"Soothing like a blender"

The NYT Magazine is previewing its Sunday story on Hardball's Chris Matthews. Mark Liebovich's profile is insightful and (oh, holy grail of long-form journalism!) relevant, situating the MSNBC grandstander in a larger context:

"... the broader issue involves whether Matthews is a man trapped in a tired caricature. And it touches on the future of his archetype in general — in other words, whither the cable blowhard? The “What happens to Chris” question — a hot topic at NBC these days — infuses the Matthews story with a kind of “lion in winter” urgency, if not poignancy. It also goes to the core of how Matthews sees himself, how cable news is changing and how Americans perceive of and consume their politics."

It's also an uncomfortably close look at the neuroses, insecurities, and shortcomings of one of the most ubiquitous faces in cable television. In other words, a voyeuristic pleasure.