New York Magazine Digs into Matt Drudge's Past

In a story for New York Magazine, Philip Weiss digs deep into the childhood of Matt Drudge:

The divorce and child-support papers in the Maryland State Archives offer a heartrending picture. About the time Drudge failed bar mitzvah, his mother left her job as a staff attorney for Ted Kennedy, where she had worked on health issues, "because of sickness" and remained unemployed for at least two years. The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz has reported that she was hospitalized for schizophrenia. ...

When Drudge was 15, crisis rocked the family. His mother was hospitalized, and a few weeks later Drudge was arrested. "Juvenile court told me that he was arrested on June 18 for making annoying phone calls," his father testified in a hearing on child support. "He's got a problem of making annoying phone calls to a girl," Drudge's mother testified. After the arrest, Drudge went to live with his father on a farm on the eastern shore of Maryland and go to school there. Robert Drudge was a therapist and social worker, but the boy was evidently too much for him, and Matt wasn't cut out for the sticks -- he liked to hang out at video arcades with a Walkman, listening to tapes. Robert Drudge sent Matt back to Washington. Drudge's mother said his father "resents" the boy, and told this story in a diva's style that her son would admire: "Robert Drudge rejected his natural son, Matthew, and returned him to my home, knowing that I am under doctor's care and unemployed. His reason for returning Matthew to me after three weeks was that 'his wife comes first, her two boys come second, and Matthew comes third'; that he did not want to assume any responsibility for him as his father because he has a new family; and that he hopes everything turns out all right. Robert Drudge has not communicated with his son or me since that time." Young Drudge was placed in psychiatric treatment with Jewish Social Services. It was recommended that the boy be sent to a boarding school, "and if not the last choice will be a foster home." (The court papers don't say whether this came to pass.)

Drudge must have been an uncomfortable kid. He lost his books, he lost his glasses. His mother said he had "special education" needs. One friend says that Drudge started wearing the famous hat in high school to deal with premature hair loss. "This is an incredibly lonely kid. He doesn't have a sister, his mother is in and out of hospitals, the father was beside himself. In high school they treated him like ----. He was starting to lose his hair in high school; think what that does to a kid. I find it so appealing when someone has nothing and gets somewhere."

I didn't experience anything like this, but the superficial similarities between us weird me out. We're both 40-year-old children of divorce who grew up obsessed with newspapers but ended up building media careers outside of them. (That's where the similarities end; he makes more in a day than my assorted sites make in a month.)

This article calls Drudge "America's most influential journalist," which is the kind of hyperbolic praise he usually links to on the Drudge Report. But in the two days since the story appeared online -- an eternity in Drudge time -- it hasn't been linked.

Journalism · 2007/08/28 · 11 COMMENTS · Link

Comments

Perhaps Matt reveals himself in his apparent dislike of "surveillance", and links to stories of public cameras and photos from space privacy issues. Combined with a reason not to be particularly proud of his formative years, he may not want to link such perceived indignities and strife. He may even think he is being humble and not proud of his sudden fame, as an alternative reason. Considering his apparent love of gossip, perhaps it is the former, and since perhaps if you had been so promoted nationally, he might have linked stories of your similarly trite background with some satisfaction, and as you do him, here?

Or, do you believe he doesn't think you exist?

#1 · tadowe · 2007/08/29

The Report has been aware of the Retort for years. I've corresponded with Andrew Breitbart about a blog entry here, and my Retort copublisher Jonathan Bourne was on a radio show in 1998 or 1999 where Matt Drudge called in to complain about something he said. I also got an email from Ann Coulter meant for him, and when she was told she sent it to the wrong place, she blew a gasket.

#2 · Rogers Cadenhead · 2007/08/29

So Ann Coulter's email came to Roger's "mailbox" rather than Matt's? That sound's familiar. I ended up at the Drudge Retort when I Goggled the Drudge name many years ago.

It still leaves one wondering -- WHY would someone use another's name? It's smacks of plagiarism "lite".

NOW -- I assume Roger will censor me and pull me from this site as well..........

Knock your socks off..........

#3 · LZK · 2007/08/29

LZK bottoms out (no yo), "NOW -- I assume Roger will censor me and pull me from this site as well.........."

Repetition and thread stealing are reasons and part of the rules that Freerepublic openly states they remove posting privileges for breaking. Seemingly, Rogers is much more lenient, and since you don't add anything to the subject, not even some well crafted insult that even the target might enjoy, abstractly.

I've enjoyed a ban here (along with SierraTimes blog and formerly on the Drudge Retort), and still have my work link's posts refused but not my home site, now. I think because of my use of a generalized pronoun, "you" and which can be misunderstood to be a personal attack if the comment is carelessly crafted (endemic to blogging). Well, and along with being a bit personal when the subject revolved around Rogers, but which is seemingly accepted when it is personal criticism directed at me by others; making me the subject of discussion. They didn't seem to be banned for stealing threads, personal attacks and stalking the posters every correspondence adding their bwaahahaha's, snickers, and lol's ...

Now, though, Rogers is permitting a more liberal attitude than even the Freerepublic, and in my opinion, much to his credit. Now I can tell the minions of defeat and retreat what I think of their subersions and perverted sense of patriotism ... when part of the thread ... or I become the subject for their stalking.

That's my applause, not bans. They are just the silver lining to that dark cloud which is almost exclusively a tool of tyranny: bans and banishments, if not the barrel of the gun ...

#4 · tadowe · 2007/08/29

It still leaves one wondering -- WHY would someone use another's name?

I think the second word in the title "Drudge Retort" succinctly answers that question.

#5 · Bill · 2007/08/29

Who cares!

#6 · Ames Tiedeman · 2007/08/30

That sound's familiar.

No apostrophe necessary. "sounds" is correct.

I ended up at the Drudge Retort when I Goggled the Drudge name many years ago.

Googled.

It still leaves one wondering -- WHY would someone use another's name? It's smacks of plagiarism "lite".

It's smacks? (It's = it is)

The poster above answered the question succinctly. Go look up "retort" at dictionary.com (NOTE: dictionary.com, not "dictionerry," "dickshunairy" or however you spell it)

NOW -- I assume Roger will censor me and pull me from this site as well...

Only if he bans functionally retarded people.

#7 · hork · 2007/08/30

I have ambivalent feelings about the Weiss story, Rogers. On one hand, he did original research and consulted secondary sources no one else bothered to. But I do have to question anonymous sources who offer "I knew him when" insight without copping to their relationship to the story. (Not that Drudge himself doesn't do that, but the key here is getting the most accurate possible picture.) In the archives I've assembled in researching Matt Drudge for my own book, I make a clear line of demarcation between "horse's mouth" quotes and journalistic interpretations thereof. If you isolate the "creative writing" or armchair psychology, it tells another story.

His true political leanings and involvement, by the way, is really no news. He's interesting...neither hero nor anti-hero.

#8 · RegoPark · 2007/08/31

Well Bill -- so you're = you are the PC policeman on staff -- ey?..... How interesting!!

If -- as you've stated -- "retort" succinctly answers the question of "why" I was Goggled to Roger's Retort -- when looking for Matt "Drudge" -- you could perhaps check the facts regarding the court action as it played out. NOW -- why would there be any litigation involving Roger -- if his only claim in using the "Drudge" handle was to respond/retort (whichever you feel comfortable with)? A little "coat/tail" riding -- ey?

Com'on -- look at the truth. Doesn't he benefit from the Drudge name????? You liberals -- how you love to spin.

The reason the print media is losing their market is because of their journalistic elitism and obvious agenda "managing" put forth by the alphabet news and print news. Scan the above listed entries. They smack of an entitlement mentality, i.e. there/there I'll tell you what,where,how to think.

The internet has given a voice to common folk. Perhaps not as "educated" as some of the elite (or so they think) -- but -- non/the/less able to offer their opinions and expertise on any given subject.

#9 · LZK · 2007/09/02

My angry article entitled "Wishful Vetting of Palin" was removed in its entirety by Matt Drudge on his website. It consisted of many angry questions--some of which should truly should have been asked by our lazy corporate-owned media. I hate neocons. Drudge is obviously the biggest fascist of them all. Also, I would like to mention that I received threats from seasoned Drudge fans (men) who wrote "Let's get her!" as if I was going to be maimed, sexually assaulted and thrown into a dumpster. If this is the Republican mindset towards women with different opinions that do not support their cause then I question their empathy and due care towards any legislation that involves women in this country. This "thug mindset" that borders on evil could be construed as a new breed of terrorism on the domestic front. ASK YOURSELF IF MEN WHO TERRORIZE WOMEN OVER THE INTERNET ARE LAW ABIDING CITIZENS. DRUDGE HAS A CRIMINAL RECORD TOO (for harrassing a girl with a phone. Wow...a criminal. So... YOU REALLY OUGHT TO THINK TWICE ABOUT VOTING REPUBLICAN ESPECIALLY SINCE MCCAIN ALLOWED FOR BANKS TO COLLAPSE WITH HIS FINANCIAL ADVISOR BUDDY ON HIS CAMPAIGN, PHIL GRAHAM. WHAT THESE BANKS HAVE DONE TO TAXPAYERS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL AND DRUDGE AND HIS FRIENDS PERPETUATE THE PROBLEM BY INTERFERRING WITH REAL NEWS WITH THEIR USE OF CENSORSHIP AND CYBER-BULLYING.

#10 · Marina Gipps · 2008/09/17

I wonder if anyone knows that the last name used by Robert Drudge is not the last name he was born with. He was adopted by his stepfather whos last name was Drudge.

#11 · visitor · 2017/06/12