tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post1157641043535553836..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: My thoughts on Robin WilliamsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53210717083922515702014-09-13T14:13:09.813-07:002014-09-13T14:13:09.813-07:00For all those who came out from under the bridges ...For all those who came out from under the bridges and rocks to say how cowardly and selfish he was, I will use this piece from your post:<br /><br /><i>He wouldn’t want you to dwell on the darkness he experienced; darkness so black and debilitating that it eventually engulfed him.</i><br /><br />That's the best description of fatal depression I have ever read. <br /><br />It has nothing to do with being brave, strong, or selfless. It's all about being engulfed by the black and you are alone. You will always be alone. There's no where else to go.<br /><br />Thank you for that, Ken.maryclevhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00785496858123839668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16819702361904098262014-08-17T13:22:26.050-07:002014-08-17T13:22:26.050-07:00Such a perfect tribute. Thanks VERY much.Such a perfect tribute. Thanks VERY much.DrBOPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07179469265158025584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73184698580083450062014-08-14T09:59:22.577-07:002014-08-14T09:59:22.577-07:00Such a terrible tragedy.
One of the sharpest, quic...Such a terrible tragedy.<br />One of the sharpest, quickest minds ever.<br /><br />I will miss his talent and personality forever.chuckcdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-26330419558958298432014-08-13T11:25:09.942-07:002014-08-13T11:25:09.942-07:00Everyone else has said it, but thank you Ken.
I d...Everyone else has said it, but thank you Ken.<br /><br />I didn't know Robin, but I did work with him on Comic Relief and put a Behind the Scenes camera in front of his face and he was immediately on.<br /><br />When he was in front of any audience, he was the funniest man alive! lf4tunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13241648434611856075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17931675380596560992014-08-13T08:21:01.927-07:002014-08-13T08:21:01.927-07:00Dear D. McEwan, I'm very sorry for your person...Dear D. McEwan, I'm very sorry for your personal loss, even more than our collective cultural loss. <br />While we'll miss him on TV or in the movies, you'll miss HIM. <br /><br />Ken, well done tribute. Not easy to do especially when describing someone as unique and wild as Mr. Robin Williams. The Bumble Bee Pendanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11782074071758250824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87345593963593715762014-08-13T08:16:03.874-07:002014-08-13T08:16:03.874-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.The Bumble Bee Pendanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11782074071758250824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45257130384937111222014-08-13T00:42:17.874-07:002014-08-13T00:42:17.874-07:00Given that we loved him, I wouldn't expect man...Given that we loved him, I wouldn't expect many or indeed any mentions of <i>Hook</i> or <i>Popeye</i> or <i>What Dreams May Come</i>, given how bloody Godawful those atrocious movies are. We prefer to remember his good movies, of which there are many. One I've heard few mention is a film I think has some of his best acting in it and is also a really fine movie: <i>The World According to Garp</i>, a movie I've enjoyed repeatedly. I still want the two and a half hours of my life wasted watching <i>Hook</i> back. (Robin was not what was wrong with <i>Hook</i>. The <b>ONLY</b> that wasn't wrong in that abomination.)D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69666565080356069522014-08-13T00:36:09.070-07:002014-08-13T00:36:09.070-07:00Add Lauren Bacall to that barAdd Lauren Bacall to that barRyan Leongnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74405697114247231622014-08-13T00:23:32.460-07:002014-08-13T00:23:32.460-07:00I loved Jumanji. One of my favorites along with T...I loved Jumanji. One of my favorites along with The Fisher King. Williams always struck me as someone who had to be "on" all the time. There were times when he was interviewed or on talk shows that I wished he would tone down the manic and just "be." I think he thought he was giving the audience what it wanted and expected, however, some of us wanted to connect more with the human being.<br /><br />Given that his mission was primarily to make us laugh, I would say mission accomplished, Mr. Williams. Bravo! You will be missed more than you could have ever imagined.Lorimartiannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40533913649317463082014-08-12T23:09:46.647-07:002014-08-12T23:09:46.647-07:00It's funny (is it?) how often in the course of...It's funny (is it?) how often in the course of this tragedy you'll have people making references to Mork or Ms. Doubtfire (and how rarely to, say, Hook or Jumanji). But if you really want a reminiscient glimpse of who he was, and how he was, go watch the episode of his visit doing an "Inside The Actors Studio" interview a few years ago. James Lipton barely had anything to do, or control over the interview for that matter, while Williams riffs and tears down the house.<br /><br />Also, RIP Lauren Bacall.Markusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79977377571412543432014-08-12T23:01:07.527-07:002014-08-12T23:01:07.527-07:00Totally agree with the rush, and total non-use of ...Totally agree with the rush, and total non-use of words like "apparent" as I listened to "suicide by hanginsg" on the 911call recording!?Also thought it was a real snafu by <br />the professional spokesperson, when he was questioned on whether or not there was "a suicide note" and his response was "not going to discuss THE suicide note " If you haven't seen the news conference, I suggest you watch...because not only did he not use the words, apparent or alleged, he actually acted out like charades, the position"sitting-position," he said, "feet not touching the floor." That is why I said what I said...it was disturbing to me But it was the "official news conference." Henry hope you can see it & hear the 911 caller or dispatch. -debAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17681354073370521212014-08-12T21:59:21.125-07:002014-08-12T21:59:21.125-07:00It's not accurate to say that no one who knew ...It's not accurate to say that no one who knew Robin is surprised that he took his life. I knew Robin for 36 years, and I was deeply surprised. We all knew he struggled with depression, but that he would do to himself what he did, knowing what it would do to his beloved children, is a <i><b>GIGANTIC</b></i> surprise, and a terrible measure of how very, very dark the place he'd descended to was.<br /><br />Robin, to his friends, was Life itself, energetic and supremely alive. He was a Force of Nature, and Forces of Nature are not supposed to be mortal.<br /><br />I've ben crying at unexpected moments all day, once even while talking with my landlady in the elevator. And seeing an old clip of Babara Walters interviewing Christopher Reeve about the first time Robin came to see him after Reeve's accident, how he made Reeve laugh again, and snapped him out of a suicidal funk to re-embrace life again, well that one really tore me up. Full-out sobbing in my living room. Upset my cats.<br /><br />I knew Robin, I worked with Robin, and I know a lot of people who knew and worked with him, and what all of them agree on was that he was kind, generous and a mensch. We're all inconsolable in our grief.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18409368848292061912014-08-12T21:57:04.170-07:002014-08-12T21:57:04.170-07:00The description provided by authorities surroundin...The description provided by authorities surrounding how his body was found were pretty clear. I wish I could either laugh or cry and stop doing both.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27361978368158850292014-08-12T21:22:03.108-07:002014-08-12T21:22:03.108-07:00The last few times I saw him on talk shows he seem...The last few times I saw him on talk shows he seemed more mellow, subdued. Maybe it was his heart problems or he was on an anti-depressant. Or maybe he was just getting older and slowing down like the rest of us. But I will miss him.<br /><br />One of my favorites is Mrs. Doubtfire when he is meeting his boss in the restaurant while he is there with Sally Field and Pierce Brosnan. He keeps alternating his disguise but eventually trips up and casually mentions to his drunk boss that he has to piss like a race horse (or some similar line) while dressed like angelic Mrs. Doubtfire. Man if I don't almost pee myself every timeDriveByFruitingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9781351116576862122014-08-12T20:10:49.347-07:002014-08-12T20:10:49.347-07:00Fantastic tribute, Ken. Fantastic tribute, Ken. Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65242745722564620672014-08-12T19:04:13.402-07:002014-08-12T19:04:13.402-07:00Well said my friend. I admired and laughed at you...Well said my friend. I admired and laughed at your friends genius as well. Thanks for sharing with us!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42164824714017464892014-08-12T17:54:25.085-07:002014-08-12T17:54:25.085-07:00It has been said that those who make the greatest ...It has been said that those who make the greatest beauty often feel the greatest pain.Steel36https://www.blogger.com/profile/18252746048211357575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6981352495371983932014-08-12T16:50:38.156-07:002014-08-12T16:50:38.156-07:00Freddie Prinze took his life at the height of his ...Freddie Prinze took his life at the height of his popularity.Mike Barerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447874605833321732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42177912210784383832014-08-12T16:12:07.409-07:002014-08-12T16:12:07.409-07:00Thank you, wonderful post. Linked to it from my bl...Thank you, wonderful post. Linked to it from my blog.Judy Thornehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13871846865461659183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65923766697331734982014-08-12T15:57:58.528-07:002014-08-12T15:57:58.528-07:00"PS, you should never commit the word "E..."PS, you should never commit the word "E" and "talent pool" together in a sentence. It confuses the reader."<br /><br />Well played, sir! Well played. And accurate even back in the day when E! had some decent shows. But that was a long time ago in TV years. (TV years are like dog years, but with less walks outside.)Dan Wolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03931639456486740734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24058680009535611732014-08-12T15:54:55.184-07:002014-08-12T15:54:55.184-07:00Dan Wolfe Said:
"Robin sir, you will be miss...Dan Wolfe Said:<br /><br />"Robin sir, you will be missed. But not forgotten."<br /><br />How's that supposed to work, Dan?<br /><br />A: Gee, you know who I really miss?<br /><br />B: Who?<br /><br />A: Uh... Ah, SHIT!<br /><br />B: You forgot him, didn't you.<br /><br />A: Yeeeeah... goddammit.<br /><br />B: But you still miss him. I can tell.<br /><br />A: Miss who?<br /><br /><br />PS, you should never commit the word "E" and "talent pool" together in a sentence. It confuses the reader.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28230324512963397042014-08-12T15:46:02.453-07:002014-08-12T15:46:02.453-07:00Anonymous mdv said...
"How else can you expl...Anonymous mdv said...<br /><br />"How else can you explain the stream of consciousness riffs that he delivered as if channeling Oscar Wilde, Dorothy Parker and Groucho Marx on speed?"<br /><br />You almost answered your own question, but...<br /><br />Cocaine. Lot's of it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79643701575085127592014-08-12T15:44:36.398-07:002014-08-12T15:44:36.398-07:00Even though I was part of the entertainment indust...Even though I was part of the entertainment industry for over a decade, I never had occasion to meet Robin Williams. Even working at E! Entertainment Television, where big name stars routinely roamed the halls, Mr. Williams was not one of the ones I encountered wandering about the building. (I did ride the elevator with Lou Diamond Phillips once. I also walked past Raquel Welch one day grotesquely stretching every muscle in my neck just to get another fraction of a second’s glance at her beauty, which really was um… substantial.) But I think Robin gave me one of the biggest and most memorable laughs of my life while I was at E!.<br /><br />In those days, E! routinely covered movie premieres. People from E!’s talent pool would camp out on the red carpet and conduct the usual interviews live on the air with the stars as they proceeded to whatever venue was hosting the premiere. This was pretty early on at E!, and we didn’t have a lot of the technological bells and whistles that the major networks had. In fact, it wasn’t too long before this that E! got its very own steerable satellite dish. We hadn’t yet installed a delay and dump button. (We didn’t do that until one of our hosts said “I’m sweating like a fucking pig!” before she had been cleared by the floor manager.)<br /><br />Anyway, down the red carpet comes Robin and he stops to talk with one of our reporters. It was a routine interview with the usual questions: Who are you wearing? What was it like working on the film? What do you have coming up for your next project? Of course with Robin, nothing was ever routine and I honestly don’t remember how he got started. I assume he was going off on one of his riffs when he said “tits” live on the air just as plain as day. Realizing that he’d just said “tits” on the air, he raised his voice, looked straight at the camera and gleefully said “Tits! Can you say ‘tits’ on E!? TITS!!!”<br /><br />Of course, it was insanely funny to hear this on the air as long as it was Robin Williams and not Joan Rivers. I remember the entire master control room where I worked erupting in raucous laughter. There was no delay, no dump button, and no way to stop what was then still a verboten word from making it out on the air. But because it came from Robin Williams, who knew without a doubt that he was doing something naughty on the air and that probably (correctly) that there was nothing that we could do about it, all we could do was laugh. And that was OK with us.<br /><br />I saw Robin in concert here in DC just a few years ago. I wound up sitting in the front row of the audience that night. He was funny enough, but he didn’t look as though he was having a lot of fun up on stage. But I surely did.<br /><br />One final though: I saw Disney’s “Aladdin” probably five times in the theater when it was first out back in 1992. I remember seeing it at least three of those times at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. (Still one of my favorite movie houses, along with the original Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.) First of all, it was a genuinely great movie on its own merit, but much of the draw for me was the strength and magic of Robin’s performance as the Genie. For years I listened to the soundtrack album and again, much of the draw was his voice performance.<br /><br />Robin sir, you will be missed. But not forgotten.Dan Wolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03931639456486740734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-26672745061542650892014-08-12T14:55:35.461-07:002014-08-12T14:55:35.461-07:00I think that "Mork from Ork" wasn't ...I think that "Mork from Ork" wasn't a character it was a disguise. Robin really was an alien life form in possession of a human body intent on conquering the world with humor, generosity and kindness. How else can you explain the stream of consciousness riffs that he delivered as if channeling Oscar Wilde, Dorothy Parker and Groucho Marx on speed? On stage he was a Ferrari at a bike race, he had gears no human could access. <br /><br />Maybe even his alien intellect couldn't make sense of today's world and so he chose to leave or maybe it was just time for him to go home.<br /><br />Anybody who got glimpse of his genius is better off for it and whatever his reasons for leaving, we'll forever wish we could have had one last laugh with him.mdvnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12319458856155400612014-08-12T13:48:22.485-07:002014-08-12T13:48:22.485-07:00So incredibly sad. His family has been posting som...So incredibly sad. His family has been posting some lovely things. Just like Robin, it seems they are able to bring light to the darkness of the world, and it's very welcomed.<br /><br />I don't know what the coverage is like in the US, but we're pretty much a nation in mourning here in the UK. Every newspaper/news show has Williams's death as its top story. Much like the day it was announced that Diana had died, I will remember today. I guess he was practically royalty in our hearts.<br /><br />What shocked me the most was that a man with so much history battling his demons, conquered and succumbed, over and over. Who surely had the wisdom to see he would come out the other end, as he had many times before. Who once literally said the line, referring to suicide, "it's a permanent solution to a temporary problem", in a movie he starred in, could lose sight of his life so badly.<br /><br />He seemed to understand his darkness, and with that understanding you would hope would come the knowledge that there was no logical reason for him to feel the way he did -- but I guess that's the illness of depression. People often lose sight of that when they search for reasons for suicide: The "reason" is always that they victim was very, very sick. <br /><br />You would have hoped that a man with so many resources could have found a level of care that could have helped him through his sickness. It seems his medicine of choice, however, was drink.<br /><br />I really wish there could have been someone there to remind him, "Everything is fine, you're fine. Stop and breathe. You've been here before. You came out of it last time, you'll come out of it again. The demons you're battling don't exist -- they're memories, worries, fears -- i.e. nothing more than thoughts. Thoughts that have no more power than you give them. Right now you're sitting in a room. Nothing more than that. And everything is fine. Breathe."<br /><br />Maybe he did have people reminding him of that, but maybe he was too sick to hear.<br /><br />At the end of the day, the real victims of suicide are those left behind. They're the ones who feel the pain, who will suffer the most. Robin is back wherever he came from. His family and friends are the ones suffering now.Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.com