Suicide. Brian Stelter at CNN writes as if CNN owns Bourdain and manages to avoid telling readers how Bourdain committed suicide. While he does tell us "Bourdain's death happened" after fashion designer Kate Spade hanged herself in an "apparent" suicide.
Bourdain's career is described at length with emphasis on all the media awards that liberals give to each other. Then concludes with statistics on suicides.
Let's speculate. Since we must. Died of drug overdose and alcohol. Deep depression over the unshakable realization his whole life is a fraud and there is no hope for it. The words of a little girl kept running through his mind. The daughter of a longtime chum told him point blank, "all you ever do is fly around the world eating and drinking all day." How remarkably perspicacious he thought at the time before realizing that is not something she thought up herself, rather, something she picked up and he knew what his peers actually think of him.
That's my guess.
And I'm guessing because Brian Stelter didn't tell us when he wrote Bourdain's friend Eric Ripert found him unresponsive in his hotel room Friday morning.
Eric Ripert is one of the world's top chefs. He is truly amazing and stupendously accomplished. I saw a show about how he runs one of his restaurants, how he got the coveted 3 Michelin stars, and my mind was blown. He controls every inch of the place, every spoon, every plate, the interior top to bottom through and through, everything that chefs do, every item of food, the menu, the atmosphere, wallpaper, carpet, all interior appointments, everything that comes into the place down to the last thread of the tablecloths, the air. I had no idea that absolutely everything could be controlled so maniacally. All while he's involved in tons of projects outside of his restaurant; the source of coffee beans, sustainability of seafood, the politics of the countries that produce cocoa and vanilla orchids, sources for wine, farming, cheese. He travels as much as Bourdain did. Frankly, he is a lot more interesting than Bourdain. More authentic.
I struggle with sympathy for people who've killed themselves. Life is struggle for each of us, and they've given up on themselves. Plus they are murderers. Alice Johnson, whose life sentence was commuted by Trump. told the crowd assembled to hear her responses the meaning she would have in her life while imprisoned would have to be the meaning she gives it. She found her reservoir of strength. Anthony Bourdain did not.
23 comments:
Drudge report home page says he hung himself in a hotel.
Oh.
Was it another Kung Fu suicide?
Well I don't think his life was an empty nothing. He somehow pulled himself out of the kitchen to end up as a figure with worldwide recognition. That doesn't just happen. It takes a combination of courage, industry and yes, luck. Very few, very very few manage
that.
Liking him is another matter. I didn't particularly like him but I marveled at his appetite - pun intended - for more, more travel, more meals, more exploration. And I'm sure he pushed through many moments when he wanted to take a break from the pressured life. Maybe it just got to be too much.
I have heard of him, but never saw him work. I just read that he would ask "What do you eat? What do you like to cook?"
I can answer those questions - beef with a slice of toasted sourdough bread made with winter wheat. I like to fry eggs in olive oil.
He would have found me boring.
You ARE boring Sixty! ha ha ha ha ha
Why did I write that? Cause I'm a shit, that's why!
He did an episode of Archer, basically as himself (I think it's on late tonight), which apparently spoofed his public image.
Heavy drug abuse and, no, he liked girls.
dutch -- wasn't the heroin habit kicked in his late thirties or forties?
I am good with boring. Boring and still alive. I'll take it. Too much excitement and next thing you know you might read that you were shot in the tabloids.
For addicts, More is the desire that drives and Not Enough is the fear that haunts.
I was going to say, nothing wrong with boring. I would hate to have a need for so much excitement in my life, that when I didn't get it; suicide would seem a viable option.
He did give up heroin decades ago. He was also an admitted alcoholic. And we all know alcohol is a depressant. Maybe he went back to drugs as well. But an alcoholic committing suicide is not ever surprising to me.
Actually, he hanged himelf.
I have been battling suicidal thoughts since I was in kindergarten.
It's hard work.
Suicide usually leaves more than one victim.
So far, I have been winning. And, so far, indications are that I will continue winning.
Suicide usually leaves more than one victim.
No. Not just usually, but pretty much always. It's the normal thing that suicide leaves destruction in its wake.
Perhaps I ought to have shared with you all what a couple-so months ago happened.
As you know, my son's been a CAP guy. And, a couple of months ago, a 14-year-old member shot himself to death. Only the clueless can't get why that was profound.
And, oh, by the way? That kid who made us all cry at that choice he made at 14, along with his parents and his brother, got the support of the entire CAP squadron. All those CAP middle-schoolers, all those CAP high-schoolers stood up in support.
They did the Color Guard at the funeral. Some of them (including my son) stood by the open casket and put some of their own achievements (for example, my son put his own earned, achieved marker that cannot be replaced) into the coffin, by which he stood.
There must be an up side to hanging one's self that I have yet to figure out. Seems needlessly ghastly and painful. And you know you're going to change your mind midway through, helplessly. I mean, has anyone ever successfully hanged himself with a sharp knife in his pocket?
Maybe hanging is the go-to method for celebrities because it'd be embarrassing to walk into a Walmart and say, "Hi. I'd like a shotgun and a box of shells, please."
If I were to do it that way, it'd be out in the woods so the wildlife does the cleanup.
It's sort of inconsiderate to do it in a hotel. Maybe Bourdain was enough of a gentleman to have pinned cash to his chest with a note that read, "Sorry for being such an asshole. Please take the money and spend it on something that makes you happy."
But I doubt it.
@Eric the Fruit Bat
There is no up side
Also, to apologize to you for stating the obvious, I'm pretty sure that Bourdain knew something about knives, both in terms of kitchens and pockets.
Post a Comment