Lost in some other thread were my thoughts. I am saying this for some other Gawkers who know: If you could choose to be that way and end that way, would you? Of course not.
Hope all the "you have a choice" people have perfect lives. Good luck.
@PikaDar Brisetout: That was very well-said, and all the more poignant because so many of us are or have been (or are close to people who are) in this situation.
ETA: Now that I think about it, I like this comment as much as any I've read in my years on Gawker. Thank you.
@PikaDar Brisetout: I get your drift--don't throw stones from a glass house--but I would sincerely like some advice on this. I am troubled about a relative I love dearly who is travelling a path of self-destruction (as I judge the situation). I've been to the [fill-in-the-blank]-Anon meetings where folks in similar circumstances counsel each other to let go and let the destruction happen. And I've sat and wondered why I haven't done more already to help this relative make better choices. So, am I naive/judging/pathetic to believe that I/someone/some people should step in and strongly encourage this person to consider a different path? (Wow, I just read my last sentence and realized I sound like I'm writing a three-hankie episode of "Intervention.") So, here I am asking your personal advice for me, when it's really not about me, is it? Or is it?
@The Lone Scout: "...wondered why I haven't done more already to help this relative make better choices."
I guess it *is* about you and how you feel in terms of the possiblility of changing someone. One can only help so much. At least this is my experience.
@FriendlyFloyd: More like...
A pair of Technic 1200s + a box of records no one else has + the ability to actually mix records (which is harder than it sounds) + impeccable taste and a sense of how to keep a party moving = DJ
@Botswana Meat Commission FC: No, it's really not. I used to have a set of turntables that I played with in my spare time... it is NOT easy to mix music cleanly. You need to have impeccable timing, an informal but basic knowledge of harmonic structure, and also really thorough knowledge of the music that you are playing. A DJ doesn't just mix music... he controls the mood of a party. Different genre, but DJs like Oakenfold or Van Dyk can change the mood of the dancefloor just by shifting the key of the music. It is pretty complex stuff that takes a lot of practice.
@Botswana Meat Commission FC: More like Serato Scratch or Traktor Pro+ a celebrity Girlfriend or boyfriend + ability to be a walking Ipod=Celebrity DJ
Real DJs are the ones that get respect
@rubyruby: This explains why I couldn't find fat pics of him on google by searching for his name. Interesting. Everyone is drunk and wrong tonight I guess.
As an armchair primary care physician, I look through the hundreds of pictures of this guy on the web and the first thing that comes to mind is "If there were ever a more perfect candidate for gastric bypass surgery, I've never seen him ..."
"What you need son isn't to go to Ikea and get the small plates and glasses like the Europeans use and run around on the treadmill every once in a while, what you need is for me to do is divide your stomach into a small upper pouch and a much larger, lower 'remnant' pouch and then re-arrange the small intestine to allow both pouches to stay connected to it ... yep, that's what you need alright."
@DonLaFontaine: I've seen the pics, that doesn't mean I can find one of him larger. He reportedly lost 155 pounds after the gastric bypass. He had it one month into his relationship with Nicole Richie.
I am going to be a bitch right now and say that since Goldberg was a man, the proper term would be "né", not "née". You often see the latter because it is mostly used in the American press to refer to the birth name of married women, but the additional "e" makes it a feminine term and thus incorrect in this case. I might be wrong, but this is how I always learned the use of the term. The end.
While drug overdoses, sad, and all that, I'm still unclear on who this guy is and what he did that was so remarkable to merit the attention he is getting.
@funyuns are awesome in phx: "He may have been best known for working the celebrity club scene, dating starlets including Nicole Richie and Mandy Moore, and his huge sneaker collection, owning about 1,000 pairs." [voices.washingtonpost.com]
I hope we can all put aside the petty issues and think hope the 1,000 sneakers are well taken care of by his estate. This kid was "street" with a capital "eet." 1,000 sneakers and a crack habit and an MTV deal. He’s just like any of us.
@PikaDar Brisetout: Well, I think Jeremy Blake did far more. He had work of his that was view by people more—like in Punch Drunk Love and music videos—than Mr. 1,000 sneakers. And Blake's art was accessible at least as far as viewing goes.
Katie Holmes did not dance -- when she wasn't standing still, she just struck a series of poses. Maybe it did get Tom Cruise excited, but then wouldn't he have more likely used it on one of guys who did the real dancing in that number?
If Mr. Butler is afraid of losing his abs, perhaps he should contact the guys who CGI'd them onto him in the first place for "300". It's like the least painful cosmetic surgery ever.
I'm so glad to hear those crazy kids Travis and Shanna have been able to make it work. I've always pulled for them. They're kind of like Pam and Tommy without the sex tape and domestic abuse. Which doesn't mean they're better; just...different.
08/31/09
08/31/09
Hope all the "you have a choice" people have perfect lives. Good luck.
08/31/09
ETA: Now that I think about it, I like this comment as much as any I've read in my years on Gawker. Thank you.
08/31/09
08/31/09
I guess it *is* about you and how you feel in terms of the possiblility of changing someone. One can only help so much. At least this is my experience.
08/31/09
Loss makes the world a different place.
08/30/09
DJs never really strike me as someone with a talent worth making money over. Sorry if that offends anyone, but that's just my own personal feeling.
It's sad that he died of a drug overdose though, regardless of who he is.
08/31/09
A pair of Technic 1200s + a box of records no one else has + the ability to actually mix records (which is harder than it sounds) + impeccable taste and a sense of how to keep a party moving = DJ
It's not as easy as people think.
08/31/09
08/31/09
08/31/09
08/31/09
Real DJs are the ones that get respect
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
"What you need son isn't to go to Ikea and get the small plates and glasses like the Europeans use and run around on the treadmill every once in a while, what you need is for me to do is divide your stomach into a small upper pouch and a much larger, lower 'remnant' pouch and then re-arrange the small intestine to allow both pouches to stay connected to it ... yep, that's what you need alright."
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/31/09
"DJ AM, né Adam Goldstein, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment earlier this evening. He was 36 years old."
[guanabee.com]
08/30/09
08/30/09
Your post contains two questions and the answers are as follows: (1) he once dated Nicole Richie and (2) see answer to question number one, supra.
08/30/09
08/30/09
(Please don't ask why Nicole Ritchie is newsworthy)
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
"He was best known for once dating Nicole Richie... having over 1000 shoes... and a former crack addict."
Must be a slow week.
08/30/09
08/31/09
[voices.washingtonpost.com]
I hope we can all put aside the petty issues and think hope the 1,000 sneakers are well taken care of by his estate. This kid was "street" with a capital "eet." 1,000 sneakers and a crack habit and an MTV deal. He’s just like any of us.
08/31/09
08/31/09
08/31/09
And, while we're at it, respect to Jeremy Blake and a memory for his greatness.
And sure, it's all about it could be you...or me for that matter.
07/24/09
Also, thanks for bowing to an audience of no one. I hate when pre-taped segments try to get away with that.
07/24/09
07/24/09
07/24/09
07/24/09
07/24/09
07/24/09
07/24/09
No, really, is sad.
07/24/09