A Word for the Fallen
Celebrities. Yeah, we dont know them. We arent them, and its really kind of silly that we obsess over them. I try not to, but what can I say? I watch so much TV and pay attention to movies so closely that its really hard to not get attached, you know like that skunk that followed you home when you were a kid and your mom told you could'nt keep it, even though you had it trained to spray Jehova Witnesses on command. Hey, your dad loved it. But seriously, when something good happens we are all a twitter about it, then again when something bad happens, we mourn as if we lost a sister, brother or long lost cousin. And who can blame us? There have been so many celebs that have touched our lives. The last time I can remember really feeling so upset was when Jim Varney died. I mean this was Slinky Dog man! And I remember countless nights wasted watching the stupid Ernest movies. They were a cornerstone of any good childhood.
But this past week when George Carlin passed, it was a shock. Yeah, I know that people dont live forever, and he was 71, but George was the guy that you expected to outlive all of us because he knew the secret to life, but wouldnt share it because he didnt want all the stupid people to live forever too.
I'm not going to go in a drawn out detail about his life, and I'm not going to ask you for a moment of silence, thats your business, none of mine. But I will go onto Stan Winston, who passed away last week at the age of 62. Thats pretty young, especially for an effects wizard. Those guys dont typically die until they're old and forgotten anyway, as they shuffle out onto the stage to accept the lifetime achievement award. Again, I didnt know Stan, but I felt like I did through his work. That means that he did it right.
But its amazing how things kind of blindside you. I lost my last Grandfather last year. He was 84, and not in good health, so it was expected....though its never really expected. There is nothing that can prepare you for death, or the flurry of activity that it brings. But though I was affected by his passing, as would be expected, it didnt bother me. He was old, it was his time, after all Grandpas die. Just like when one of my idols goes, B.B. King. I know its just a matter of time,the man is 82 years old. I know its going to happen, sooner rather than later, and it will be sad, but it will be more of a celebration of his life than a mourning of his death.
No, the real tragedies, the ones that fuck me up are the ones that you dont see coming at all. The ones that make you have to sit down. Yeah, Heath Ledger was one of those. Just a talented individual gone. Then not too long after that, my friend Robert Taff, who was 35, passed away out of the blue. Dear god, the man was just 4 years older than I am now! A heart attack made short work of it. And it crippled me. It seriously knocked me for a loop. I sat there and thought and thought about his passing, and things we did together. He was the first one to get me interested in Islands of Adventure, ranting and raving about it all the time. He bought my son his first lightsaber. I'd known him since I was 17 years old. But I've known my grandpa since I could remember...so why was this passing of a simple friend so hard to deal with?
"Its like sitting ontop of a roof during a lightning storm" my good friend Bsquare told me "you sit there and watch it strike closer and closer to home every time, and you know its only a matter of time before you get hit.....but someone took the goddamn ladder and you cant get off the roof." Bsquare always had some hillbilly logic that honestly makes sense, and he had recently lost his father.....if that wasnt experience talking I dont know what was. But, that was it. I was afraid of my own death, and the fact that my grandfather died at 82 didnt bother me, it was the fact that my friend died at 35. Nothing is certain. And thats why the celebrities passing have such a profound effect on us all I think. They remind us that nothing is certain, even those who seem so much bigger than the rest of us are only mortal like the rest of us.
Wow, I guess I've had a lot to say this week. One more update will happen on Friday, then its back to normal....well, you know what I mean. Til next time, keep your pants on....tommyknockers.
But this past week when George Carlin passed, it was a shock. Yeah, I know that people dont live forever, and he was 71, but George was the guy that you expected to outlive all of us because he knew the secret to life, but wouldnt share it because he didnt want all the stupid people to live forever too.
I'm not going to go in a drawn out detail about his life, and I'm not going to ask you for a moment of silence, thats your business, none of mine. But I will go onto Stan Winston, who passed away last week at the age of 62. Thats pretty young, especially for an effects wizard. Those guys dont typically die until they're old and forgotten anyway, as they shuffle out onto the stage to accept the lifetime achievement award. Again, I didnt know Stan, but I felt like I did through his work. That means that he did it right.
But its amazing how things kind of blindside you. I lost my last Grandfather last year. He was 84, and not in good health, so it was expected....though its never really expected. There is nothing that can prepare you for death, or the flurry of activity that it brings. But though I was affected by his passing, as would be expected, it didnt bother me. He was old, it was his time, after all Grandpas die. Just like when one of my idols goes, B.B. King. I know its just a matter of time,the man is 82 years old. I know its going to happen, sooner rather than later, and it will be sad, but it will be more of a celebration of his life than a mourning of his death.
No, the real tragedies, the ones that fuck me up are the ones that you dont see coming at all. The ones that make you have to sit down. Yeah, Heath Ledger was one of those. Just a talented individual gone. Then not too long after that, my friend Robert Taff, who was 35, passed away out of the blue. Dear god, the man was just 4 years older than I am now! A heart attack made short work of it. And it crippled me. It seriously knocked me for a loop. I sat there and thought and thought about his passing, and things we did together. He was the first one to get me interested in Islands of Adventure, ranting and raving about it all the time. He bought my son his first lightsaber. I'd known him since I was 17 years old. But I've known my grandpa since I could remember...so why was this passing of a simple friend so hard to deal with?
"Its like sitting ontop of a roof during a lightning storm" my good friend Bsquare told me "you sit there and watch it strike closer and closer to home every time, and you know its only a matter of time before you get hit.....but someone took the goddamn ladder and you cant get off the roof." Bsquare always had some hillbilly logic that honestly makes sense, and he had recently lost his father.....if that wasnt experience talking I dont know what was. But, that was it. I was afraid of my own death, and the fact that my grandfather died at 82 didnt bother me, it was the fact that my friend died at 35. Nothing is certain. And thats why the celebrities passing have such a profound effect on us all I think. They remind us that nothing is certain, even those who seem so much bigger than the rest of us are only mortal like the rest of us.
Wow, I guess I've had a lot to say this week. One more update will happen on Friday, then its back to normal....well, you know what I mean. Til next time, keep your pants on....tommyknockers.
posted by Erik the Yates at
7:18 PM
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