The news this morning is like a punch in the gut. Anthony Bourdain is found dead in France. Word is that it is an "apparent suicide." I find it a bit hard to process. Always admired the man, first discovered him by reading his book "Kitchen Confidential," and over the years, have watched many of his cable shows.
I actually stopped watching his show after one episode where the villagers in some remote outpost murdered a wild pig. It was all done so cavalierly, and with a sort easy laugh, which didn't sit well with me. It reminded me I'm sort of a semi-militant vegetarian. Still whenever I saw Bourdain in conversation or print, I was enlivened.
It's a bit baffling & disconcerting when someone more successful, smarter, funnier, and more lively than you decides to kill themselves. Anthony didn't seem ill. He seemed to be riding a wave of good work. I think of him standing in front of the R&R Hall of Fame in Cleveland, smoking a cigarette, bitching about how you can't actually go in the building smoking a cigarette, or drinking from a flask, and that the whole point of R&R, as epitomized by his beloved Ramones, was to always be engaged in risky behavior. That was what it meant to be alive - too much fun - Sex, Drugs, & R&R. Add to that list: Laughter, Love and Good Food too!
Hate to see him go...
