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RIP Robin Williams

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#82
When I first heard this yesterday I felt the same emotional rush I got when I first heard about Steve Ray. I never realized just how much of an impact Mr. Williams had on my life until that moment. Thinking back I believe it was because most of my memories of him have his big goofy grin at their center and there have been many days when a big goofy grin was enough to turn an otherwise crappy day completely around. Amazing how something so simple can have so much impact on your life and you don't even realize it until the certainty of it being forever removed hits you like sucker punch to the gut.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving so much of yourself to make this world a brighter place. I just wish you could have held enough back for yourself.

Rest in peace and godspeed Mr. Williams...
 
#84
Sometime in the late '70s/early '80s...HBO ran one of their Comedy shows with Robin Williams. Like most of America (I assume), I was only familiar with him via Happy Days/Mork & Mindy. I usually enjoyed these HBO non-movie specials, so I tuned in.
My God...the improv skills were off the charts. It was here where I realized improvisation can occur outside of music.
This brand of comedy was right up there with the highest quality Jazz soloist.

I caught Frank Caliendo this a.m. on Mike & Mike (ESPN)...Caliendo mentioned Mr. Williams as a big influence; also mentioned was Jonathan Winters as an influence for Robin Williams (I never knew that; kinda funny that Winters played Williams' son on Mork & Mindy).
Caliendo, too, mentioned Williams' ability to improv an entire bit from just one little piece of information. This bit would take many paths & angles, too.

RIP.
 
#85
I haven't had a completely tearless day since the news came out. Robin Williams has absolutely floored me for about as long as I can remember. I am past the Mork and Mindy era...I remember in the 8th grade we read the book Awakenings in class. Then I learned there was a movie on it; I watched it, thinking "man what a great movie...hold up is that the genie from Aladdin?? Mrs Doubtfire??? Why is this hilariously goofy man such a fantastic actor???" The Birdcage first caught my attention because it had Timon from Lion King and Mrs Doubtfire. I could tolerate Ally McBeal...when I finally actually watched it it quickly became one of my favorite movies.

As was mentioned, the good out of this is that some light can finally be shed on mental illness. Yesterday I thought to myself, "I can't get myself all teary eyed over someone I don't know...who do I know personally who actually suffers from mental illness hmm....oh yeah, my BROTHER!" My brother has brain damage from a head trauma 6 years ago. Initially I was a great deal of help to him but he has since become very difficult to deal with and even talk to, so I've all but written him off. My own frustration isn't an excuse...so thank you Robin Williams for helping me to once again consider my little brother and look into ways that I can help him without burning myself out over his shenanigans
 
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#87
BayStateBass said:
Here is a real interesting, and on-point article. I'd be willing to bet that a lot of us here can identify with this. I know I can. I would suspect a lot of this can also translate to musicians or other artists.

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Thanks for this. It is an exceptional article. And, you're right - the blues does get around.

I'll miss this man but I'll cherish what he has given us, over so many years, with eternal gratitude. Love to all. Seeya, sunshine.



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#88
It's a little tough to listen to that dude attempting to explain a recovered alcoholics suicide, with a beer in his hand. My apologies if that dude was you :), but it irked me a little too much to listen to anything he had to say or take him seriously. I skimmed through it and just got annoyed.

Has anybody yet posted what Henry Rollins had to say about this? He apologized in the 2nd link, but said some pretty profound (IMO) things. I agree with a lot of it, though I do think it was a bit insensitive. And his timing sucked.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/n...m_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_248325

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/n...logizes-for-robin-williams-criticism-20140823
 
#89
When people write stuff like that stupid, insensitive Rollins did, they are removed from my analog world.

Any modicum respect I had for his intelligence is expunged. What an a$$.

Wait, I don't mean it. Henry was obviously in his manic phase. He might need to check in somewhere and get care for his condition. Pulling for ya Hank.

Either that or he has a new record coming out. :scowl:
 
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#90
96tbird said:
When people write stuff like that stupid, insensitive Rollins did, they are removed from my analog world.

Any modicum respect I had for his intelligence is expunged. What an a$$.

Wait, I don't mean it. Henry was obviously in his manic phase. He might need to check in somewhere and get care for his condition. Pulling for ya Hank.

Either that or he has a new record coming out. :scowl:
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I know Rollins apologized:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/n...logizes-for-robin-williams-criticism-20140823

I didn't read it; just thought I'd share in case anyone was interested.

I have no interest in that sort of thing.
 
#93
I read the original LA Weekly column, as well as the apology. He took a pretty unpopular stance on suicide. I know that Henry is a pretty thoughtful guy. But he also has some strong opinions. And I was personally disappointed by the initial column.

I expect that Henry heard directly from a lot of his fans. He's actually pretty good about keeping in touch with them directly. I actually had a pretty good email dialogue going with him a number of years ago. And he seems to be pretty open to thoughtful criticism. I suspect that when he read some of it he was probably swayed. Suicide and depression are rough territory for anyone, and the topics can be heart wrenching as those who are left behind have to pick up the pieces.

I appreciate that Henry would apologize. And when it comes from him I suspect that the criticism he took made him think a bit more about the subject as a whole and that his tone was harsh. Granted, there may have been some business pressure on him to apologize. I know that a good part of his living now comes from commercial voice over work. When I was emailing with him he said to me "Voice over work is part of what I do to make a living." Still, I suspect he is genuinely sorry. He has always come across as one of the more honest and open artists of his era. The simple act of giving some of his time to me has led me to think that he deserves that consideration.
 
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#94
Just my opinion but I believe his intent behind that was not as much to put Robin Williams down, but to dissuade people who might find any glamor in the responses to his suicide. Rollins has a lot of good things to say... Outside of this. Some of his spoken word stuff has inspired and helped me greatly.
 
#95
I read it. He shot his mouth off and said what a lot of people are thinking, uninformed or otherwise. I don't think he should be hanged for it. I actually agree with the 'spirit' of his message, which is you must do whatever it takes to be there for your children. I believe he meant for that to be the main point, but since most people get that already he should have just kept his mouth shut. He clearly doesn't understand - as none of us can - the kind of bottomless, hopeless anguish required to take ones own life, leaving a family behind and passing the anguish to them. You have to believe Williams thought hard about that before he did it. It is really impossible to imagine how bad it must have been to consider those awful consequences and still go through with it. Impossible.
I think his lengthy apology was sincere, and I'm willing to give him a break. He just doesn't understand. Just like me.
 
#96
Marley's Ghost said:
I was wondering if you read the bio for Terrence Popp and were inclined to qualify your criticism of his video and perhaps take him more seriously. If anyone has earned the right to drink a beer whenever he wants to and have his opinion taken seriously, it's Terry. More than any human alive he personifies sacrifice and dedication to keep the rest of us safe. Not only did he put his life on the line day in day out for our freedom, but he also risked his to save his brothers in arms.
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I don't think anyone who calls women "Slags", having never met them, deserves to have his opinion taken seriously by me. You can take his opinion seriously, but I'll take a pass. I appreciate his service and sacrifice to his country, but that doesn't make misogyny acceptable.
 
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#97
Hey, let's be honest - he wasn't exactly a model citizen himself. First the waitress then the nanny. His first wife and second (the nanny) gave him three kids. I'd say there's quite a bit of value there. I'm feeling sour grapes from you - divorced?
 
#98
Marley's Ghost said:
You are right about that. "Thieves" is a more appropriate descriptor. None of the women in Robin's life did anything even remotely equal in value to the windfall they received. But thanks to a bloated sense of entitlement and the support of the corrupt and inequitable divorce courts, they had no compunction about bleeding a good man dry to the point where he knew he was headed for bankruptcy and public humiliation.
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I'll be honest, once he started the misogyny, I turned it off. Was there anything other than conjecture on the part of Mr. Popp regarding the bankruptcy and public humiliation?
 
#99
David Jayne said:
Hey, let's be honest - he wasn't exactly a model citizen himself. First the waitress then the nanny. His first wife and second (the nanny) gave him three kids. I'd say there's quite a bit of value there. I'm feeling sour grapes from you - divorced?
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Nothing he did could justify the huge payouts.

Yes, I am divorced. I filed to get away from crazy. And paying through the nose despite the fact that all she did was spend money and pick on the kids.

Frank Tuesday said:
I'll be honest, once he started the misogyny, I turned it off. Was there anything other than conjecture on the part of Mr. Popp regarding the bankruptcy and public humiliation?
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A lot of grim statistics that clearly explain why Robin was headed for certain financial ruin. And his Parkinson's disease was the final nail in the coffin, as his debilitation ensured there was no way he would be able to earn enough to pay the exorbitant lifetime alimony bills.
 
#100
Marley's Ghost said:
A lot of grim statistics that clearly explain why Robin was headed for certain financial ruin. And his Parkinson's disease was the final nail in the coffin, as his debilitation ensured there was no way he would be able to earn enough to pay the exorbitant lifetime alimony bills.
Click to expand...

But Mr Popp states at the beginning of the video that he didn't know about the Parkinson's diagnosis at the time the video was shot, so you can't use that as a justification for the views in the video. These "statistics", are there verifiable sources? What about the "Public Humiliation"? Any evidence that Mr Williams was concerned about that?

I Link Removed game, because he feels that he was treated unfairly (and if his side of the story is true, I agree). He can have his opinion, but given his obvious bias, he's going to need something substantial for me to take it seriously.
 
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