One quick note, before I get into the body of this piece. What a bust of a weekend. I barely left my apartment on account of the rain. So gross, humid and wet…today, however, seems to be much better – sun already.
As most of you know Paul Newman died over the weekend. I will say this as plainly as I can. He was an icon and a hero of mine, yet I cannot ever remember watching ONE of his films. The films he did in the 80’s were too old for me, as a young kid. The older films he made in the 50s and 60s simply were not on TV much (and still really are not – save the requisite memorial weekend that TCM no doubt will or did do). No, the real reason for his being a hero and an icon to me was that he saw an opportunity to make things better for others and did – some of the least advantaged people out there in kids. I was watching the Larry King Live tribute over the weekend and when Newman was asked why he (to that point) had done 17 years of charitable work with Newman’s Own, he answered to this effect: ‘ I try to honor the luck that I’ve had.’ While I know full well that there are thousands, if not millions, of volunteers in community centers and other places across this country and the globe who don’t have the means that Paul Newman did, I also know that some of their lives, too, were made better by the largeness or his largesse. What all of this boils down to is that he had an opportunity to help people – a unique one at that – and he took that opportunity to do so. I went to see Steve Earle, the country/folk/rock singer songwriter on Friday evening. One of the things he vehemently opposed to is capital punishment. He believes in this so deeply to his core and he shares it. He made a comment that most people who believe in things don’t do anything about them. He has lectured and debated people on this issue across the globe. He does so because he believes in the issue and wants others to know his own feelings. Paul Newman did the same, albeit in a quieter way. Lord knows, he could have done nothing. For that alone, anyone like that is a hero of mine.