"Nowadays, you can't turn on the TV without some talking head telling you about the economy. Yet, in a world overrun by 'analysts,' only one man has the guts, the brains, and, quite frankly, the poetry to put it all in perspective.That man is Michael Silverstein... Silverstein is a true intellectual." — Gersh Kuntzman, The New York Post

"Few people have found much to laugh about in the stock market this year. Michael Silverstein is the exception. The Bard of the Bourse can find humor in losing money, globalization and stock options." — USA Today

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About Silverstein's Verse

 

A front page article in last week’s New York Times was headlined: "The Imperial Chief Executive Is Suddenly in the Cross Hairs." It got me thinking about the rock star reps that certain titans of finance and techie entrepreneurs enjoyed during the bubble years of the 1990’s. And this morphed into a desire to comment on this short-lived, and in retrospect, rather silly phenomenon.

For inspiration, I looked to two of history’s great satirists—Gilbert and Sullivan. One of their most playful efforts was The Gondoliers, which contained a ditty titled "The Duke Of Plaza-Toro" about a faux hero who leads from the rear in battle but was always in the front ranks when the time for honors rolled around. My market refurbishment of this song is called "The ‘90’s Market Hero."

The ‘90’s Market Hero

With little more than lip and luck
He built up a new bus’ness,
A layer cake of debt and pluck
Afloat on just what he says.

The analysts applauded him,
Investors liked his brio:
That enterprising
Energizing
Aggrandizing
CEO,
The ‘90’s market hero.

When raising money was the game
All said that he was peerless,
He dared a brighter future name
With optimism fearless.

In later conversations though
His mem’ry was faulty, ‘O:
The self-created
Overrated,
Animated
CEO,
The ‘90’s market hero.

His firm was a democracy
His workers were his brothers,
It pained him so to lay them off
He left the job to others.

But when the time for options came
He proved a blooming Nero:
Our in-denial
Steeped-in-guile
Egophile
CEO,
The ‘90’s market hero.

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