RIP Robin Williams

I listened to the Maron interview and believe his explanation of unconsciously appropriating other comedians' lines because once, in my swamp of low-level standup, *I* got caught doing that.

I kinda cringe at obit headlines that make him sound like a film actor ("Hollywood legend") pure n' simple, when most of his contributions were live or live-on-TV. I also kinda wonder how a guy with a generational talent could do so much stuff with Billy Crystal. Still as a friend of mine said about resumes w/ lots of dross, "You can only do what you're offered," and I guess he had no aspirations to write/direct/produce films.

Keyframe roundup (he has, uh, SIX movies in the can?):

http://www.fandor.com/keyframe/daily-robin-williams-1951-2014

was Maron interviewed today or is it the re-upped podcast we are talking about?

Maron just added some commentary to the beginning and end of the re-upped interview. He sounded like he was right on the verge of full-on sobbing. It's heartbreaking.

It's also heartbreaking, in the interview, to hear Robin Williams talk about rationalizing his way through previous thoughts of suicide. I guess that level of clarity isn't always there when you need it.

Pretty good story, this one.

http://uproxx.com/webculture/2014/08/norm-macdonald-told-a-wonderful-robin-williams-story-on-twitter-that-sums-up-everyones-loss/

so sad about this.

That Norm story is excellent.

When Rik Mayall died a couple of months ago now there was the odd question as to why he never made it in film. Then you look at Robin Williams: lots of comic energy, could hold you for shorter chunks of time on TV yet flagged when anything more dramatic was required.

That there were a few films that could frame that energy for a while is an achievement of sorts.

I think someone upthread may have mentioned it, but the episode of Homicide: Life On The Streets he appeared on is one of his better dramatic performances.

yeah, it's not like Mork and Mindy 'fit' Williams -- you just watched that crap every week to see a few minutes of RW riffing and taking over. xp

surprised at the love upthread for the Birdcage, have always assumed there was no reason to watch taht

Pfft I watched it cos I had a crush on Mindy, thanks xpost

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BuzFzIMIYAAMet_.png

I read "bangarang" as "gangbang" there and for a moment all of history changed around me.

http://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_960w/Boston/2011-2020/2014/08/12/BostonGlobe.com/Arts/Images/Bu2BWPdIgAAU6nb.jpg

ok now I am getting really sad

One of his standup lines just sounded in my head, re his Juilliard professor John Houseman: "Mistuh Williams, the theatuh needs you; I'm going off to sell Volvos."

(JH was a ubiquitous '70s TV pitchman after winning his unlikely Oscar)

Meanwhil, in Minnesota . . .

the entire front page of imgur today is RW

oh god that Norm story's going to make me cry all over again

It's striking and kinda heartwarming to see all the stories pouring out from comedians at all levels talking about encounters with Williams. Whether it was just hosting a standup night where he showed up, or having a real conversation or just taking a photo with someone. He knew how big he was, celebrity-wise, he knew what it did to people who met him, and somehow he serviced that stardom in just the right way, over and over again. All these stories of 'he didn't have to talk to me, or he didn't have to be nice to me'...like he knew the importance of those moments and without even being calculating, he was just real.

There was a great Inside Comedy with RW and Jonathan Winters last year.

I remember that John Houseman line--he must have used that a lot (it's a great line).

There's no accounting for why someone like Winters was able to negotiate his pain and illness, to live into his mid 80s, and Williams was not. I wonder if Jonathan's passing made him feel that much more alone.

I know I've mentioned before that at the Evening at the Met concert, I had to squeeze past Sean & Madonna making out in the aisle on the way out.

(btw Williams was attached to a proposed Harvey Milk biopic several years before Penn did Van Sant's)

It definitely was on in syndication when I was kid, but I don't remember much about mork & mindy, so I don't think I really appreciated until now that the guy's career breakthrough was playing a SPACE ALIEN IN A DREAM on HAPPY DAYS. The show that gave us "jump the shark" as an example of when a show went off the rails. That he was so good playing a space alien on a slice-of-life sitcom that they retconned him from being a dream character to a real character and gave him a spin-off.

I mean, that's pretty impressive.

There's no accounting for why someone like Winters was able to negotiate his pain and illness, to live into his mid 80s, and Williams was not. I wonder if Jonathan's passing made him feel that much more alone.

You know I was just thinking about this, and somehow had missed that Winters had only passed on last year. I wonder along with you, it seems like he was one of the few people Williams felt got him, profoundly (and perhaps vice versa).

I was pretty young in its heyday but in the post-Star Wars environment it was popular enough for toy makers to create a Mork doll that said "Nanu, Nanu!" when you pulled a string or something; I def remember that.

There's no accounting for why someone like Winters was able to negotiate his pain and illness, to live into his mid 80s, and Williams was not. I wonder if Jonathan's passing made him feel that much more alone.

was just thinking about this while watching this clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NqEKvk9F4I and remembered that Winters only passed just last year

I wonder if Jonathan's passing made him feel that much more alone.

I was thinking this too. They definitely had a deep connection.

if you never read RW's NY Times piece on Winters:

Jonathan Winters R.I.P.

I was pretty young in its heyday but in the post-Star Wars environment it was popular enough for toy makers to create a Mork doll that said "Nanu, Nanu!" when you pulled a string or something; I def remember that.

― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, August 12, 2014 12:05 PM (19 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

A friend of mine had one of these:

http://www.toynerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/mork3.jpg

de la planète Ork

dans son ouef de l'espace

I had one of those too! I remember picking it up at a garage sale for like a dime.

I've idly thought for years about buying all of the Robin Williams action figures (Mork, Peter Pan, Genie, Jumanji dude, One Hour Photo IIRC, etc.). Because I think he might have the most.

Good grief, the Mork action figure. I remember that now. I had the 1981 Mork & Mindy annual, but that was it.

i have the jumanji board game

would play (with some apprehension)

understandale, didn't work out well for Kirsten Dunst

did the studio merchandise Popeye? Has to stand alone in the Altman oeuvre if so.

it was actually a pretty shitty game -- we had to change the rules to make it more fun/more challenging

what? you don't have the full line of Macfarlane Nashville figures? got my Bill, Mary and Tom right here on my desk! (xpost)

sometimes i have mine fight with my OC and Stiggs action figures

and the little breakaway bottle Marty Augustine uses on his gf

(sorry)

very guilty lols

i've got a chris penn 'short cuts' action figure, complete with a bloody rock in hand

JUMANJI JUMANJI JUMANJI

Wow that the last photo of RW is at a Dairy Queen in lindstrom. My folks had a crappy little cabin on South Center Lake when I was a kid and Lindstrom was the nearest town. Unless that's a new Dairy Queen I've probably been there a million times. I remember passing hazelden in the car and having a weird vague kids understanding of what people did there.

xpost I'll trade you my extra squirt-action Huey Lewis figure.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller board game

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dq8nXLYEtQ0/hqdefault.jpg

I have this. I remember thinking, even at age seven or whatever - that's supposed to be Robin Williams???

I have never talked about my own thoughts of cutting my own life short, and it's hard to even type this given how far away they feel now. But hearing about RW's suicide, especially after having heard the Maron interview a few months ago, have really really knocked me for a loop by reminding me of just how dark things can be, and sad for him for the hell he must have endured.

I hope he has found peace, whatever that might mean for him.