Lost Voices: My First Ever (As Far As I Know) "In Memoriam" Post

 (this is when the audience heads to the kitchen and/or bathroom for a few minutes...)

No, no one is up there, but it's pretty! Photo by [Maris]

While we on our little down-beat from last night's dark and doomy storm post...

I still miss sharing a planet with David Bowie. It's part of life. As you age, your beloved actors, musicians, and other celebrities die. 2023 has seen its share of these departures. Let's remember a few of them, together.

Melinda Dillon. A fine actress, I'm sure, but like most of America, I only know her work in the movie "A Christmas Story." I see her every December, and every year she cracks me up a lot. She also touches my heart, when Ralphie beats the crap out of Scut Farkas and she lets it go. 

Alan Arkin. Another older actor with a huge list of credits, but his later work will stay with me. In "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Argo," he was the quintessentially cantankerous old grandpa. He's also near and dear to me because I once worked at a small company with a CFO who was absolutely Arkin's (especially from those two movies) doppelgänger. And of course, I can't hear the word "Argo," without hearing him say, "Argo fuck yourself!"

Tony Bennett. He was already old when I first saw him sing on "The Tonight Show," but he blew me away (I was young - shut up). I thought it incredibly groovy when 90s kids embraced him and reenergized his career, starting with his legendary performance on "Unplugged." 

Man, a lot of these people lived long and prospered. Here come a couple of tragic ones... Sinéad O'Connor - 56. Fame found her in her teens, and it was well-deserved, as she was a spectacular talent. Also, exceptionally brave. We like to call people brave for things that aren't really that courageous. But when she spoke out about the catholic church, A) turns out she was absolutely right, and B) she subjected herself to death threats, and pretty much destroyed her career. I'll always admire her.

Matthew Perry. Only 54. I related to his "Friends" character, because like him, I work extensively in sarcasm. He was basically a much funnier version of me. Also like me, he was a temp, early in the show! But he was deeply troubled. When he was young, his only wish was to be famous. The overnight fulfillment of that wish was an instant burden, and he battled demons he had no chance of defeating. 

Okay, one more tragic one. Lisa Marie Presley. I liked her. She was cool, but I can't help thinking that she was doomed from the start. Sad.

Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman). Gone too soon at just 70 years old, this man was a tornado of weirdness and fun. He's one of those rare personalities - not for every taste, to be sure - who had a gift for connecting with and inspiring the nerds and misfits among us. He was one of us, acting like a child, being totally himself, and showing us that a person can be comfortable in whatever suit suits them. Like Bowie, Reubens told us it was okay to be weird.

There are a bunch more voices we've lost this year, but I'll wrap this up with a couple of giants. First, Tina Turner. What a life. She survived the humblest of beginnings, and a grueling marriage to a dangerously abusive man - and show business. Her strength and resilience are as impressive to me as her talent. She was fierce, onstage. And disarmingly candid and funny in interviews. And sue me, but if you've read my early "thankfulness" posts, you know I have to say this: legendary legs. There, I said it. She was a hell of an entertainer, and a beautiful soul.

Finally, Jimmy Buffett. For a self-described beach bum from the deep south, he sure worked his butt off. I saw one of his carnival-esque outdoor concerts many years ago, and I instantly got it. He was a wrecking ball of fun. As a would-be beach bum myself, I was naturally drawn to his laid-back music, but as a writer, I marvel at his lyrics - and at some of his books. His writing is breezy and conversational, but surprisingly sweet and often devilishly clever. I'm going to miss him. The world's just a little less beachy without him.

Maybe they went that way! Photo by Joe