Are we responsible for Thomas M. Disch’s Suicide?
Despite Dr. Robi Ludwig’s brilliant analysis on last night’s show of Thomas M. Disch’s final interview, we’re still being blamed for the man’s suicide:
http://hisvorpal.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/a-failure-of-decency/ (its very long with a lot of words, but trust me, the take away is that the Radio Happy Hour pulled the trigger)
“To be savaged by a band of subliterate, caffeine-buzzed flying radio monkeys…Tom Disch surely had reasons for putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger.”
Its astounding to me that fans of this man think so little of him to believe that a 10 minute appearance on our silly (yet highly listened to) show would push him over the edge and lead him to blow his brains out.
He was a beaten down, depressed and troubled individual. He would have killed himself with or without us (though perhaps we hastened the timing.)
I suppose its natural to find someone or something to blame for a tragedy but pick something other than the Radio Happy Hour because, if it was our fault, we better put Dr. Robi Ludwig, Jon Kelley and Phoenix Block, all of whom were on last night’s program, on suicide watch.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:21 am
I think they should take the finger they are pointing and shove it up their ass! What kind of “friends” are they if they blame strangers for Mr. Disch’s (God rest his soul) suicide instead of asking themselves why they didn’t reach out ot him. They should be ashamed of themselves. I posted a comment in their “jabberwocky”. RIP, Mr. Disch and XO to Dr. Blogstein.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:38 am
[...] and the Burning Library Jump to Comments Are we responsible for Thomas M. Disch’s Suicide? asks “Dr. Blogstein,” of the “Radio Happy Hour,” whose astonishingly rude, [...]
July 10th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Dr. B – There is a public apology that I need to make to you and your show. I left your show about 15 minutes in and typed in the chat room that I thought that you were taking advantage of the situation for mere ratings.
What I have been learning over the past few days in doing some research on this is the amount of criticism and personal attacks that you and your show have been under since the incident. I only realize now that what you were doing at the beginning of your show was to respond to the attacks that you and your show were receiving.
So, I apologize for making an uninformed comment in your chat room. I have been a long time listener and supporter of your show, and I will continue to be. It’s awful that these people are coming after you. You and show did nothing wrong and you know that. I wish these other people would just back off.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Dr. A: I can accept your apology for you thinking that I would take advantage of a tragedy as a ratings stunt but turning off the show after only 15 minutes is inexcusable!
In all seriousness, though, thank you.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Although you are not responsible for Thomas Disch’s death, you are undoubtedly some of the most disgusting, despicable arseholes ever to disgrace the airwaves.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Your counter-accusations that I’m picking on you, or that I blame you and your scurvy crew personally are sheerest BS.
There is only ONE decent response to your neanderthal behavior: “I am sorry for acting like a complete asshole, and I’ll try to recognize a little human compassion in the future.”
You’ve been given a sobering wake-up call by the muse of civility, and only a complete douchebag would ignore it. Just say you’re sorry and try to do better. You can’t help Disch, and you can’t exonerate yourself. Do the classy thing: apologize and then shut up about it.
I’ve posted the relevant transcripts in black and white. Nobody’s suggesting that you be charged with anything, or punished in any way. So, if you’ve GOT any class, now’s the time to show it.
July 11th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I believe the late, great Thomas M. Disch said it best when he exclaimed, “Piss on your shoes!”
July 11th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Hart Williams said “…and your scurvy crew…”
Scurvy crew? I had no idea Hart was a pirate!! I’ll be sure to batten down the hatches and stow the main sail before next week’s show…
July 11th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
OH YEAH! Almost forgot…
Quentinscrisp said “…you are undoubtedly some of the most disgusting, despicable arseholes ever to disgrace the airwaves.”
I think this should be a wakeup call to the RHH and all of us. We have to begin working much harder at what we do. To only be “some of the” is not acceptable. Go all the way, or don’t go at all.
Just my $82.50
July 11th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Didn’t think so.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
“I think this should be a wakeup call to the RHH and all of us. We have to begin working much harder at what we do. To only be “some of the” is not acceptable. Go all the way, or don’t go at all.
Just my $82.50″
Just thought I’d let you know that I’d read this. I almost feel like there’s nothing really to say after this. I expect the comment was meant as some sort of defiant ironic gesture. I left my own comment because I felt it had to be said. After it’s said, of course, it’s completely up to you what you do with such a statement. My view certainly hasn’t changed, and, if my view that RHH are arseholes is correct, then the views of RHH on anything certainly won’t change, either. Having said that, I hope I’m wrong.
I wrote it after listening to the ‘interview’ in question, and I believe my reaction would have been the same whoever was being interviewed, and whether they had killed themselves two days later or not. The voices of the interviewers expressed such a nasty, ignorant self-regard that I could not help being repulsed. There was one among them who claimed to be ’spiritual’ even, and, it seems, completely missing the point of anything the interviewee had said, spewed out at some point, in venomous self-love, that she was glad she was not religious.
When people are so completely in the wrong, perhaps there is no room for them to admit it, or even see it.
Others, however, do see it. I expect many others apart from just myself.
To be honest, having heard the audio evidence, I find it hard to credit any of the written bluster here. However, I would like to believe that I am mistaken. Therefore, if there is a conscience somewhere amongst RHH I apologise to that conscience. I must say I don’t find evidence for it in anything written here, which seems to be the most craven self-justification for having abused a human being in the name of entertainment.
July 25th, 2008 at 2:46 am
Guys! Believe me, I am as into the whole “let’s adopt a really smart-ass cynical attitude for the sake of ballsy humor” as any man on this Earth.
But the offensive content here is not in anything you did during the interview, it is in continuing to maintain the “I’m a really unapologetically edgy guy” attitude AFTER the fact of being made aware of this genuinely great and troubled man’s tragic death.
Come on, subversive humor is what Disch was all about—he was a seriously cool, seriously talented, seriously subversive literary figure for 40 years—but saying things like “although we may have hastened the timing!” or “maybe we should put our OTHER guests on suicide watch!” just makes YOU look bad… as opposed to funny, or entertaining, or cool, which is evidently what you are trying to go for here.
July 25th, 2008 at 9:50 am
I hear you, man, and if you really do write for The Onion, I put even more weight in what you say.
Just for the record, I wasn’t going for “funny, or entertaining, or cool” in this posting. Rather, I was going for defiant, irritated and frustrated with the ridiculous claims the various literary blogs were making about our show when clearly they’ve never listened and decided not to read any of my explanations.