Jerry Davich: Do human flaws tarnish an image or legacy?
JERRY DAVICH jdavich@post-trib.com February 7, 2012 5:38PM
Jerry Davich
Updated: March 9, 2012 8:18AM
Was anyone surprised or even saddened to discover that actor Daniel Radcliffe was often drunk on the set while making his internationally popular “Harry Potter” movies?
The now 22-year-old actor recently admitted to the British magazine Heat that he routinely arrived for work in a drunken stupor, or as he put it, “I can point to many scenes where I’m just gone. Dead behind the eyes.”
This shocking news to his fans reminds me of the uproar when a lightning-rod biography was released last year about a personal hero of mine who died in 1999.
“Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton” included sordid insights about the Chicago Bears star running back of 13 NFL years and an all-around wonderful person.
Allegations such as extra-marital affairs, abuse of painkillers, suicidal thoughts and a deep depression that demanded serious self-medication. Payton’s fans were livid, asking angrily, “Did we really need to know all that?”
Yes, I thought at the time.
Since learning of these behind-the-curtain peeks at my hero, it hasn’t lessened his pedestal status in my eyes. It has only made him more real to me, more believable, more human. Heroes don’t have to be flawless, like a fictional Greek god.
The book’s author, Jeff Pearlman, obviously agrees, telling an interviewer during a book signing, “People want to keep the mythology of sports alive. (Payton) had flaws like we all have. I don’t think you do a service to somebody’s legacy by only writing about fluff.”
I agree. Fluff is what we, as a society, were routinely spoon-fed about our sports heroes and pop culture celebrities, many who had similar “flaws” like Payton and Daniel Radcliffe.
Babe Ruth, for example, whose “stomach ache” was actually — gasp — venereal disease. This was the reality, but fans were not supposed to be privy to such sordid details of such an icon.
Not these days, with tell-all books, nitty-gritty TV shows, and 24/7 news cycles revealing everything you want to know about celebs, including many things you never cared about. Such is life with our gaper mentalities and our endless hunger for meaningless gossip that masquerades as “news.”
Still, I would rather know about Payton’s real life, warts and all, than a sterilized version only revealing his triumphs, not his failures, too. Same goes with Radcliffe’s life and the new knowledge that the young wizard possibly had serious problems swallowing his fame at such a young age.
It doesn’t diminish his “Harry Potter” stardom, but it may prompt me to watch those movies with a fresh eye on his behavior.
‘We Take Care of Our Own’
I’m waiting to see which GOP presidential candidate will use Bruce Springsteen’s new single, “We Take Care of Our Own,” for their campaign this election year.
The patriotic-sounding song — the first from the Boss’ forthcoming album to be released next month — has all the telltale trappings that would entice any politician to use it.
“We take care of our own,” Springsteen sings proudly in his signature style. “Wherever this flag is flown, we take care of our own.”
Of course, as soon as one of the Republican presidential candidates plays it in a commercial or at a campaign stop, they would be hearing from Springsteen’s attorneys with an order to cease and desist.
Remember how this happened with Springsteen’s 1984 hit, “Born in the U.S.A.,” used by Ronald Reagan’s campaign strategists? Or more recently when former GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann used Tom Petty’s song “American Girl.” And when Newt Gingrich used “How You Like Me Now” by the British rockers The Heavy.
Don’t these candidates have other songs to play?
Eros the police dog
Remember my previous column about Eros, the Portage police dog that needed surgery? Well, I’ll let you read the email I received Monday from Eros’ owner and long-time partner, Portage Police Sgt. Mark Monks.
“I am writing you with the unfortunate news that my partner, Eros, passed away Friday evening. After three days in rehab, we were told that he was not progressing, and in fact seemed to be regressing a bit more every day.
We were told that there was nothing more that could be done for him. My wife and I had to watch this and make the difficult decision to have him put down. Eros received the best treatments possible, befitting a loyal and beloved member of the Portage PD and of my family.”
RIP Eros.
Department of Correction
In a column last week, I quoted a Jasper County reader about the shenanigans taking place in her county and she mentioned the name of Paul Norwine.
Norwine, a candidate for Jasper County commissioner, contacted me to clarify that the woman’s derogatory comments did not come from him, nor represent his campaign.
“I have several friends who work in Jasper County government and, in my opinion, do a good job,” he said. “With that said, there are things I am greatly concerned about and I think all citizens of Jasper County should be worried about, and that is why I am running for county commissioner.”
Duly noted.
Thank Your Role Model Day
There is a Hobart woman who will probably spit out her coffee, or her cocktail, when she reads this, but I want to mention her anyway.
Jan Lawrence had a hell of a year in 2011, with several difficult challenges along the way. Yet she always had a smile, a hug and a kind word (in that order) when she saw me.
At our latest meeting, still reeling from her husband’s surgery that day, Jan managed to make an appearance at 54 Main Bistro in downtown Hobart (where I had the best house salad of my life). There, she shared yet another smile, another tight hug and more kind words. Amazing attitude, indeed.
We talk about role models all the time, but we too often we forget that some are in our midst. Jan serves this role for me.
If you have someone in your life who serves a similar role, feel free to use this column as a handy excuse to tell them today.
Listen to Jerry’s “Casual Fridays” radio show at noon on Fridays on WLPR 89.1-FM or www.thelakeshorefm.com.
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