Spalding Gray found, dead, in East River

CNN | 030604

[buzzsaw6]

My fav was The Killing Fields, he was believable as the US Consul. Swimming to Cambodia was about his experiences making The Killing Fields. Off-beat but good. He'll be missed.

[RightWingAtheist]

Mr.Gray's death is sad enough, but the torment his friends and family must be going through must be absolutely unbearable. If any of Mr.Gray's family or friends are reading this: our hearts are with you.

[Aquinasfan]

one thing about him was that after having listened to his work, if asked to make a prediction about him one near the top of the list would be that he would become a suicide.

Exactly what I thought after seeing "Swimming." Must be a discerning spirits thing. He seemed like a tortured soul.

[RightWingAtheist]

He did hardcore in "The Farmer's Daughter." Maraschino Cherry is an apparently hardcore film by Radley Metzger (the "thinking man's" pornographer) but I don't know if he participated in any sex scenes.

[weegee]

Sorry I didn't think to ping you to this thread (especially once I saw his filmography).

I seem to recall reading about him being in this or that exploitation film in some issue of Psychotronic Video. I think that magazine even had an article on Radley Metzger.

I've only seen the first Ilsa film (as a part of a movie marathon) so I do not know if Spalding had a substantial part in "Oil Sheiks" or not.

[fieldmarshaldj]

What a shame, may he rest in peace. Prayers for his family.

[hosepipe]

Monologist = Someone that studys one thing at a time..

[Clemenza]

The East River seems a strange place to wind up if he did indeed leap from Staten Island Ferry.

You'd be surprised how the currents often carry objects/people up harbor instead of down. Typically, the tides pull people East for some reason, which is how he ended up in Greenpoint rather than Jersey City.

A kid I went to school was either pushed into the East River or committed suicide about 8 years ago. He also wound up washing up in Greenpoint four months after his disappearance.

[TUAN_JIM]

50 bucks says the Smails kid picks his nose. I love the Big Ern screen name. I sponsor a fatherless family in every town I bowl in.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Double or nothing he eats it. Are you related to the infamous _jim?

[Objective Reality]

This was not unexpected, but personally quite saddening for me. Spalding Gray was a storyteller in the tradition of Mark Twain, and an unrivaled talent of his age. He made the silliest and most mundane life experiences - seeking various therapies for an eye condition, for example - absolutely riveting and always hilarious.

My all-time favorite segment of any of his works was from "Monster In A Box," when he detailed how he got caught up in some stupid group of C-list celebrities and political hacks in a sojourn to Nicaragua during the Sandinista period. He recounted how the aging hippies surrounding him were refered to as "Sandal-istas" by their hosts, because they were essentially communist, and because of their Birkenstocks. The trip descended into absolute hell when a schizophrenic in their midst had a psychological meltdown, wondering if he'd just been put on trial for being a "counter-revolutionary." My sides hurt for days afterwards.

God rest a troubled soul. God forgive him.

[Dec31,1999]

To Spalding: You left two young kids without a Dad for no reason other than your fascination with suicide. May the Lord have mercy on your soul.