fairly complicated computer technology that was necessary to using a word processor in those days. It was a long way from emojis on a cell phone.
The book is full of interesting stuff. There is no big overarching theme. It is, as advertised, a week in the life of a wealthy, clever, articulate connected conservative star.
July 26, 2022
I read this book when it was first published decades ago. I remembered how much I enjoyed it and bought the paperback version. Buckley was a renowned speaker, host of Firing Line, author of political books, writer of a spy series (fiction), yachtsman, friend of Presidents, poltical and cultural figures and leader of the Conservative movement back in the 80’s. It’s interesting to see what a week in his life was like. Certainly a lot more interesting tham most people...
Buckley does flaunt his elevated lifestyle and vocabulary in this book. He shared a few personal stories and correspondence. Very few people were as gifted as Buckley in writing devastating letters to people who drew his ire.
Buckley displays elements of his compassion and condescension particularly when dealing with media and the press. If you enjoyed Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, this book may interest you.
I do not share Buckley’s politics or his religious beliefs. He was an interesting character and celebrity in my youth.
Buckley does flaunt his elevated lifestyle and vocabulary in this book. He shared a few personal stories and correspondence. Very few people were as gifted as Buckley in writing devastating letters to people who drew his ire.
Buckley displays elements of his compassion and condescension particularly when dealing with media and the press. If you enjoyed Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, this book may interest you.
I do not share Buckley’s politics or his religious beliefs. He was an interesting character and celebrity in my youth.
October 22, 2023
A sheer delight to read and quite inspiring, Overdrive (an autobiographic work of a sort) covers a week (with flashbacks) in the life of William F. Buckley Jr and his seemingly effortless juggling of roles: novelist, speaker, magazine editor, non-fiction writer, concert harpsichordist, philanthropist, sea-faring sailor, black belt grammarian and bon vivant (what a gift for friendship he had!)
I couldn't put it down. I've read about 20 of WFB's books and this one is top shelf. So many fun quips and sentences and stories (not to mention wise thoughts).
While it has been criticized as being self-absorbed and egotistical, I completely disagree and think it quite open, honest and forthcoming as well as provoking much thought on my own life and how I live it. What a man, what a life.
I couldn't put it down. I've read about 20 of WFB's books and this one is top shelf. So many fun quips and sentences and stories (not to mention wise thoughts).
While it has been criticized as being self-absorbed and egotistical, I completely disagree and think it quite open, honest and forthcoming as well as provoking much thought on my own life and how I live it. What a man, what a life.
March 31, 2014
Okay, he was/is a philosophical leader of The Right, and a personal friend of Reagan...put the politics aside, and read this smallish book when you THINK you are tired. Try to keep up with what he does in a week's time (I believe it actually spans eight days)...yeah, I don't care how many kids you have, how bad or good or flat-out busy your job was this past week, you can't exert as much energy as he did, in this week. I will even add, that I do not like the culture for some political people of "look who I know"...BUT since Buckley was there, since the end of WW II he DOES actually know the people he talks about in the book, knows them so well, it's not name-dropping...again, when you feel tired, read this, it will pep you up, almost guaranteed. The first book I read when the remodel was done, and we moved in? In the middle of a REALLY cold winter? Overdrive. It may be hard to find, but SHOULD be somewhat cheap, used...good reading
November 11, 2015
This was my third time through the book and more enjoyable than I had remembered. Bill Buckley takes a week in his life and chronicles everything from sailing to dinner parties, to editorial meetings, to visits with friends and answering mail. It sounds boring alright and it isn't because what really comes through is Buckley's philosophy of life which is even deeper than his political philosophies. You get the feeling that not only was Buckley blessed with many friends and a rich life, but that he understood the blessing. An example of anecdotes is Buckley meeting Archie Bunker at a dinner party, an explanation of how he once worked for Howard Hunt at the CIA, and kidding David Niven about a raunchy book blurb. The book is a sequel to Crusing Speed, a similar book written ten years earlier.
June 6, 2008
Entertaining memoir of an interesting, driven sociopolitical figure.
November 24, 2012
GREAT read. Only Buckley could pull this off.
June 2, 2014
He likes to use the word, seductively, a lot.
June 2, 2016
Great window into a week in the life of William F. Buckley, Jr. Buckley lived a very full and joyous life, and this chronicle is tiring but inspiring.
August 12, 2024
Although I didn't agree with his politics, I never denied that Buckley was very well read and a good writer. This was more biography than expository, which is probably why I liked it.
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