Drawing from life

Alternately philosopher, sports commentator, sociologist, and political pundit, Oppenheimer was a writer whose work was infused with a jubilation for life in all its diversity. In the sixteen years he was a columnist for The Village Voice he painted a portrait of an era that was profoundly affecting a generation of young people and that ultimately changed the country. Underlying all of Oppenheimer's thinking and writing was a clear moral vision - rooted in the need to live an informed and caring existence - whether he was writing about parenting, life in Greenwich Village, or the cycle of the seasons. Joel wrote "Oppenheimer's Kvetch" from 1969-1984. His work as a columnist was not driven by the editorial vision of the Voice editors; he was afforded the independence to determine his own subject and the freedom to express his own views.