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Russell Brand: Robin Williams’ divine madness will no longer disrupt the sadness of the world
The manic energy of Williams could turn to destruction as easily as creativity. Is it melancholy to think that a world that he can’t live in must be broken?
Spoiler!
I’d been thinking about Robin Williams a bit recently. His manager Larry Bresner told me that when Robin was asked by a German journalist on a press junket why the Germans had a reputation for humourlessness that Williams replied, “Because you killed all the funny people.”
Robin Williams was exciting to me because he seemed to be sat upon a geyser of comedy. Like he didn’t manufacture it laboriously within but had only to open a valve and it would come bursting through in effervescent jets. He was plugged into the mains of comedy.
I was aware too that this burbling and manic man-child that I watched on the box on my Nan’s front room floor with a Mork action figure (I wish I still had that, he came in a plastic egg) struggled with mental illness and addiction. The chaotic clarity that lashed like an electric cable, that razzed and sparked with amoral, puckish wonder was in fact harvested madness. A refinement of an energy that could turn as easily to destruction as creativity.
He spoke candidly about his mental illness and addiction, how he felt often on a precipice of self-destruction, whether through substance misuse or some act of more certain finality. I thought that this articulate acknowledgement amounted to a kind of vaccine against the return of such diseased thinking, which has proven to be hopelessly naive.
When someone gets to 63 I imagined, hoped, I suppose, that maturity would grant an immunity to adolescent notions of suicide but today I read that suicide isn’t exclusively a young man’s game. Robin Williams at 63 still hadn’t come to terms with being Robin Williams.
Now I am incapable of looking back at my fleeting meeting with him with any kind of objectivity, I am bound to apply, with hindsight, some special significance to his fragility, meekness and humility. Hidden behind his beard and kindness and compliments was a kind of awkwardness, like he was in the wrong context or element, a fallen bird on a hard floor.
Robin Williams Robin Williams in 2011. Photograph: Walter McBride/Corbis
It seems that Robin Williams could not find a context. Is that what drug use is? An attempt to anaesthetise against a reality that constantly knocks against your nerves, like tinfoil on an old school filling, the pang an urgent message to a dormant, truer you.
Is it melancholy to think that a world that Robin Williams can’t live in must be broken? To tie this sad event to the overarching misery of our times? No academic would co-sign a theory in which the tumult of our fractured and unhappy planet is causing the inherently hilarious to end their lives, though I did read that suicide among the middle-aged increased inexplicably in 1999 and has been rising ever since. Is it a condition of our era?
Poor Robin Williams, briefly enduring that lonely moment of morbid certainty where it didn’t matter how funny he was or who loved him or how many lachrymose obituaries would be written. I feel bad now that I was unduly and unbefittingly snooty about that handful of his films that were adjudged unsophisticated and sentimental. He obviously dealt with a pain that was impossible to render and ultimately insurmountable, the sentimentality perhaps an accompaniment to his childlike brilliance.
We sort of accept that the price for that free-flowing, fast-paced, inexplicable comic genius is a counterweight of solitary misery. That there is an invisible inner economy that demands a high price for breathtaking talent. For me genius is defined by that irrationality; how can he talk like that? Play like that? Kick a ball like that? A talent that was not sculpted and schooled, educated and polished but bursts through the portal, raw and vulgar. Always mischievous, always on the brink of going wrong, dangerous and fun, like drugs.
Robin Williams could have tapped anyone in the western world on the shoulder and told them he felt down and they would have told him not to worry, that he was great, that they loved him. He must have known that. He must have known his wife and kids loved him, that his mates all thought he was great, that millions of strangers the world over held him in their hearts, a hilarious stranger that we could rely on to anarchically interrupt, the all-encompassing sadness of the world. Today Robin Williams is part of the sad narrative that we used to turn to him to disrupt.
What platitudes then can we fling along with the listless, insufficient wreaths at the stillness that was once so animated and wired, the silence where the laughter was? That fame and accolades are no defence against mental illness and addiction? That we live in a world that has become so negligent of human values that our brightest lights are extinguishing themselves? That we must be more vigilant, more aware, more grateful, more mindful? That we can’t tarnish this tiny slice of awareness that we share on this sphere amidst the infinite blackness with conflict and hate?
That we must reach inward and outward to the light that is inside all of us? That all around us people are suffering behind masks less interesting than the one Robin Williams wore? Do you have time to tune in to Fox News, to cement your angry views to calcify the certain misery?
What I might do is watch Mrs Doubtfire. Or Dead Poets Society or Good Will Hunting and I might be nice to people, mindful today how fragile we all are, how delicate we are, even when fizzing with divine madness that seems like it will never expire.
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__________________ Do Not Put Aftershave on Your Balls. -604CEFIRO Looks like I'm gonna have some hot sex again tonight...OOPS i got the 6 pack. that wont last me the night, I better go back and get the 24 pack! -Turbo E kinda off topic but obama is a dilf - miss_crayon Honest to fucking Christ the easiest way to get a married woman in the mood is clean the house and do the laundry.....I've been with the same girl almost 17 years, ask me how I know. - quasi
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To commemorate the life of the actor, here’s a quote by Henry David Thoreau which encompasses some of the most brilliant words ever written, with the genius of Robin Williams who so brilliantly presented the words in Dead Poets Society:
I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life… to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
Mork and Mindy Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot
youtube.com/watch?v=WQx4--L0TdY
Another Ocarina of Time post, but I think it's pretty awesome. You get to see some unadulterated-looking moments of joy when he spends time with his daughter, Zelda.
RIP! he really made me laugh in that movie where he dressed up as a old lady and some how hes fake boobies caught on fire in the kitchen. haha those days..
the pain you inflict on your family with suicide greatly outweighs any relief of suffering you gain.
rip nevertheless.
someone who contemplates and/or commits suicide is not mathematically considering whether there will be a net decline in suffering. they are people who are being tortured to a degree that they cannot bear to continue to live through their pain. the torture may arise internally - such as in instances of depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder - but this does nothing to lessen the effect of it on the sufferer. indeed, i would suggest the effect of it is no less serious than physical torture. so, though whether there's any truth in your point is debatable, it is irrelevant. i would add that many people who contemplate and/or commit suicide are actively attempting to avoid inflicting pain on their family.
furthermore, your point is a grounded in the stigma surrounding suicide that persists in even the most liberal of societies. this stigma contributes to people contemplating suicide being too ashamed to ask for help and in turn does great harm to a wide array of people. the stigma is groundless though, and should be done away with in the same fashion as racism, sexism, and homophobia.
if anyone here ever needs to talk, please give the BC Crisis Center (1-800-784-2433 24/7) a call. it's a tough thing to do but in many instances you'll find some relief. therapy is an incredibly helpful tool if you have access to it, though if you don't meditation is a good option and some free services are out there.
Last edited by MindBomber; 08-12-2014 at 07:34 PM.
My family has always been private about our time spent together. It was our way of keeping one thing that was ours, with a man we shared with an entire world. But now that's gone, and I feel stripped bare. My last day with him was his birthday, and I will forever be grateful that my brothers and I got to spend that time alone with him, sharing gifts and laughter. He was always warm, even in his darkest moments. While Ill never, ever understand how he could be loved so deeply and not find it in his heart to stay, theres minor comfort in knowing our grief and loss, in some small way, is shared with millions. It doesn't help the pain, but at least its a burden countless others now know we carry, and so many have offered to help lighten the load. Thank you for that.
To those he touched who are sending kind words, know that one of his favorite things in the world was to make you all laugh. As for those who are sending negativity, know that some small, giggling part of him is sending a flock of pigeons to your house to poop on your car. Right after youve had it washed. After all, he loved to laugh too
Dad was, is and always will be one of the kindest, most generous, gentlest souls Ive ever known, and while there are few things I know for certain right now, one of them is that not just my world, but the entire world is forever a little darker, less colorful and less full of laughter in his absence. Well just have to work twice as hard to fill it back up again.
I loved that pigeon line. I laughed, despite this being the saddest things I've read in a long time. I see some of that comedic timing rubbed off.
__________________ Do Not Put Aftershave on Your Balls. -604CEFIRO Looks like I'm gonna have some hot sex again tonight...OOPS i got the 6 pack. that wont last me the night, I better go back and get the 24 pack! -Turbo E kinda off topic but obama is a dilf - miss_crayon Honest to fucking Christ the easiest way to get a married woman in the mood is clean the house and do the laundry.....I've been with the same girl almost 17 years, ask me how I know. - quasi
The wife of Robin Williams revealed Thursday that at the time of his death, the late comedian was not only battling depression and anxiety but the early stages of Parkinson’s Disease.
“Robin’s sobriety was intact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety as well as early stages of Parkinson’s Disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly,” said Susan Schneider, in a statement.
Parkinson’s affects nearly 10 million people, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. The National Institutes of Health cites that “for people with depression and Parkinson’s disease, each illness can make symptoms of the other worse.” Research linking the two has focused on depression following a diagnosis, but it can be assumed that the actor’s depression predated his Parkinson’s diagnosis.
"The hardest part about being Robin Williams is that he didn't have Robin Williams to cheer him up."
As a man that was always "on", I wonder what he was like when he was "off"? I wonder if always being "on" shows the depth of what he was covering up, or if that was just how he always is?
__________________ 1991 Toyota Celica GTFour RC // 2007 Toyota Rav4 V6 // 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
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Originally Posted by maksimizer
half those dudes are hotter than ,my GF.
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Originally Posted by RevYouUp
reading this thread is like waiting for goku to charge up a spirit bomb in dragon ball z
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Originally Posted by Good_KarMa
OH thank god. I thought u had sex with my wife. :cry:
As a man that was always "on", I wonder what he was like when he was "off"? I wonder if always being "on" shows the depth of what he was covering up, or if that was just how he always is?
An interview with The Guardian in 2010 gave a glimpse into him when he was "off"
Quote:
My worry beforehand had been that Williams would be too wildly manic to make much sense. When he appeared on the Jonathan Ross show earlier this summer, he'd been vintage Williams – hyperactive to the point of deranged, ricocheting between voices, riffing off his internal dialogues. Off-camera, however, he is a different kettle of fish. His bearing is intensely Zen and almost mournful, and when he's not putting on voices he speaks in a low, tremulous baritone – as if on the verge of tears – that would work very well if he were delivering a funeral eulogy. He seems gentle and kind – even tender – but the overwhelming impression is one of sadness.
Even the detours into dialogue feel more like a reflex than irrepressible comic passion, and the freakish articulacy showcased in Good Morning Vietnam has gone. Quite often when he opens his mouth a slur of unrelated words come out, like a dozen different false starts tangled together, from which an actual sentence eventually finds its way out. For example, "So/Now/And then/Well/It/I – Sometimes I used to work just to work." It's like trying to tune into a long-wave radio station.
1. His assistant found him
2. Him and his wife weren't sleeping in the same room
3. She left in the morning without saying "good morning" or having any interaction with him whilst knowing he was in a "severe depression"
4. He was supporting 2 ex wives and his children
5. He had 4 new movies coming out and yet rumors were he had financial troubles?
As an actor, I can honestly say that what he was doing, sounds a lot like some of the exercises they use to get ready for an audition, or prep for character work. Crazy it might seem to others, but pretty normal to someone who was at the top of their game.
1. His assistant found him
2. Him and his wife weren't sleeping in the same room
3. She left in the morning without saying "good morning" or having any interaction with him whilst knowing he was in a "severe depression"
4. He was supporting 2 ex wives and his children
5. He had 4 new movies coming out and yet rumors were he had financial troubles?
the stigma is groundless though, and should be done away with in the same fashion as racism, sexism, and homophobia.
you're born with your skin colour, genitals and quite possibly your sexual orientation.
Suicide is a choice. I'm neutral on the subject but the stigma exists because its impact on family and friends cannot be ignored. Thankfully I have not been affected personally but having worked in a seniors home many have admitted to me they just wish they can die now. I'm not naive enough to say "don't worry it'll all get better". I also know many that have worked at the Crisis Centre and all they can do is lend a shoulder. BTW huge props to anyone that works there, you have to be extremely PC (I probably wouldn't last an hour there) and a really thick skin. It's one thing if you're friend/family comes out of the closet and you wish to support them, it's another if they want to end their life, what more can you do besides hearing them out?
you're born with your skin colour, genitals and quite possibly your sexual orientation.
Suicide is a choice. I'm neutral on the subject but the stigma exists because its impact on family and friends cannot be ignored. Thankfully I have not been affected personally but having worked in a seniors home many have admitted to me they just wish they can die now. I'm not naive enough to say "don't worry it'll all get better". I also know many that have worked at the Crisis Centre and all they can do is lend a shoulder. BTW huge props to anyone that works there, you have to be extremely PC (I probably wouldn't last an hour there) and a really thick skin. It's one thing if you're friend/family comes out of the closet and you wish to support them, it's another if they want to end their life, what more can you do besides hearing them out?
Nobody is arguing the "in-direct consequences of a suicide. But I think that's not the root cause of the stigma. What (i think) he's referring to is society's label for suicide as either:
*cowardice - to afraid to face your problems
*laziness - taking the easy the way out
When in all honesty, suicide isn't anything close to either of those, and when cliches (not saying you but maybe others) like that get thrown around, it's a gross over-simplification of an otherwise profound and complex topic.
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