This is a difficult thing to define, but I know what it is when I see it. Probably the man who best captures this is Mark Messier of the New York Rangers, who, as Nesdoly reminded me recently, was a perfect guy on the night his friend, the great Wayne Gretzky, retired from hockey. I like a man with a bit of badness. Many of us do. Bill Clinton was not adored by women because he was a great president.
Vulnerability is good.
But a glimpse, a hint of naked soul, is a touching, lovely thing. I was searching my mind the other night for an illustration when a great male friend remembered a giant party I had last summer, which many Posties and a herd of other media types attended. It was a Friday night in August. Everyone came in shorts or jeans or casual summer clothes. Midway through, I was tapped on the shoulder and turned to see Conrad Black standing behind me.