RIP Robin Williams

[Bucho]

Hey, remember that time Robin Williams lost to Jack Nicholson and Daniel Day-Lewis for a Critic's Choice Award and drunk Jack Nicholson had Robin come on stage and do his speech for him?

[Dean from Australia]

So...who'd he rip that performance from?

[Keith]

What weird denial is this, Dean?

"He made a sandwich. Oh let me guess, he stole the idea of making a sandwich from somebody."

You know the truth. You've already acknowledged it. What are you doing now?

You could have kept this thread sweet if you wanted.

Just enjoy him. You don't have to become disingenuous though. You're better than that.

[Dean from Australia]

Whoa...Keith, steady.

I was just being a smart arse.

[Dean from Australia]

I'm reading this morning that Robin Williams' wife has told the press that he was in the early stages of Parkinson's Disease.

[Bucho]

I figured Dean was making a joke based on the fact most of his act was impressions and impressions are, by their nature, "stealing". And in this case Jack was right there.

Don't worry Deano, I got it. I guess SOME PEOPLE just don't understand comedy. Honestly Keith Malley. "All he did was talk fast to trick people ..."? EYES: ROLLING.

[Dean from Australia]

I mean, the guy was literally standing right next to him...

[Enunciated Piffle]

Originally Posted by Dean from Australia

I'm reading this morning that Robin Williams' wife has told the press that he was in the early stages of Parkinson's Disease.

This puts a different twist on it, no? I mean, He obviously struggled with depression but when you couple that with a serious illness, doesn't suicide then take on a kind of nobility? Hunter S. Thompson was a great writer whose body was failing him. He couldn't even walk up the stairs. His writing had also fallen apart. So at age 57 he made a similar decision to end life.

I've been listening to the WTF podcast, (recorded in 2010 - Maron really got an incredible interview) and also heard the NPR Fresh Air podcast interview. It reminded me of why I loved Robin Williams so much. The NPR one got a bit heated when Terry Gross asked about his depression. You could tell he wanted to rip into her, but of course side-stepped it a bit with comedy.


Our generation grew up on his movies. When my dad would rent Good Morning Vietnam on VHS; it was like my first exposure to comedy. There were little comedic bits and routines Robin would put into his movies. In retrospect, you can see the brilliance of his acting. No movie script writer came up with what he did. It was pure Robin Williams improv.

Keith made excellent points concerning his stand up. He stole jokes and quite honestly: his stand up was more manic than funny. However, that's not why we loved him. We liked his comedic spirit and characters. Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting had real depth and emotion. This was only accomplished due to Robin's talent and heart.

In the end, Robin Williams will always be remembered as brilliant because he was a truly tortured soul. He wanted so very badly to be loved. He couldn't stand to be in his own skin. This produces some of the best comedy and impersonations. By this definition: a great artist.

There was a recent article with Gilbert Godfrey. He was recounting an interview Robin did in Germany, long ago. The German interviewer asked why Germany didn't have more funny people. Robin Williams simply replied, "Well, because you killed them all."

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Enunciated Piffle

Keith made excellent points concerning his stand up. He stole jokes and quite honestly: his stand up was more manic than funny. However, that's not why we loved him. We liked his comedic spirit and characters. Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting had real depth and emotion. This was only accomplished due to Robin's talent and heart.

That's right. You hear that, writers? Fuck you. It was all Robin.

[Enunciated Piffle]

My apologies to Matt Damon...