Anthony Bourdain - RIP

This was one of the most heartbreaking of days. As soon as I got up, I looked at my phone and saw the beginning words of a headline, "Anthony Bourdain" it started. Oh no. Before I swiped over, I briefly thought, maybe he and Asia Argento got married. But no, the worst news ever, dead at 61. I thought, heart attack. And then the news did get worse. Suicide. It was a same 1-2 punch as the morning I woke to the news of Chris Cornell. Unexpected death. Must be a heart attack...and then shockingly, suicide. I saw him twice in person, first in Milwaukee and then in Chicago. I've watched him for 15 years. I have his Les Halles cookbook, the great "Kitchen Confidential," and, no bs, just pulled "Parts Unknown" off my bookshelf last Saturday and started re-reading it. I can hear the cadence of his voice, imagine the movements of his body in some of my favorite episodes. It feels so personal, as if I truly lost someone I knew, a friend who took me along to places I couldn't go to on my own. It's a thought all fans are feeling, no doubt. I imagine his best friend, Eric Ripert, finding him. And I'm conjuring up all sorts of reasons in my head. His food explorations led him, and us, to the truer journey of connecting with people, cultures, history, socio-economic crisis or in other words, humanity on the most vulnerable level. He was vulnerable, too. I'm so sorry for your pain, Anthony. Thank you for all you gave us and tried to make us understand.

Prince - It's been one year

I said to some friends and coworkers yesterday, tomorrow will be one year since Prince died.  I was sad.  All over again.

A year ago, I thought, I'm going to gather together all my books and magazine articles on Prince and shove them together in one photo to show to all my devotion and love to all his music.  As if doing so would prove to the world how much he meant to me.  To show, I suppose, the depth of my grief.  The loss of that voice, his suggestive eyes and moves, his incredible, electrifying guitar ability.  But I didn't do it--take the photo, that is.  I just couldn't bring myself to see it lain out in front of me.

Earlier this week I had read and re-read accounts of when he had died along with some updated articles from the NY Times you can find here, an account of phenomenal singer Judith Hill on the flight that landed in Moline, IL, 6 days before Prince's death, here.  There are more links to other article within these two articles.

There was also an article in The New Yorker from April 6th, in which the author, Ben Greenman, says,

When I encounter someone else who is as devoted to Prince’s music as I am, I tend to turn away from that person, embarrassed by the recognition of mutual interest, eager to return to the safety of private joy. There’s an early Prince song, “Private Joy,” in which he jealously keeps a lover to himself: “Ain’t gonna tell nobody nobody ‘bout my little pretty toy.” I knew what he meant.

I know, too.

When you love an actor or musician or author so much--when their work affects you so deeply and has become a background benchmark to numerous events in your life, your loss isn't fleeting.  It's deeply personal and deeply cutting, and painfully lasting, or as Prince sang in the song Adore. "until the end of time..."

My tribute from this day last year.

George Michael - RIP

I, like many of you, was so shocked to hear that George Michael died today. I always thought his voice was so strong on the song "One More Try" soaring from low to high with ease. On Twitter someone posted him singing a Queen song (with David Bowie and Seal, no less, looking on from the sidelines). I always thought that no one could match Freddie Mercury's or Elton John's vocals, but George Michael could. And who could emulate George Michael's? Not many. Some singers make it look so easy. Maybe the singing is the easiest part of it for them, and living life is the harder part. Please read this article by the great Bob Lefsetz on George's artistic contribution, and what it costs to be an artist.

Please also read Rob Sheffield's great tribute to George in Rolling Stone, here.

Sharon Jones RIP

I just read the sad news that Sharon Jones has died.  She had an incredibly powerful voice reminiscent of the great 1960's soul singers.  In fact, she was known as the female James Brown.  Her 2007 CD, "100 Days, 100 Nights" and the song of the same name had me in awe.  It completely pierces through your entire body as it blasts--and blasts is the only thing it could do even if your volume was turned down to 1--from the radio.  Yeah, you can listen to it on itunes, etc., but her music was meant to be playin' hard on your car radio with the windows down and your hair flying.  Her band, the Dap-Kings, lent their old-style grooves to Amy Winehouse, as they backed her at times as well.

I knew Sharon had pancreatic cancer, but she fought with such a force, you felt like she might be one to crack it.  If you haven't seen Barbara Kopple's documentary on her, "Miss Sharon Jones" which just came out this year, you need to.  Filled with the incredible talent and fighter that she was, her story of perseverance and song will leave you mourning her all the more.  Honor her by watching and listening.

Click here for The New York Times' article on Sharon's passing.

Click here for NYT's article from this past July when Sharon was still touring.

100 Days, 100 Nights

RIP Philip Levine

Goodbye, Philip Levine, Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, and champion of the working class.

Quote from interview with the Paris Review:

"I realized that I wanted to enter my life exactly as I had the first time, but with one huge difference:  this time I wanted to love my life and myself."

And this beautiful line of observation from his poem, "The Last Shift" on the closing of the Detroit Packard plant (Hear in his own voice from the Detroit Free Press here):

"A police car dozed across the street, its motor running. I could see the two of them eating jelly doughnuts as delicately as two elderly women and drinking their coffee from little styrofoam cups."

When a writer or poet dies of such import--no, I will say of any import--I visualize their beautiful words, swirling around and within their souls, down into the ground, into the flames, into the sky, forever and always intertwined with their essence of existence and a gift to anyone--that number ever diminishing--who will hear and read them.

Click here for the NY Times Obituary. 

Click here for Comcast's Obit, which was very good, but which disappeared from the main page after just a few hours to be replaced by a star's 2nd pregnancy announcement.  For a reason such is this, I write this blog.

Any finally, this excellent clip of the film, "Packard:  The Last Shift."  Please watch, it's so good, haunting, moving.

 How he started.

Day 347. Nelson Mandela

Rest in peace, Nelson Mandela. 

 The world has seen few of the likes of you, and your wisdom, achievements, and fight gained through a hard life will never be forgotten.

1918-2013