WATCHING people mourn Chandler Bing when Matthew Perry died hurt me a little, if not more. And I was already unable to mourn the news of his death in the middle of the ongoing genocides and watching large portions of humanity becoming less and less human. I even made a dark joke about Yahweh asking Azrael to bring him a watermelon sundae with a Perry on top this last weekend, and sent different versions to friends. You probably don't know this about me, but dark jokes are not my thing.
I checked out of all the ongoing tragedies in the world for a little while. I returned to them in bits and bobs On Perry, the first bit that I ran into that moved me was a musician friend writing about how the Chandler brand of dry wit and sarcasm was warmer and kinder than its predecessors in (white people) sitcoms, which is to say it wasn't really that dry. I had to send that friend my favourite quote about writing comedy; it comes from Aaron Sorkin and is spoken about Perry's autobiographical-ish character Matt Albie in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
"Hey, why does Matt write (comedy)?"
"I'm sorry?"
"You said the others were writing (comedy) to be mean so why does Matt write?"
"Matt writes (comedy) to get people to like him."
This, about writing, is one of the few things that I relate to deeply as well as aspire to constantly as a writer, as an artist.
Being anxious about social media mores, I posted a promotional picture of Perry from Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and the above four lines of dialogue as a story on my Instagram. That was it. That was going to be my RIP Matthew Perry post. I was still upset. And the Chandler fans did not deserve to see my grief for they wouldn't get it for they hadn't known enough.
この記事は Outlook の November 21, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Outlook の November 21, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
The Muslim Question
In the time of polarisation politics and othering, how to respond to the banality of hate?
Voters' Cold Wave
Heat wave, voter apathy and cyclic migration are blamed for the poor voter turnout in Bihar. Political parties are clueless about what impact will it have on election results
Occupy Ivy League
Students protesting in American universities are asking the US government to rethink its policy towards Israel
Left Side Story
Personal attacks, lower voter turnout and the BJP’s determined campaigning: how has Kerala voted this time?
Across the Pir Panjals
The newly carved-out constituency of Anantnag-Rajouri is set to witness a very close contest
Gashes in the Red Sand
Residents of the tribal district of Gadchiroli resist development models that destroy the environment
When Taps and Hope Run Dry
Peaking water scarcity and pervasive groundwater contamination have increased migration from many districts of Rajasthan.
Pilgrim's Politics
Two-time MP from Varanasi, Narendra Modi, is sculpting the eternal city in his image
Under The Model Town
Muslim ghettos in Ahmedabad are dilapidated and neglected
The Master Strategist
The Assam chief minister enjoys popularity both as an administrator and a politician despite his relentless anti-Muslim rhetoric