Spalding Gray is dead



Siobhan Perricone wrote:

> I think that's really really sad. He was an
> actor/performance artist who wrote and spoke about his
> personal problems in a way that touched many people.

And held his own demons at bay. I didn't like his later
stuff so much, when he'd dumped his "Jewish mafia"
girlfriend, the one who'd have steam screaming out of her
navel when mad, and who kept whispering "you can change
the house, but you can't change the location" in his ear.
And yes, after hearing the whole description of his
experiance in Thailand, I do know what killed Marilyn
Monroe. Another example of how suicide runs in families.
So long Spuddy. blacksalt
 
Pennyaline wrote:

> I saw him in live performances as well, and found him
> increasingly tedious as time went on. In the mid '80s, I
> was convinced he was brilliant. Fair warning: I thought a
> lot of things were brilliant in the '80s. By the time I
> saw him last in the late '90s, I was certain that he
> needed either to grow up or get his meds adjusted or both
> -- "Felix Unger" couldn't hold a whine this long.

If you want to get particular and don't mind speaking ill of
the dead, well, um, yeah, I agree. Earlier in his career, he
was brilliant. His later work was bathroom humor and
complaining without the insight. Still, even in that last
monologue I saw (googled trying to find the name, gave up),
I had to admire his performance abilities and the deadpan
delivery. And I like the genre. It is called monologue, but
it is more than that and a subset of it, that mix of
performance and autobiography, one-man show. Not many others
do it. Wallace Shawn comes to mind. Who else?

--Lia
 
On Tue, 9 Mar 2004 14:24:30 -0700, "Pennyaline"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>His death is no surprise. He couldn't see very far beyond
>the end of his nose, which is typical for the suicidal.

You've managed to attain lower the bar for callousness in
usenet. Please don't bother to say that you've had close
friends or family who committed suicide, even it were true,
that doesn't excuse such a harsh comment.

--
Siobhan Perricone
The actions taken by the New Hampshire Episcopalians are an affront to
Christians everywhere. I am just thankful that the church's founder, Henry
VIII, and his wife Catherine of Aragon, his wife Anne Boleyn, his wife Jane
Seymour, his wife Anne of Cleves, his wife Catherine Howard and his wife
Catherine Parr are no longer here to suffer through this assault on our
"traditional Christian marriage."
- Owen Keavney
 
Pennyaline wrote:

> "Julia Altshuler" wrote:
> > A writer and performer best known for his monologues in
> > which he talks about his life. I saw him live twice. His
> > wry sense of humor and offbeat observations made him
> > popular with a loyal following and practically unknown
> > to others. He wasn't a huge star, but those who loved
> > him loved him well.
>
> I saw him in live performances as well, and found him
> increasingly tedious as time went on. In the mid '80s, I
> was convinced he was brilliant. Fair warning: I thought a
> lot of things were brilliant in the '80s. By the time I
> saw him last in the late '90s, I was certain that he
> needed either to grow up or get his meds adjusted or both
> -- "Felix Unger" couldn't hold a whine this long.

Yup...I too used to like him, but his schtick grew
increasingly tiresome. Like Noam Chomsky (whose every word I
once hung onto) I can only take so much of a depressive one
- note personality, no matter how brilliant.

> His death is no surprise. He couldn't see very far beyond
> the end of his nose, which is typical for the suicidal.

I always wondered if he had Asperger's Syndrome....

--
Best Greg
 
"Siobhan Perricone" wrote:
> I wrote:
>
> >His death is no surprise. He couldn't see very far beyond
> >the end of his nose, which is typical for the suicidal.
>
> You've managed to attain lower the bar for callousness in
> usenet. Please don't bother to say that you've had close
> friends or family who committed suicide, even it were
> true, that doesn't excuse such a harsh comment.

My condolences if you have had suicide in your family or
circle of friends, or have entertained thoughts of it
yourself. Still, it doesn't change the truth.

Having worked with suicidal patients, survivors of suicide
attempts, and survivors of successful suicides, I know my
stuff and can say with confidence that he was a typical
suicidal personality.
 
On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 17:35:06 -0700, "Pennyaline"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>"Siobhan Perricone" wrote:
>> I wrote:
>>
>> >His death is no surprise. He couldn't see very far
>> >beyond the end of his nose, which is typical for the
>> >suicidal.
>>
>> You've managed to attain lower the bar for callousness in
>> usenet. Please don't bother to say that you've had close
>> friends or family who committed suicide, even it were
>> true, that doesn't excuse such a harsh comment.
>
>My condolences if you have had suicide in your family or
>circle of friends, or have entertained thoughts of it
>yourself. Still, it doesn't change the truth.

>Having worked with suicidal patients, survivors of suicide
>attempts, and survivors of successful suicides, I know my
>stuff and can say with confidence that he was a typical
>suicidal personality.

That is so not the point that I'm probably just wasting time
for both of us, but I'll give it another go.

My point is there are things you don't need to say. Did your
mother never teach you that sometimes it's best to keep your
thoughts to yourself?

It doesn't matter if it's true or not. Even a ten year old
child has enough impulse control to avoid blurting out
unpleasant truths in the name of polite compassion.

I suppose I'm just optimistic enough to think that how we
treat the people here on Usenet that we can't see face to
face matters at least a little bit. That suicidal people
and those who suffer from chronic depression and mental
imbalances are deserving of a little bit more compassion
from those of us who are fortunate enough not to suffer
what they do.

Your comment was an unnecessary slam against every "typical"
person who happens to suffer from chronic depression to the
point of having suicidal tendancies. The idea that you might
actually be working with such people on a regular basis is
the most upsetting part of this whole little kerfuffle. I
hope you have more impulse control around them than you've
demonstrated here.

--
Siobhan Perricone "You know, I used to think it was awful
that life was so unfair; then I thought, 'Wouldn't it be
much worse if life *were* fair, and all the terrible things
that happened to us come because we actually deserved them?'
So now I take great comfort in the general hostility and
unfairness of the universe."
- Marcus, Babylon 5, "A Late Delivery from Avalon"
 
"Siobhan Perricone" wrote:
> That is so not the point that I'm probably just wasting
> time for both of us, but I'll give it another go.
>
> My point is there are things you don't need to say. Did
> your mother never teach you that sometimes it's best to
> keep your thoughts to yourself?
>
> It doesn't matter if it's true or not. Even a ten year old
> child has
enough
> impulse control to avoid blurting out unpleasant truths in
> the name of polite compassion.
>
> I suppose I'm just optimistic enough to think that how we
> treat the people here on Usenet that we can't see face to
> face matters at least a little bit. That suicidal people
> and those who suffer from chronic depression and mental
> imbalances are deserving of a little bit more compassion
> from those of us who are fortunate enough not to suffer
> what they do.
>
> Your comment was an unnecessary slam against every
> "typical" person who happens to suffer from chronic
> depression to the point of having suicidal tendancies. The
> idea that you might actually be working with such people
on
> a regular basis is the most upsetting part of this whole
> little kerfuffle. I hope you have more impulse control
> around them than you've demonstrated here.

Oh, I see. You want things to be pretty and P.C. In that
case, you're right. You're wasting your time.

<BTW, not everyone who bears your disapproval is
impulsive and lacking compassion -- but that IS so not
the point, eh? ;)
 
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