Minneapolis Michael

A Chris Jones Piece

I’ve been seeing a lot of praise and a lot of you-gotta-read-this’ about Chris Jones’ piece in the August issue of Esquire, “TV’s Crowning Moment of Awesome.” So, naturally, before I sat down to read it today, I was expecting a Chris Jones Piece. Instead of a Chris Jones Piece, I merely got something that was a fine read. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cool little story, but I felt like 1-2k words were cut in the editing process, and that leaves the narrative a bit disjointed.

What, exactly, is a Chris Jones Piece? What does it look like when Chris Jones has as many words as he wants to tell a story? First, let it be known that I hold Jones in high esteem; I think he’s one of the best long-form journalists in the country. I’ve been reading him for as long as he’s been writing for Esquire, and man has he been writing for Esquire.

If you want to take some time to find out what a Chris Jones Piece reads like, here are a few to get you started:

“The Things That Carried Him” - Jones tells the story of the journey Joe Montgomery’s body took from Iraq, where he was killed in battle, to its final resting place in Indiana, where he was born. A 2009 National Magazine Award winner for Feature Writing — this is a Chris Jones Piece.

“Roger Ebert: The Essential Man” - Jones tells the story of…ah fuck it, you know who Roger Ebert is, right? A beautiful portrait of a beautiful man. A Chris Jones Piece

“The Runaway” - Jones tells the story of Ricky Williams, one of college football’s best players ever, and one of the NFL’s most enigmatic. Jones was the first journalist to track Ricky down and get the story after Ricky’s abrupt retirement in 2004. A Chris Jones Piece.

These are the three pieces that spring to mind. I’ll give it a bit more thought, and if any more of his work presents itself in my brain, I’ll add them here.