Wall Street's Joker (or Monster Mensche)

Rather fitting that the current cover of New York Magazine plays off the Oscars and Heath Ledger's film (New York Magazine: Monster Mensch). Ledger's Best Supporting Actor role may be the role of Bernie, while Mr. Wayne could be Ezra Merkin in the BLM affair. Ezra born priviledged. Bernie eager to be rich. Seems that Erza took Uncle Bernie to places he could not have possibly done on his Lower East Side roots. A story of a link forged between the Upper and Lower East side of Manhattan. Ezra's father knew of Uncle Bernie, and was impressed with his success. Ezra would employ that confidence in later life.

The piece dances around the emerging lives of Ezra and Uncle Bernie. Ezra a man seeking paternal acceptance from a completely absent father. Bernie seeking to "arrive". Bernie's brushes with the regulators is well known. Their eyes remained shut. Ezra was not immune to the regulatory microscope. He was investigated for insider trading in 1986 and watched a colleague take time. It was this gap that provided the opening for Uncle Bernie. And the money flowed. And flowed. And flowed.

"Some viewed Bernie and Ezra as two sides of the same coin. One was down to earth, the other positively ethereal; one was hiding in plain sight, the other ostentatiously public. They needed each other. “Ezra was captivated by Madoff,” says one person who knows him, especially, perhaps, compared to his father. “Bernie Madoff must have seemed like a kind, haimish sort of guy compared to my father,” says Daphne."

I'm not sure I gather the jist of the finish of the article. What of Ezra Merkin now? Money built the life, but won't be necessary now. A reinvention is in order. Well, with $150M of Rothkos and a home address of 740 Park Avenue, walk on Ezra. You may have closed your funds, and you may spend the rest of your life in court, but what about all those fees? And Bernie? ABC News showed him relaxed with his Apple laptop, sitting at the desk, probably enjoying his favorite cigar, a Davidoff.

And to bring the movie connection full circle, I offer a (couple of) preview(s) of the upcoming movies: (YouTube - Scumbag Billionaire - the Madoff Movie (Slumdog Millionaire Trailer spoof)) and (YouTube - The (Madoff) International Fake Movie Trailer).....