Professor of High Caliber (Portrait of Barry Hannah) — Steve Brodner

Professor of High Caliber, 1988, a portrait of Barry Hannah by Steve Brodner (b. 1954)

The portrait appeared in the 1 July 1988 issue of Esquire, accompanied by the following text:

There he stood, in front of his class at the University of Alabama, tooting on his trumpet: Barry Hannah, gonzo novelist and pseudo-jazz musician, a man possessed by more than the English language. He was playing his own brand of jazz, the kind only a tonedeaf mother could love. Pausing to wipe his brow, Hannah exclaimed, “Whew, this is some good soul!” and began to squawk again. The class grew restive. Several made a break for the door. Hannah pulled a gun out and motioned them back to their seats. “Now this,” he said, waving the gun, “is some bad soul. You guys had better learn the difference.”

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