Sweaty Pursuits: Air McNair Errs In the Worst Possible Way
Don't cheat. At best, it's a complete violation of a partner's trust. At worst, you end up dead with everyone knowing the tawdry circumstances that led to your demise. Unluckily, former NFL quarterback Steve McNair, who was murdered by his 20-year-old girlfriend before she turned the gun on herself, suffered the most extreme consequence of being governed by one's crotch. The grim lesson offers little comfort to the wife and children he left behind.
It went down in Nashville, the city where McNair reached his most notable triumphs as the leader of the Tennessee Titans. Police report that McNair and Dave & Buster's waitress Sahel Kazemi had been dating for a couple of months, which is a thorny detail when one considers the existence of his aforementioned spouse. The mistress committed the murder/suicide in a condominium he naughtily shared with her. The fact it took place in the illicit love nest just makes the tragic event even more sordid.
Unfortunately, the circumstances of his death will cloud memories of what he accomplished in life. The 2003 NFL co-MVP was most renowned for his toughness. There was a stretch where McNair was so beat up that he couldn't even practice: he'd spend the week coping with pain before suiting up on game days to get beat up even further. While his numbers over his 13-year career don't quite warrant inclusion in the Hall of Fame, he got close enough that pundits have to make a point of mentioning that he won't get in.
He was also getting recognized following his retirement last year for his charitable foundation. But sadly his legacy won't be based around his attempts to help underprivileged children. Now, he'll always be remembered as the roughneck quarterback whose mistress flipped out after he, perhaps, told her something she found disagreeable about their relationship's future.
Fans won't immediately recall McNair's humble beginnings. Nor will they think of his rise against adversity, from abject poverty in a single-parent household to second-tier college football to pro success. They'll primarily recall his wretched end.
It's true that most affairs don't end like this one did, namely in a Fatal Attraction situation -- only with an unhappier ending. But this severe case highlights what can be lost due to a tangled affair. After all, McNair was set to cruise through the rest of his life, riding on his past glory. The pain he suffered as a player entitled him to a pleasurable second career as a popular luminary.
Universally beloved by Titans fans, he had the chance to spend his post-football days not paying bar tabs or full price for luxury sedans. On top of that, McNair had just opened a restaurant in Nashville, and locals were assuredly ready to patronize it to capacity even if it wasn't very good. It was just another way he would have been cashing in on earlier toils.
It's actually a good lesson: McNair proved that it's impossible to get away with getting what you want all the time. It makes not having a virtually limitless buffet of tail seem appealing. Either way, sports big shots should ignore cynics who claim men are only as faithful as their options.
McNair could have gotten happy and chubby, growing old in his adopted town. But he instead died at 36 while leaving his community, and the rest of us, with nothing more than a cautionary tale. And as a result, four sons are without a father.
Anthony Bialy is SG's no-jocks-required Sweaty Pursuits sports columnist. He follows sports religiously even though he's quite bad at them. He ran cross country and played rugby in college, and was horrid at both. He schedules his life around his favorite NHL team's games, and sadly lists his alma mater winning the NCAA basketball championship as his happiest moment. He likes other things besides sports, too, and requests a minute to think of them.
Life Is Ugly So Why Not Kill Yourself*
Often in my writing for SuicideGirls Ive talked about girls, but I havent talked a lot about suicide. Last week a friend of mine attempted it, unsuccessfully, thank you Jesus. Twenty-five years ago another friend managed to do it successfully and Im still bummed about that. When I lived in Chicago my band used to play at a place called Batteries, which was booked by Jim Ellison of the band Material Issue. I was pretty torn up when I found out hed killed himself in 1996. They played their song "Valerie Loves Me" at a club I went to this week, which got me thinking even harder about suicide and its consequences. Ive known a couple people, including an uncle and a co-worker, who managed to commit slow suicide by drinking themselves to death. And I myself have come pretty close to doing the deed, too.
We used to get into these long philosophical debates around the kitchen table of the punk house near Akron City Hospital, where nearly everyone on the scene seemed to hang out 24/7. In one debate almost everyone in the room agreed that suicide was a perfectly viable option and that it was up to the individual alone to decide whether to do it or not. Im not sure I was the only one who disagreed. But I was certainly in the minority. I imagine a lot of alternative type people feel somewhat the same way as my friends did; that suicide is an acceptable option.
Intellectually, its easy to come up with a convincing argument that suicide is nobodys business but that of the person who kills herself or himself. But in practical, real world terms, this is never the case. Suicide is devastating to everyone whose life a person touches. No matter how much of a loner you are, there are people who care about you and its never easy to deal with someone you care about killing themselves. In the case of my friend Iggy who hung himself in 1983, he seems to have been deliberately trying to hurt his girlfriend whod recently dumped him. But she dumped him because it was the only way she could think of to make him deal with his alcoholism and general destructiveness. I dont blame her. I wouldve done the same thing. What he did was incredibly nasty and mean. And I dont think it really solved his problems.
Most religions forbid suicide and imagine horrible punishments awaiting in the next world for those who take their own lives. If you dug through the Buddhist literature Im sure you could find some variation on this. There must be a sutra or vinaya text somewhere saying what kind of future incarnation awaits those who commit suicide. But I dont know about it since Im a pretty lousy Buddhist scholar. This in itself says something, though. Because even if such a text does exist, its not greatly emphasized. There are a number of scholarly articles on the Internet about the matter. Heres one. Heres another. And heres one more.
The Vietnamese Buddhists who set fire to themselves to protest the Viet Nam War are well known. For a while there that seemed like one of the most enduring images the general public in the West had of Buddhism. People on this side of the planet had already been taught by their early scholars that Buddhism was a Nihilistic religion filled with talk of suffering and emptiness. So it probably came as no great surprise to hear about Buddhists offing themselves. Buddhism isnt nihilistic, though. And I dont think those guys did anyone very much good by going up in flames.
In any case, Im not terribly concerned with scholarly research or mass opinions. I scanned through those articles I linked to, but I really didnt read them in depth. Its interesting to know the history, but not really necessary. Buddhism, as far as Im concerned, is more about our own experiences than about received wisdom from others. My own experience tells me that suicide is not really a viable option. It ultimately cannot possibly solve the problems its intended to solve and it causes a whole lot of unnecessary suffering and grief.
People kill themselves to put an end to their suffering. Ian Curtis did it to end his suffering over his marriage and finances. Pete Ham killed himself because he was suffering over the fate of Badfinger, the worlds greatest power pop band. Kurt Cobain killed himself to end his suffering from all those stomach aches. Of course these are all over-simplifications. But its clear that all of these people, as well as anyone else who has ever taken their own lives, did so because they saw it as a way out of suffering. Its certainly not something you do just for the hell of it.
But the idea that committing suicide will end your suffering comes from the belief that you and the world in which you live are two different things. You believe that you can leave this world and thereby leave suffering behind. But my own sense after years of zazen practice is that this is not true. Ive spent a long time watching the boundary line between what I call me and what I call the rest of the world blur and fade. Im no longer certain at all where the dividing line is. Im beginning to even suspect that that guy Buddha may have been right when he said it doesnt exist at all. In fact Ive had a few times when this apparently nonsensical notion has come up and bit me on the ass in ways I cannot possibly deny.
So what Im saying here goes a little further than just the old the show must go on type thing, where people say you have a responsibility to your friends and family not to go off and shoot your brains out in the greenhouse. You also have a responsibility to yourself and even to the universe as a whole not to do that. Even if committing suicide solves the immediate problem by ending a poor relationship or making it so your stomach doesnt hurt anymore, the suffering you thought was yours alone spreads out like a wave to those parts of the universe youve been taught to think of as separate from you. Its impossible for me to believe that even the person who dies does not, in some way, continue to suffer just as greatly after suicide as before. I no longer believe its possible to leave this world. And thats as far as I want to speculate about that. Anything I might say about the mechanism involved in how this happens would just be a load of stinky brain farts. Still, I have a very deep and unshakable feeling that this is true.
Anyway, please forgive the grimness of this little piece. What my friend did last week got me thinking hard about the matter. So SuicideGirls readers, dont kill yourselves! Life is beautiful, so why not eat health foods instead?*
*This title of this article comes from a punk rock compilation album put out around 1979-80 by New Underground Records. The Descendents and Red Cross are featured. Id love to find a copy of this or its sequel Life Is Beautiful So Why Not Eat Health Foods.
Brad Warner will be at the Young Buddhists Retreat in Montague, MA from August 28-31.
Brad Warner is the author of Hardcore Zen and Sit Down and Shut Up!. He maintains a blog about Buddhist stuff and a MySpace page too. If you're in Southern California and you want to try some Zazen for yourself, he has a group that meets every Saturday in Santa Monica.
You can buy the new CD by his band Zero Defex (0DFx) at CD Baby.
Terrible Woman's MySpace Alias Leads to Teen's Suicide.
It was hard enough getting my heart broken face-to-face when I was in middle school. I'm so glad that the Internet was not available to me at age 13. I can't imagine going home at night, logging on to MySpace and getting rejected by other boys from all over the country.
DARDENNE PRAIRIE, Missouri (AP)-- Megan Meier thought she had made a new friend in cyberspace when a cute teenage boy named Josh contacted her on MySpace and began exchanging messages with her.
Megan, a 13-year-old who suffered from depression and attention deficit disorder, corresponded with Josh for more than a month before he abruptly ended their friendship, telling her he had heard she was cruel.
The next day Megan committed suicide.
That's pretty sad and fucked up, right? What if I told you that "Josh" was not a teenage boy but Megan's neighbor who created a fake MySpace account? That sucks. Kids can be so cruel, right? They sure can and so can their moms. "Josh" was created by a mother/daughter team. They live down the street from the Meier family.
[The woman who created the fake profile] allegedly told the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department she created Josh's profile because she wanted to gain Megan's confidence to know what Megan was saying about her own child online.
The mother from down the street told police that she, her daughter and another person all typed and monitored the communication between the fictitious boy and Megan.
A person who answered the door at the family's house told an Associated Press reporter on Friday afternoon that they had been advised not to comment.
What a great way to gain the confidence of a depressed 13-year-old girl, create a fake identity! Eventually the vulnerable, pubescent girl will fall in love with Josh. She'll be devastated upon finding out that he doesnt exist but screw it! Let's worry about that later. On to more important things like tricking Megan into talking shit!
Megan's father found a message from "Josh" the day after the suicide.
Her father said he found a message the next day from Josh, which he said law enforcement authorities have not been able to retrieve. It told the girl she was a bad person and the world would be better without her, he has said.
I can't stress enough how fucked up it is that someone's mother wrote that. There's not much that can be done legally (yet).
Tina Meier said law enforcement officials told her the case did not fit into any law. But sheriff's officials have not closed the case and pledged to consider new evidence if it emerges.
But equally negligent in my opinion are Megan's parents. I go to therapy. Therefore I am perfect and can tell you how others should live. The Meier's made some bad parenting decisions (in my opinion).
First Bad Decision:
You must be at least 14-year-old to have a MySpace account. Megan was 13. She's too young to be emailing with strange boys. Have her parents never watched "To Catch a Predator"?
Second Bad Decision
Megan had attention deficit disorder and was medicated for clinical depression. Perhaps she needed more stimulation from actual real-life friendships.
Third Bad Decision
After Megan confided in her mother that her new friend Josh was turning on her, Mrs. Meier scolded her for using bad language on MySpace.
Someone using Josh's account was sending cruel messages. Then, Megan called her mother, saying electronic bulletins were being posted about her, saying things like, "Megan Meier is a slut. Megan Meier is fat."
Megan's mother, who monitored her daughter's online communications, returned home and said she was shocked at the vulgar language her own daughter was sending. She told her daughter how upset she was about it.
Fourth Bad Decision
Megan had been on medication, but had been upbeat before her death, her mother said, after striking up a relationship on MySpace with Josh Evans about six weeks before her death.
Mom, it's not good if your depressed teen with self-esteem issues is suddenly happy because a boy gives her attention. She's probably going to take the beginning and ending of their friendship waaaay too seriously.
I wasnt there so what do I know? This struck me as curious though:
Megan's parents are now separated and plan to divorce.
I know that trauma can tear families apart but I know that it can also bring them together. I find this divorce interesting. Were they having marital problems before? Was Megan depressed because her home life sucked? Were the Meier's hoping that the love of some boy in cyber-space would snap their daughter out of a funk?
Sure, Mrs. Meier monitored Megan's internet use and came down on her for foul language but did she ever talk to Megan about building healthy self-esteem? Did she warn her daughter of the dangers of trying to build self-worth through the attention of boys?
The only revenge that Mrs. Meier has taken against her neighbor so far involves dismantling a foosball table on their lawn.
Megan's parents had been storing a foosball table for the family that created the MySpace character. Six weeks after Megan's death, they learned the other family had created the profile and responded by destroying the foosball table, dumping it on the neighbors' driveway and encouraging them to move away.
I would encourage people like this to reconsider becoming parents until they can learn how to play fair.
Owen Wilson Hospitalized For Self-Inflicted Injuries
Actor, funny man, and general broken-nose superhero Owen Wilson was discovered by his brother, Luke, after he had apparently cut both of his wrists and taken an un-tallied number of pills*.
Wilson was rushed to St. Johns Hospital in Los Angeles after 12:10pm on August 26th, 2007.
Luke Wilson, Owen's brother, was seen leaving Beverly Hills' Cedars Sinai Hospital with his brother Andrew at 8:50 p.m. on Sunday, According to Entertainment Tonight. Andrew was the one who found Owen, according to published reports.
....
TMZ reports that the Santa Monica Police released the following statement, "On Sunday Aug. 26. 2007 at 12:10 pm officers from the Santa Monica Police Department responded to a medical assistance call from the Santa Monica Fire Department. The person was transported to a local hospital where they are being treated."
Wilson was later transferred to Cedars Sinai, where he was reported to be in a stable condition.
Wilson was then transferred by ambulance to another LA hospital, the Cedars Sinai, around 9am (4pm Sunday, local time) where his condition was initially listed as "grim". He has since stabilised.
...
Owen's brother, Luke, was seen leaving the Cedars Sinai in a BMW with a blond friend several hours after Owen was transferred, Entertainment Tonight reported.
*It should be noted that this has not yet been confirmed as an attempted suicide:
National Enquirer editor-in-chief David Perel told gossip website PerezHilton.com that Owen's brother Andrew "found him after the suicide attempt and called an ambulance".
"Both of Owen's wrists were slashed superficially and Owen had taken an overdose of pills.
"Owen was found with a nearly empty bottle of pills next to him."
UPDATE: Owen just released this statement to TMZ:
"I respectfully ask that the media allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time."
Brett Ratner: Please Kill Yourself Just Hear Me Out
I think Brett Ratner should kill himself. And I almost don't see another side to the argument.
Seriously. Im waiting to hear why this would be a bad idea. Im really asking. Im not just being glib to make a point.
Okay, sure, maybe it started that way. But once I looked at the situation it became harder and harder to deny that it really is whats best for everyone, including Brett.
Here are multiple reasons why Brett Ratner should kill himself.
1) Zero percent chance of a Ratner-helmed X4. Zero percent chance of him ruining the Spider-Man franchise. Zero percent chance of him making any more middle of the road pap for 50-year-old midwesterners who wondered what it would be like to see a black dude and a Chinese dude hang out.
Those percentages are all at acceptable levels.
2) You know how people write about Ratner, and then you read what they wrote, and then youre sort annoyed you did? This piece included.
Well, that will stop happening. Sure, youll suffer through the various obits and in a few years maybe youll run across an article penned by some scientist looking to make a name for himself, claiming to have used emerging technology to pinpoint a moment of actual comedy in Rush Hour 3
but hell undoubtedly be exposed as a fraud.
Other than that, you can forget all about Ratner.
3) From a global overpopulation standpoint one less person on this Earth is a good thing. More room for the rest of us. This would also free up many precious resources. Do you know how much food, energy, plastic, water, etc. the average person goes through in a day? I dont, but I assure you the number would sound impressive. All those valuable commodities could be redirected, in reasonable portions, to others more deserving.
4) Right now the only positive element you could take from his movies is the money they make. Sure, someone else could stick Chris Tucker in another movie where he regurgitates racial observations that were stale decades ago and itd be a hit, but, thats not the point. The point is, if he died right now Rats legacy would be that of a borderline-douchey guy who shot some mediocre movies that made money.
Of the three, whats the only factor likely to change? Ill give you a hint, he aint getting less-douchey and movies dont get any more mediocre.
Sooner or later, even the un-demanding fuck-bags are bound to wake up and stop throwing money away 11 bucks at a time. On that day hell have a film that loses cash. And his meager legacy will have been destroyed.
Hey, it may not happen, I mean, un-demanding fuck-bag isnt an ironic designation and chances are that he will go to his natural death many years from now with a good box office track record. But, the only way to be 100% sure is for him to get out now.
5) His money and wealth will go to his family, a group far more deserving of it than him.
How do I know this? That theyre better people than he? My theory is, the further you get from Ratner, the less repugnant the individual.
With that in mind, though I know nothing specific about his immediate family, I do know this. At the very least, each of them is one person removed from being Brett Ratner.
6) Whether through fiction or real life, by now, are we not all familiar with the sad cliché of the man whose true passion in life is denied him? He toils year after year at a job he cares nothing for, eventually dieing a broken, bitter man, because he never had the chance to fulfill his dream...
I actually believe this is the case with Ratner. It is obvious his true gifts and talents lie in another profession.
Whatever job is the opposite of filmmaker. Thats what he should be doing.
TheCoolerKing is proud to be filing this article from the rolling hills of breathtaking northern New Jersey.
Spears Attempts Suicide, For Real
Britney Spears has tried to commit suicide in the Promises rehab center where she is currently seeking help. Her attempt was unsuccessful. According to an eye witness:
"Later that night she tried to kill herself. She attached a sheet to a light and tied it around her neck. Paramedics were called, but luckily she was unhurt," the pal added.
Britney "Batshit Crazy" Spears had, prior to her attempted strangulation, scribbled 666 atop her freshly shaved cranium, perhaps to foreshadow the event. Rather than taking the correct steps towards a modicum of sanity, the ailing pop-star has other plans in store:
"Britney has realised what a rock Kevin has been to her, and how out of control she has acted recently. She has been talking to Kevin every night for hours on the phone, telling him she still loves him. She just wants to be with him again, and thinks having another baby will seal their marriage," the source said.
Somehow, amidst the post-partum rumors, I think another baby will make matters worse.
Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head: Burt Bacharach's Daughter Takes Her Own Life
In a tragic end to her lifetime struggle with the devastating emotional and physical effects of Asperger's syndrome, Nikki Bacharach, the daughter of famed pop composer Burt Bacharach and actress Angie Dickinson, took her own life Thursday night at her home in Thousand Oaks, California. She was 40-years-old.
A statement from family spokesperson Linda Dozoretz read,
She quietly and peacefully committed suicide [ ] Mike Feiler of the Ventura County coroner's office confirmed Nikki died of suffocation using a plastic bag and helium.
Asperger's syndrome, a form of Autism, is a neurobiological developmental disorder characterized by normal levels of intelligence and language development that are impeded by mild to severe deficiencies in social skills, communication abilities, learning disabilities, sometimes clumsy motor skills and obsessive/repetitive behavioral traits. People diagnosed with the syndrome have an increased prevalence of comorbid psychiatric conditions such as depression, mood disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Burt Bacharach (whose hitmaking resume includes "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself," "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me," and "What the World Needs Now Is Love") documented his daughter's struggle with the disorder in his 1971 song "Nikki."
War Protester Does A Torch Impression and No Once Notices
A depressed war protester became so angry and discontent with America's invasion and post-invasion fucking up of Iraq, that he carefully planned to commit self-immolation as a form of public protest, Vietnam Buddhist monk style.
At 6:30 a.m. on Nov. 3 -- four days before an election caused a seismic shift in Washington politics-- Malachi Ritscher, a frequent anti-war protester, stood by an off-ramp in downtown Chicago near a statue of a giant flame, set up a video camera, doused himself with gasoline and lit himself on fire.
"Here is the statement I want to make: if I am required to pay for your barbaric war, I choose not to live in your world. I refuse to finance the mass murder of innocent civilians, who did nothing to threaten our country," he wrote in his suicide note. "... If one death can atone for anything, in any small way, to say to the world: I apologize for what we have done to you, I am ashamed for the mayhem and turmoil caused by my country."
You'd think such a extreme form of protest might even make 5 minutes worth of news? Nah!! It's way more important we know who Britney is paling around with now.
Ritscher envisioned his death as one full of purpose. He carefully planned the details, mailed a copy of his apartment key to a friend, created to-do lists for his family. On his Web site, the 52-year-old experimental musician who'd fought with depression even penned his obituary.
There was only one problem: No one was listening.
It took five days for the Cook County medical examiner to identify the charred-beyond-recognition corpse. Meanwhile, Ritscher's suicide went largely unnoticed. It wasn't until a reporter for an alternative weekly, the Chicago Reader, pieced the facts together that word began to spread.
This may have been a man who suffered with depression, as many who commit suicide also suffer from. But a suicide as a form of protest is still a protest. The media has always played a crucial role in a country where forward progress is usually the result of public dissent and protest. It's a true fucking shame when the media fails to do their part of the job.
At least I know Britney is doing well hanging out with Paris Hilton after her divorce.
Source: Editor and Publisher
Nancy Grace Sued Over Woman's Suicide
Ultra-annoying CNN host Nancy Grace was slapped with a wrongful death lawsuit last week. The family of Melinda Duckett filed the suit against CNN, Grace, and producers of Graces Headline News law chat show, claiming Grace drove Duckett to suicide.
Duckett killed herself just hours after being forcefully questioned on the show by Grace over the death of Duckett's 2-year-old son, Trenton, who was reported missing nearly three months ago.
Investigators never clearly figured out where his mother was during the 24 hours before Trenton disappeared. Duckett reported her son missing Aug. 27, telling police she found a cut in his bedroom window screen when she checked on him around 9:20 p.m. She remains the primary suspect in the disappearance, though she killed herself Sept. 8.
Duckett family attorneys claimed Graces producers convinced Melinda to appear on the show by assuring the appearance might lead to finding her missing son. Upon Ducketts appearance, Grace verbally attacked her, demanding she admit where she left her son. Ducketts attorneys said this aggressive line of questioning was the reason for Ducketts suicide a few hours after the interview.
"We've alleged that Nancy Grace and her producers deliberately misrepresented the reasons for wanting Melinda on the show," attorney Jay Paul Deratany said in a statement. "Within minutes of Melinda's phone interview, it became quite obvious that Nancy's questions weren't about finding Trenton at all, but rather about impliedly accusing Melinda of murdering her beloved son."
Duckett attorney Kara Skorupa claimed Grace intentionally inflicted emotional abuse against the emotionally fragile Duckett; therefore, Grace and her producers caused the suicide and should be held responsible.
"Nancy's insinuations that Melinda had murdered her own child were distressing to an already grief stricken and anguished mother it was simply more than she could possibly bear," Skorupa said.
CNN and Grace representatives refused to comment directly on the lawsuit. They also declined to guess how many sane people took their own lives after listening to that yappy broad.
Throbbing Gristle is Going to Corrupt You
Its been 25 years since the pornographic, diverse, experimental band Throbbing Gristle has come out with anything new. Two decades devoid of new material may sound rather bleak for most, but with Throbbing Gristles unique sound, they have maintained an electrifying appeal. Contemporaries of Suicide and Cabaret Voltaire, they've served as inspiration for bands like Sonic Youth, and their subversive cynicism and mischievous delivery has always charmed the new and old listener alike.
Originating from the performance art group COUM Transmissions (influenced primarily from DADA and Merry Pranksters), pushing their limit was a natural inclination that carried on through TG. There is no question that their performances and industrial antics generated a reaction--whether it was violent, confusing or arousing. Now you can personally experience Throbbing Gristle and all of their delightful corruption: Part Two-The Endless Not is out April 1, 2007 on Mute records; a 7 disc retrospective entitled TVG will be released through Industrial Records/ Mute; and screenings of one of the DVD retrospectives will premiere. in London, NYC, and San Francisco.
Here's what you need to know:
TG at the Astoria Theatre, London 2004
Directed and edited by Phillip Richardson and Throbbing Gristle, this 80 minute film documents the bands first live performance for more than 25 years: at an invitation-only Sunday afternoon matinee in 2004 and in front of 1,500 souls... some, of whom had been waiting their entire life for the experience.
Friday 1st December, 9pm Screening.
Whitechapel Gallery, London. UK
Friday 1st December, 7pm Screening
(presented by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge).
PS1 MOMA, New York, USA.
Saturday 16th December, 6pm, 9pm & Midnight Screenings.
Recombinant Media Labs, San Francisco. USA.
Where possible the film will be presented in Dolby 5.1. Surround Sound.
If in doubt please check with venue concerned first.
This film forms part of TGV. A 7-disc Throbbing Gristle retrospective DVD box set from Industrial Records/Mute Records which is due for release in 2007.
Photo by Industrial Records LTD
Movie Preview : An Unflinching Look at Suicide from "The Bridge"
Opening this Friday in select theaters is a controversial new documentary, The Bridge - a film showing 23 of the 24 suicides that took place at San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge in the year 2004. Director Eric Steel assembled a dedicated crew who set up a camera every day for a year and caught video of everyday people coolly stepping over the railing and jumping to their deaths. The footage is possessed of an eerie calm, a profound stillness, and is ultimately a stunning portrayal of some lonely souls' final seconds on Earth.
Not surprisingly, The Bridge has been drawing the fire of suicide prevention groups who see the film as glorifying the allure of this already alarmingly popular suicide site. Since the bridge's construction in 1937, over 1,300 suicides have taken place. One about every two weeks.
Steel has been accused of serving up suicide as entertainment, misleading the city about his project to gain filming access and callously using the lives of the jumpers for his own gain.
Steel says:
(the goal is to)
..."allow us to see into the most impenetrable corners of the human mind and challenge us to think and talk about suicide in profoundly different ways."
"It is a movie about the human spirit in crisis. It is a movie about people,"
The Bridge opens in select theaters Friday October 27th.
Hi Quality Quicktime Trailer
The Hoff Allegedly Made Phony Suicide 911 Call
Media outlets reported this morning that David Hasselhoffs fourteen year old daughter Hayley slashed her own wrists in desperate suicide attempt. Blog readers spent the day worried that poor Hayleys depression over her parents nasty divorce lead her to suicide.
Hasselhoff called 911 Sunday night, telling the operator his daughter cut herself in a suicide attempt. Eventually reports the Hoff made up the story surfaced. Hasselhoffs estranged wife, Pamela Bach, said Hasselhoff knew it wasnt a suicide attempt, but called police to discredit Bach as a mother, telling her, "You're going down. I'm calling the police."
Bach says her daughter was scratched by the family cat Sunday night at around 6 p.m. She says her daughter was crying uncontrollably, so she called David and suggested that it might be appropriate for the girl to see a psychologist on Monday. At that point Bach claims David began ranting that he would call the police and bring her down.
Bach says at around 8 p.m. the police and paramedics arrived and said that David had called in a suicide attempt, so by law they had to take the girl to the hospital. She was released shortly after arriving there.
Today Hasselhoff claimed the 911 operator misunderstood him; he said his daughter was bleeding, never mentioning suicide. Meanwhile, he hasnt visited his daughter since the incident; shortly after the 911 call he boarded a plane for an appearance at a film festival.
All that to make his ex look like a shitty parent? David, what would Mitch Buchannon do?
This is all your fault.
Breast Implants Linked to Higher Suicide Rates
A new study has found that women with breast implants are 73 percent more likely to commit suicide than other women.
The data was meant to track correlations between implants and increased risk of cancer. The good news: Implants arent linked to a higher cancer rate. The bad news: Women with breast implants aren't happy campers compared to other women.
Though this study could not dig for the reasons, Morrison noted that other studies have found poorer self-esteem and elevated rates of depression and other psychiatric disorders among women who opt for breast augmentation.
It's not just implants, though. Face lifts, tummy tucks, butt lifts... other forms of plastic surgery are also linked to elevated suicide rates among women.
The study followed approximately 40,000 women who had plastic surgery over a 15-year period.
Does she look happy?