I attended a public lecture of his at Fermilab, in Batavia IL, some years ago.He entertained questions and formulated his answers on his keypad, whatever it was at that time. The audience would be in a murmur until his answer began, at which point of course they fell instantly silent.
Just to give you an idea of the ambience.
At some point, I think in his original presentation, he described the experience of an "astronaut", I believe, falling into a black hole, and being being ripped asunder by the tidal forces.
I don't recall the terms he used, exactly, but at the time I felt it was a personal expression of his particular situation, however unconscious it might have been, and I felt for him then, and the feeling continues.
So in my own mind, I continue to grant him the greatest latitude in regard to his expressions. Just sayin'...
I’ve seen him several times at Caltech. He’s a bum.
To each his own.
Imo, a huge part of the reason we’re in this mess which is rubbing up real close on open blood-shed is because we’ve long had the habit of giving passes to people we otherwise liked or respected.