| In which your humble narrator asks you spend time with the people you love |
[Jul. 4th, 2009|11:44 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | lucky | ] |
| [ | music |
| | opossums rooting around | ] |
I was a bit shocked to learn of the death of NME columnist Stephen Wells when I read about it in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) mickmercer's blog yesterday.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Stephen when I met him in 2007.
He was one of the first people to do a cover story on my book, Armed America. Knowing I'd picked a controversial topic, and knowing about Stephen's ... inspired rants, I was more than half expecting a very hostile interview, to get rolled under the wheels of the machine ... which is not what I got. I got a jovial, friendly, fun journalist. We had a great time during the interview and I felt afterwards that I'd made a friend. Over the next few months we made a few attempts at getting together, but family and work obligations seem to have pegged down most of his time and we fell from one another's radar.I didn't really know Stephen Wells, but I feel the loss in a wholistic way -- I realize that there are people who should be closer to me who I haven't spoken to lately -- and that there are people who I know who are sick, or who are older than I remember them being and who I should spend more time with.
If something good is to come from this, and I believe that good can come from most things, it's that realization -- that somewhere there's someone out there who you need to say "hello" to, because you will feel terrible if you don't get the chance to say "goodbye" to them.
Stephen had a chance to say goodbye in his final article in the Philadelphia Weekly.
Go do good things. |
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| Comments: |
Don't be sorry for me -- I really didn't know Stephen apart from spending a day together two years ago -- be proactive about that person in your life that you need to be talking to.
Sorry for your loss, Kyle.
somewhere there's someone out there who you need to say "hello" to, because you will feel terrible if you don't get the chance to say "goodbye" to them
Too often we focus on events within our immediate world, forgetting about the wonderful people who have touched our lives, but may have moved to more distant orbits. Thank you for this all-important reminder.
Judging from that last column, he was one hell of a writer.
And thank you for the reminder. It's too easy to take my friends for granted, to leave things until later, and then it's too late.
Oh fuck.
After reading your post I went to check out the other two articles Stephen wrote for the Philadelphia weekly, and I could barely finish them. What a nightmare.
At least now he's free from pain.
RIP Stephen.
Wow... it felt really strange to be laughing at an article knowing the person who wrote it has died from the very thing he was writing about...
(obviously not laughing about what happened to him, just the way he wrote about it. I realise that came out a little wrong)
Wow, that was a great review of your book... and his "Goodbye" column is great, too.
Be excellent to each other. :}
Aw, poop. I really enjoyed Steve Wells's writing. His attitude was a breath of snarky fresh air in a world of earnest alt-writers. I especially appreciated his articles on his cancer. Things certainly didn't sound good this time around, but you always hope and dream for some sort of miracle that will let us keep someone so talented around for a little bit longer.
What a lovely sentiment.
I'm very sorry about your friend. May he rest in peace.
Sorry to hear it. Thanks for the reminder. | |
