We’re all familiar with Spalding Gray’s demons—venting his despair was his art and profession. But after a crippling car crash in 2001, his depression began to overwhelm him. So when he went missing in early January, after several previous suicide attempts, his wife, children, and friends were left to fear the worst.
Sunday morning, March 7th, a body surfaced in New York’s East River. The following day, the city medical examiner identified the body as that of Spalding Gray, the confessional monologuist and actor who disappeared two months ago.
Although the cause of Mr. Gray’s death has not as yet been determined, police were investigating reports that Mr. Gray, who had a history of depression, had committed suicide by jumping off the Staten Island ferry.
After his disappearance, an article in New York magazine, chronicled Mr. Gray’s despair after a devastating car accident which occurred while he was on vacation in Ireland in 2001, fracturing his skull and crushing his hip.
Spalding Gray will be missed, as will his wit, humanity and grace.
Furore in Victoria as Liberal MLA quits party
The coalition of right-of-centre politicians that Gordon Campbell cobbled together to defeat the New Democratic Party government in 2001 has begun to develop chinks in its armour.
Backbench MLA Elayne Brenzinger quit the B.C. Liberal caucus Monday, accusing Premier Gordon Campbell of ruining the province, destroying communities and disregarding the concerns of the Liberal caucus.
Province newspaper legislative columnist, Michael Smyth, reported in Tuesday’s paper that Premier Gordon Campbell admitted that he may have angered his now ex-colleague by telling her to “fuck off” at a caucus meeting, and referring to her as “a bitch”. Good role-modeling, Gordo.
Vaughn Palmer, in today’s Vancouver Sun, reports that the Premier’s office has begun a smear campaign to discredit Brenzinger.
Effective today, March 9th, CanWest Global has made The Vancouver Sun, The Province and all CanWest Global newspaper sites available to subscribers only (CanWest Global is the first media company, that I am aware of, to deny linkable access to individual newspaper stories; nothing like shooting yourself in the foot … good work Asper brothers …).
Columnist Goodman is sick of guys shouting on TV, radio
It’s good for columnists not to live in Washington, says Boston Globe syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman (available as a link, to your left, under Politics / United States). “There are too many insiders there; they go to dinner with each other, talk to each other and then have breakfast with each other. So, in professional terms, they’re all talking to each other.”
Goodman tells Anthony Violanti, of the Buffalo News, that political talk shows “are, by and large, men screaming at other men in front of a male audience. I get annoyed with these shows and I think most women do. Women in general have had quite enough angry men in their lives.”
The least of learning is done in the classroom
The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering the more you suffer because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of being hurt. — American writer and poet Thomas Merton