LTS Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 Last night I deviated from my intended routine and felt compelled to catch up on "Parts Unknown". I grabbed a glass of whiskey (I almost always have something when watching this show) and loaded up the episode on Armenia. This particular episode, for whatever reason, really stood out to me as some of the best work Anthony Bourdain had done. This morning I woke up (after staying up until 1:40am talking to a friend whose mother died yesterday) to the announcement that Bourdain had committed suicide at age 61. I'm know some people didn't like his style, his delivery. I found him to be pure genius. His approach to covering life in the world resonated perfectly with me. I found myself continually watching anything he created. The man had a rough life, he pulled himself through a slog of crap and came out on top but it was clear he never fully shook his demons. This really sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksabre Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 He was punk rock as hell and a genuine good dude in a world of egotists. http://anthonybourdain.tumblr.com/post/84641290831/under-the-volcano Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huckleberry Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 I actually seen some of his work over here, usually I turn off food programs but he did have a way of keeping me glued to the screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Aud Smell Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 He was a true creative talent. A fascinating guy. A terrific storyteller. I read an interview of his within the last year or so in which the interviewer was discussing (or maybe alluding to) the fact that Bourdain had demons of depression that he could never quite shake. Bourdain said something about how he has the best life in the world, and that if he's not happy, it's really a failure of his imagination. I really, really wish he didn't believe that. Depression is a fukking motherfukker, and it does not care a fig about your life situation, station, etc. Rest in peace, sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Buffalo Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 (edited) He was a true creative talent. A fascinating guy. A terrific storyteller. I read an interview of his within the last year or so in which the interviewer was discussing (or maybe alluding to) the fact that Bourdain had demons of depression that he could never quite shake. Bourdain said something about how he has the best life in the world, and that if he's not happy, it's really a failure of his imagination. I really, really wish he didn't believe that. Depression is a fukking motherfukker, and it does not care a fig about your life situation, station, etc. Rest in peace, sir. Loved his wacky food show, got to see parts of the world Im not likely too ever get a chance too. Depression sucks... accepting life for what it is, often messy... never perfect.... makes me sad some brilliant folks never are able to make peace with the hole they feel. :( Edited June 8, 2018 by North Buffalo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampD Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 He partied on a street in Buffalo in the wintertime FFS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 WTF? Loved his shows. Loved his style. RIP Mr. Bourdain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 https://nypost.com/2018/06/06/after-kate-spades-death-think-of-the-survivors/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTS Posted June 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 https://nypost.com/2018/06/06/after-kate-spades-death-think-of-the-survivors/ A very true article... I could probably wax on about suicide and the feelings that surround you when you are considering it. I won't, not now. There are a lot of things that play out in those moments and there are a lot of reasons that make those moments happen. Honestly I think it would be insulting to try and paint it with a broad brush. I wouldn't pretend to know why someone got to the point of considering suicide, I would only be able to know what it feels like once you get there. In that, those of us who have considered it, attempted it, can all share a common thread. The recovery isn't the same either, because the path the leads us all to the same center is the same path that leads away from it and we all took different paths to get there. But in the victim discussion, those left behind. One of Anthony Bourdain's guests on his shows in Russia was Zamir Gotta. Zamir lives in Buffalo. I have the good fortune of knowing Zamir and watching his pain during these moments is truly difficult. I shall toast Mr. Bourdain this evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksabre Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 Clint Malarchuk's recounting of his suicide attempt in his book was one of the most raw and honest things I have ever read. It taught me a lot about the "why" of suicide. And it taught me not to judge those who attempt it or succeed at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 I loved his shows. He was a rock star. He will be missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 8 seasons on Netflix right now. Here comes the binge watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunomatic Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 My wifes favorite and nightly watch as I snored beside her. We were both shocked at the news as most are in times like this. Unfortunately men are impulsive and if only he had called his daughter he might have snapped out of it. Men generally succeed when they commit suicide. No half measures or cries for help. If only the thought of his young daughter had pulled him back. R.I.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthEbriate Posted June 9, 2018 Report Share Posted June 9, 2018 Well, dang. Experiencing anyone live with severe depression is itself a study in powerlessness and inadequacy and ... depression. I hope his family and friends and loved ones, and those he inspired, find peace of their own. For myself, I will break out the Les Halles cookbook and cook tribute with some friends. And toast a drink and probably smoke a cigar. Let's foodie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogre Posted June 9, 2018 Report Share Posted June 9, 2018 I loved how he looked past the barriers of culture to find the common ground in humanity. Food. No matter how alien it felt to watch, he ate and lived in the moment. Not bizarre food guy style. Not to get rise. Sincerely loving the experience and the people was experiencing with. I feel terrible for the daughter. My good friend killed himself with a shotgun at a traffic stop after a domestic incident a few years ago. He had six children that are left with so much baggage. It was a very selfish thing to do. I’ve been having a hard time forgiving him as I suspect his children are. Another hung himsef in a closet. It took two weeks for a family member to finally find him. He left a developmental challenged adult son behind. I forgave the third friend for his hanging after he learned of his terminal illness. Funny thing is, the darkness gets ahold of me from time to time and I can certainly understand why those decisions get made. I’ve personally never been able to get past the guilt of what I’d be doing to others. The plan to conceal what I’d done would be so complicated and involved that I’d be be back on the upswing before I could carry it out. That’s how mental illness works I guess. I hope. If any of you guys are having these experiences, it’s OK. It’s temporary so reach out until you feel better. If you don’t want to reach out to family/friend, then reach out to a hotline. Too many people are being lost because of the stigma. It’s OK to tell someone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksabre Posted June 9, 2018 Report Share Posted June 9, 2018 When I was in highschool a father of some fellow students shot his wife and then killed himself. In front of his two daughters. They were getting divorced and the wife had called the police to come confiscate his guns for safety reasons, but they didn't. And then... Suicide is such a tough thing to wrap ones mind around. The truth is that it's rarely a purely rational decision. Depression and anxiety do such weird things to the mind. I have to imagine sometimes it's like being in a mental fog, like a sleepwalking dream state, where you just do things and you're conscious but not there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubkev Posted June 10, 2018 Report Share Posted June 10, 2018 Because people don't care about mental illness. It's really that simple. How many people still hold onto the belief that suicide is for the weak? Or it's taking the cowards way out? How many people bat and eye when someone calls someone crazy, schizo, psycho, loony toons, nuts, lunatic, not all his dogs are barking, making sandwiches without bread, etc...no one cares. That's the difference between the mentally ill and the mentally disabled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Aud Smell Posted June 10, 2018 Report Share Posted June 10, 2018 I loved how he looked past the barriers of culture to find the common ground in humanity. Food. No matter how alien it felt to watch, he ate and lived in the moment. Not bizarre food guy style. Not to get rise. Sincerely loving the experience and the people was experiencing with. I feel terrible for the daughter. My good friend killed himself with a shotgun at a traffic stop after a domestic incident a few years ago. He had six children that are left with so much baggage. It was a very selfish thing to do. I’ve been having a hard time forgiving him as I suspect his children are. Another hung himsef in a closet. It took two weeks for a family member to finally find him. He left a developmental challenged adult son behind. I forgave the third friend for his hanging after he learned of his terminal illness. Funny thing is, the darkness gets ahold of me from time to time and I can certainly understand why those decisions get made. I’ve personally never been able to get past the guilt of what I’d be doing to others. The plan to conceal what I’d done would be so complicated and involved that I’d be be back on the upswing before I could carry it out. That’s how mental illness works I guess. I hope. If any of you guys are having these experiences, it’s OK. It’s temporary so reach out until you feel better. If you don’t want to reach out to family/friend, then reach out to a hotline. Too many people are being lost because of the stigma. It’s OK to tell someone. God love you. That right there is testimony to why this board is worthwhile. I have stories of my own. And sorrows. What you say resonates with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASabreFan Posted June 10, 2018 Report Share Posted June 10, 2018 Because people don't care about mental illness. It's really that simple. How many people still hold onto the belief that suicide is for the weak? Or it's taking the cowards way out? How many people bat and eye when someone calls someone crazy, schizo, psycho, loony toons, nuts, lunatic, not all his dogs are barking, making sandwiches without bread, etc...no one cares. That's the difference between the mentally ill and the mentally disabled. All very true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl Shannon's +/- Posted June 10, 2018 Report Share Posted June 10, 2018 You may want to discriminate in who you honor, but mental illness doesn't.That's the sad part of this week. People everyone believed to be living wonderful lives pulled the rip cord. Sadly, it's far from logical. And I'm not sure it ever will be from the outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTS Posted June 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2018 Because people don't care about mental illness. It's really that simple. How many people still hold onto the belief that suicide is for the weak? Or it's taking the cowards way out? How many people bat and eye when someone calls someone crazy, schizo, psycho, loony toons, nuts, lunatic, not all his dogs are barking, making sandwiches without bread, etc...no one cares. That's the difference between the mentally ill and the mentally disabled. I would disagree. I think they care, but they don't understand it. It's hard to fully appreciate and care about something so abstract. It's easy to say that suicide is for the weak or the coward's way out. Hell, I attempted suicide and on the path of recover even *I* thought that. My ignorance was that I pretended to understand what everyone else who felt the pull towards suicide felt. I was ignorant enough to believe that my situation was like everyone else's situation. What I learned of course is that the brain is a highly complex organ and we are fools who attempt to understand it. We all perceive in our own way and the best we can do is attempt to understand others on their terms, not our own. The more we can do it, the better. Understanding and trying to view the world through the eyes and brain of someone else is tough. It can also be immensely depressing... and that's why people don't want to make the attempt to do it. That said.. people want others to be better. They want them to not suffer their demons. They just don't (or more likely cannot) wrap their brains around what someone else is feeling and therefore choose to only spend the cursory moment paying lip service to the ideal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampD Posted June 10, 2018 Report Share Posted June 10, 2018 Celebrities have there purpose. Like it or not, they start a dialog. Without them we don't hear about the vets' plight. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudacek Posted June 10, 2018 Report Share Posted June 10, 2018 Latest statistics I saw showed that suicides were highest amongst middle age males. Don’t have a point. Just surprised me a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radar Posted June 10, 2018 Report Share Posted June 10, 2018 Latest statistics I saw showed that suicides were highest amongst middle age males. Don’t have a point. Just surprised me a little. My point is celebrities get attention other groups don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASabresIUFAN Posted June 10, 2018 Report Share Posted June 10, 2018 (edited) I’m going to have to read Kitchen Confidential again. Just watched a few episodes of No Reservations. Sad end to a difficult life with many lows and many more highs (no pun intended).. Edited June 10, 2018 by GASabresIUFAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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