Must you know someone personally to feel the sting of their death? It wasn’t the case for our parents generation when JFK was killed. It certainly didn’t matter to us that we didn’t have a personal relationship with Robin Williams. As for Matthew Perry, knowing his personal struggles with demons is undoubtedly having an emotional affect on a great many of us.
I like that you brought up the comparison of the 90s interpretation of addiction i.e., "oh he's rich now, of course he does drugs," compared to now where we acknowledge that many times, addiction is a symptom of a mental health issue that isn't otherwise being resolved.
I took a mental health first aid class (for the lay person, like a CPR class for example) about 7 years ago and learned that for the first time, but had never connected it back to my prior observations of so many celebrities having drug problems. Back in the day, I thought maybe it had to do with having nothing else that brings joy so I was partly there.
I'm really glad that we as a society are staying these conversations. I think it's extremely important to remove the stigma and for people to feel like they can aak for help without being "crazy."
You know I love your stuff but I don’t know if I can listen to this.
I remember trying to figure out why my aunt cried so much when Elvis died. I couldn’t understand.
I was shook up when a few have passed away. Dealing with my own personal trauma & demons I’ve related to a few but this has rocked my world. I’ve had to stop going on instagram because everything is pictures of him or articles related to his death. I can’t do it.
Thank you for this. It meant a lot to me. I was extremely triggered by Matthew Perry’s death, but more as a mom. He’s only slightly younger than I am, so I’m not actually mom-aged in regard to him, but I had an adopted daughter who had been badly abused by her birth mother and never could outrun her demons. She died of an accidental opioid overdose in 2019, at the age of 39. My heart goes out to Matthew Perry’s mother. Anyway, I very much appreciated this post!
I haven’t watched Fall of the House of Usher yet, but I love Mike Flanagan. Check out Midnight Mass. He also did Gerald’s Game which most people thought was unfilmable. But he did. There’s one scene that is hard to watch. Those who have seen it know.
A creepy film I loved is Let The Right One in. The Swedish Film with English subtitles, not the American remake. A vampire girl moves in next door to a bullied boy. It’s also kind of moving, and I was left thinking about what the vampire really feels for the people she needs to help her. But it is creepy as it unfolds, in a gloomy small town. Plus you get to hear swedish.
Oh and Halloween movies. Actually, the two I'm suggesting are good anytime.
"The Cat People" and "I Walked WIth A Zombie." Both are B&W and directed by Val Lewton.
Another one, a follow up to "Cat People" has a title that has practically nothing to do with the movie itself. "The Curse of the Cat People." (Val Lewton again.)
I believe I've already written something about the odd illusion that is fostered by social media and before that, the culture of celebrity -- that one feels like a participant in an invisible neighborhood, populated by people one will never ever meet, but in spite of that -- one feels like a sort of friend -- almost a dream of familiarity.
So, I don't think it's weird to grieve for a celebrity. I first did this at age ten -- the day after my birthday. I was very proud because I was finally old enough to ride my bicycle -- ALONE -- to the local store. At some point that day, I learned that Marilyn Monroe had died of a drug overdose.
Ten year old me was very sad. I truly believed that if only I had met her and become her friend, I could have saved her. (Pass the candle to Elton John.) There are some celebrities (and Princess Diana was another one) who inspired that sort of wistful compassion-- the oh-if-only-I-had-been there response And who knows, a ten-year-old best friend MIGHT have helped Marilyn Monroe. She certainly didn't seem to have had much luck with the adults in her life.
I'm glad you're taking care of yourself, Corey. Be alive and well -- one day your darling baby is going to start talking back to you and I just can't wait to hear how that comes out!
No need to apologize for this being a different Sunday message. It was absolutely what so many of us needed. Always rooting for you and appreciating you so much.
My all time favorite scarey movie is The Exorcist. An oldie but goodie. Excited for the Colonel Cornbread finale. Going to listen to pass episodes to be completely caught up.
Heath Ledger's death hit me hard, especially after I learned it was an unintentional overdose because he had such awful insomnia during and after his stint as The Joker and just needed to get some sleep. I've been there before, not to the point of an overdose or near overdose, but thinking "Fuck! The Rx's not working tonight and I'm exHAUSTED and need to be up in 6 hours. Let's see if adding a couple Benadryl will do the trick." And when that doesn't work, maybe add a shot of liquor, and so on and so forth. Thankfully I'm on no one's schedule but my own these days and I can let sleep come when it's ready instead of trying to force it.
It's too many hours to be a Halloween-day watching recommendation for you, but Devil in Ohio on Netflix is an 8-episode limited series that's psychologically creepy. I don't even know how to explain it other than "secretive Amish-type community's doing sketchy shit, this girl's escaped and has fresh wounds on her back, but is she a victim or something else?" Emily Deschanel of Bones is one of the leads.
On triggers. As someone with ptsd who gets flashbacks when triggered....I get real ill when people use it too flippant. Not ragging on you corey. It's just like...because of people making light of something that is a genuine, real symptom of real mental illness...people don't take me seriously when I'm like "trigger" and disassociate. And that makes things worse. It's for real dangerous. I think maybe "it felt like a trigger" might be better not for the sake of policing words but for the fact that triggers can be dangerous for people with like..severe trauma.
So many people don't understand the importance of timing and delivery in comedy. They just think it is all about the joke, but it isn't! Good talking out Corey!
I like that you brought up the comparison of the 90s interpretation of addiction i.e., "oh he's rich now, of course he does drugs," compared to now where we acknowledge that many times, addiction is a symptom of a mental health issue that isn't otherwise being resolved.
I took a mental health first aid class (for the lay person, like a CPR class for example) about 7 years ago and learned that for the first time, but had never connected it back to my prior observations of so many celebrities having drug problems. Back in the day, I thought maybe it had to do with having nothing else that brings joy so I was partly there.
I'm really glad that we as a society are staying these conversations. I think it's extremely important to remove the stigma and for people to feel like they can aak for help without being "crazy."
Wait..wait...wait...they change the butterfinger recipe?! I'm diabetic, and that still pisses me off!
You know I love your stuff but I don’t know if I can listen to this.
I remember trying to figure out why my aunt cried so much when Elvis died. I couldn’t understand.
I was shook up when a few have passed away. Dealing with my own personal trauma & demons I’ve related to a few but this has rocked my world. I’ve had to stop going on instagram because everything is pictures of him or articles related to his death. I can’t do it.
It’s like losing a childhood friend.
Thank you for this. It meant a lot to me. I was extremely triggered by Matthew Perry’s death, but more as a mom. He’s only slightly younger than I am, so I’m not actually mom-aged in regard to him, but I had an adopted daughter who had been badly abused by her birth mother and never could outrun her demons. She died of an accidental opioid overdose in 2019, at the age of 39. My heart goes out to Matthew Perry’s mother. Anyway, I very much appreciated this post!
The new haunted mansion is great! I dont love horror either but I love Cabin in the woods!
I haven’t watched Fall of the House of Usher yet, but I love Mike Flanagan. Check out Midnight Mass. He also did Gerald’s Game which most people thought was unfilmable. But he did. There’s one scene that is hard to watch. Those who have seen it know.
Also "Vampyr" -- silent, black and white, atmospheric.
A creepy film I loved is Let The Right One in. The Swedish Film with English subtitles, not the American remake. A vampire girl moves in next door to a bullied boy. It’s also kind of moving, and I was left thinking about what the vampire really feels for the people she needs to help her. But it is creepy as it unfolds, in a gloomy small town. Plus you get to hear swedish.
Oh and Halloween movies. Actually, the two I'm suggesting are good anytime.
"The Cat People" and "I Walked WIth A Zombie." Both are B&W and directed by Val Lewton.
Another one, a follow up to "Cat People" has a title that has practically nothing to do with the movie itself. "The Curse of the Cat People." (Val Lewton again.)
I believe I've already written something about the odd illusion that is fostered by social media and before that, the culture of celebrity -- that one feels like a participant in an invisible neighborhood, populated by people one will never ever meet, but in spite of that -- one feels like a sort of friend -- almost a dream of familiarity.
So, I don't think it's weird to grieve for a celebrity. I first did this at age ten -- the day after my birthday. I was very proud because I was finally old enough to ride my bicycle -- ALONE -- to the local store. At some point that day, I learned that Marilyn Monroe had died of a drug overdose.
Ten year old me was very sad. I truly believed that if only I had met her and become her friend, I could have saved her. (Pass the candle to Elton John.) There are some celebrities (and Princess Diana was another one) who inspired that sort of wistful compassion-- the oh-if-only-I-had-been there response And who knows, a ten-year-old best friend MIGHT have helped Marilyn Monroe. She certainly didn't seem to have had much luck with the adults in her life.
I'm glad you're taking care of yourself, Corey. Be alive and well -- one day your darling baby is going to start talking back to you and I just can't wait to hear how that comes out!
First off, I want to share this... it seems oddly relevant.
Richard Cory
BY EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
"Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich—yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
No need to apologize for this being a different Sunday message. It was absolutely what so many of us needed. Always rooting for you and appreciating you so much.
My all time favorite scarey movie is The Exorcist. An oldie but goodie. Excited for the Colonel Cornbread finale. Going to listen to pass episodes to be completely caught up.
Heath Ledger's death hit me hard, especially after I learned it was an unintentional overdose because he had such awful insomnia during and after his stint as The Joker and just needed to get some sleep. I've been there before, not to the point of an overdose or near overdose, but thinking "Fuck! The Rx's not working tonight and I'm exHAUSTED and need to be up in 6 hours. Let's see if adding a couple Benadryl will do the trick." And when that doesn't work, maybe add a shot of liquor, and so on and so forth. Thankfully I'm on no one's schedule but my own these days and I can let sleep come when it's ready instead of trying to force it.
It's too many hours to be a Halloween-day watching recommendation for you, but Devil in Ohio on Netflix is an 8-episode limited series that's psychologically creepy. I don't even know how to explain it other than "secretive Amish-type community's doing sketchy shit, this girl's escaped and has fresh wounds on her back, but is she a victim or something else?" Emily Deschanel of Bones is one of the leads.
On triggers. As someone with ptsd who gets flashbacks when triggered....I get real ill when people use it too flippant. Not ragging on you corey. It's just like...because of people making light of something that is a genuine, real symptom of real mental illness...people don't take me seriously when I'm like "trigger" and disassociate. And that makes things worse. It's for real dangerous. I think maybe "it felt like a trigger" might be better not for the sake of policing words but for the fact that triggers can be dangerous for people with like..severe trauma.
I didn't watch friends but rip Matthew perry
So many people don't understand the importance of timing and delivery in comedy. They just think it is all about the joke, but it isn't! Good talking out Corey!