Spalding Gray in "Drunks" - A masterclass in acting.

Great monologue from the film 'Drunks'.
Check out the movie
www.imdb.com/ti...

[@elichilton7031]

Rest In Peace Mr. Gray. What a beautiful performance. Full of nuance and humanity. You can feel the contradictions, the charm, the fuzzy intelligence. He was an amazing artist. I am glad I got to share this earth with him for a little while. I like to revisit his work, to remind myself of the beauty of storytelling in all of it's glory. Rest In Peace Mr. Gray.

[@sjpatrik2]

have you seen? Spalding Gray - 'Gray's Anatomy' great monologue

[@elichilton7031]

@@sjpatrik2 I have seen it. It is wonderful. I have yet to see Steven Soderbergh's doc on him And Everything Is Going Fine: The Gray In-Between. It's on my list of must sees.

[@acglover7349]

He's one of my biggest inspirations. I'd use the term "hero", but I don't care for its connotations. I still miss him. I never knew anyone my age or younger who knows of him, and it saddens me as he was such a brilliant and talented artist. I'm determined to get back into doing monologues myself again this year, despite having seemingly insurmountable obstacles. I was severely disabled by a drunk driver over a decade ago when I was quite young. My mobility is severely restricted, and I must wear the most hideous, unstylish custom made orthopedic boots in order to hobble the little bit I can, and I had the greatest dress sense and fabulous personal style previously - one of the mundane things I plan to talk about in one of my monologues (but I also have exciting and crazy stories). On top of that, I'm in terrible pain all the time...the chronic pain is bad enough, but it's the acute pain from using my body that rlly does me in and severely limits all aspects of my life. And after becoming disabled (I received no money and lost everything I had) I was gentrified out of every place I'd lived or wanted to live, so now reside in a very inaccessible city...one where ableism is so much more deeply ingrained in society than in the USA. It's impossible to be a disabled Performer here, as nothing is accessible and nobody will talk to you or give you a chance. You're stuck at home, isolated. But I can't give up, because I have so many stories to share, and what I went thru can't be for nothing. This month being the 20th anniversary of when he left us, has made me even more determined. Idk how I'll achieve my goals here, but I must.

[@elichilton7031]

@@acglover7349 Spalding Gray was a great artist and I am so glad we have so many of his work to enjoy on youtube and other platforms. I wish you all the best in all that you endeavour to achieve. Just remember two of my favourite words in the english language, "Things change." And also don't forget what Peter Gabriel said in a song once, "Don't Give Up."

[@acglover7349]

@@elichilton7031 thanks for the reply. And don't worry, I won't give up - I don't know how to!

[@davidmanka5953]

This movie DRUNKS, and BARFLY are such great under rated movies. I have a drinking problem, maybe alcoholic, musician, been installing flooring for 33 years, I can't work for no one but myself, I lose everything every couple of years, I've lost amazing girlfriends, I'm bipolar and manic depressive, I stay away from people, I never tell anyone anything about me, I just understand every character in these movies. You can give me feedback but try to understand, I started doing flooring in 1984, 6 weeks before my 18th birthday, before that I played trumpet, trombone, baratone horn all through grade school and high school. Taught myself guitar, started at 7, played out in Los Angeles when I was 19 in HAIR BANDS, I just get so depressed I can't leave my house for days or weeks sometimes, and I'm not always drinking. Poor pitiful me, LOL, LINDA RONSTADT SONG, different meanings

[@daisymoses6812]

You are experiencing a very similar life as I am & I never touched alcohol -- I call it "underbeing". I am glad for your writing here ; BTW I noticed that you just broke your "never tell about me" childhood vow and I celebrate it. The deep inner isolation of terminal underbeing is the most widespread contaigion that's ever spread across the globe. It's so epidemic and so UN-talked about, that it demanded a physical viral epidemic to illustrate it's reality to us. It's gone largely undetected by those unfortunate souls who have achieved outward stability , that external appearance of living a financially solvent, well adjusted normal life...... While their true lived experience of the soul keeps getting shoved away like an unwanted child. Underbeing uses various sockpuppets (one especial favorite is "my thoughts" "my beliefs/opinions" "my-self") , changing its guises endlessly -- DSM IV diagnoses, ptsd, depression, addiction, narcissism, self-loathing, debting, underachieving, overachieving, Infinte variations of these.

[@triscat]

What a beautiful performance.

[@dcdad556]

I worked on a TV film crew on a pilot called "The Messenger" by Paramount in the early '90s; kind of a sci-fi turn with Spaulding Gray. An all-seeing head would appear in the middle of a long conference table and could see and tell secrets. I believe it was never broadcast. Gray was late for his call that day. He had only a few lines which we had all memorized by that time, because he couldn't remember his lines. After so many one-man monologue shows and he couldn't remember his lines. He developed flop sweats; the actor's nightmare and he went through four, white dress shirts; completely soaked. He ducked into his trailer a few times and reappeared. Never learned what was wrong.

[@acglover7349]

Spalding is one of my biggest inspirations. I'd use the term "hero", but don't care for its connotations. I still miss him. I never knew anyone my age or younger who knows of him, and it saddens me as he was such a brilliant and talented artist. Everything he did was majorly impressive. I'm determined to get back into doing monologues myself again this year (and other Acting/Performing), despite having seemingly insurmountable obstacles. I was severely injured/disabled by a drunk driver over a decade ago when I was quite young. My mobility is severely restricted, and I must wear the most hideous, unstylish custom made orthopedic boots in order to hobble the little bit I can...I had the greatest dress sense and fabulous personal style previously - one of the more mundane things I plan to talk about in my monologues (but I also have exciting, interesting, and crazy stories). On top of that, I'm in terrible pain all the time. The chronic pain is bad enough, but it's the acute pain from using my body that rlly does me in, severely limiting all aspects of my life. After becoming disabled (I received no money and lost everything I had) I was gentrified out of every place I'd lived or wanted to live. So I now reside in a very inaccessible city...one where ableism is so much more deeply ingrained in society than in the USA. It's impossible to be a disabled Performer here, as nothing is accessible and nobody will talk to you or give you a chance. You're stuck at home, isolated. But I can't give up, because I have so many stories to share, and what I went thru can't be for nothing. This month being the 20th anniversary of when he left us, has made me even more determined. Idk how I'll achieve my goals here, but I must.

[@virgorising7388]

Amanda Plummer as a blond bombshell? And Sam Rockwell. Good cast.

[@sojourner67]

the sign of great acting -- you can feel behind the words.

[@Serai3]

I had no idea that the choir had so many problems! LOL

[@davidmanka5953]

That is such a great line, my interpretation is he kept wanting to go to AA, but needed an excuse, he knew what was there. There are so many great characters in this movie, all believable, I couldn't sleep on night 2002? And caught this on HBO early, and the next time it was on I taped it, it's free on utube, so is BARFLY, another great movie

[@twominutetips]

Wonderful, especially cause its thought provoking.

[@johnprunier9044]

I miss this guy.

[@sidDkid87]

I'd liked to have had a few beers with Spalding, alas . . .

[@SheWhoPlays2]

I miss you kind sir! God Made People to love it, Texas!

[@aperson00000]

Spalding Gray - still a Sherwin Williams paint color, still a magnificent memory.

[@great567]

I miss the authenticity of these movies. It feels like movies are just blown out of proportions these days.

[@sidDkid87]

Now THAT is what I call 'preaching to the choir' . . . I hope there is a bar with more than "A" cold one wherever Spalding may be . . .

[@Longetty]

He seems weary here but still good. i was lucky to see him two consecutive nights in May 2002. Miss You Big Time, Spalding.

[@SheWhoPlays2]

Remember Monster in the box?

[@zrr91]

So glad I stumbled upon this.

[@paulrector7325]

Brilliant.

[@slidefirst694]

A guy wanders into an AA meeting...

[@TheScottishbear]

fucking brilliant

[@GloriousShamash]

I miss Mr. Gray.

[@troygaspard6732]

This played to his skill in the long monologue.

[@SheWhoPlays2]

I miss you kind sir! (God made me to love it Texas)

[@JKVTrucking007]

I love this guy 😆😆 I called these kind of guys intelligent alcoholics 😄

[@SheWhoPlays2]

And swimming to cambodia

[@autmatcman]

I can't get enough of Spalding; he's like Bukowski, but with foresight, and talent.

[@andreymyakishev7502]

Express your thoughts artfully and be upper class = talent Express your thoughts artfully and be lower class = bad Got it

[@autmatcman]

@@andreymyakishev7502 I came of age reading Bukowski and meant no shit-talking by any means. Believe this was during my phase where friends thought I was trying to write like him and became a bit self-defensive.

[@andreymyakishev7502]

​@@autmatcman Ha! Thanks so much for responding to my shit talkin' rebuttal to your 9 year old comment. What a time to be alive. Here's a fun fact: A tree was planted in Washington Square Park in New York City dedicated to Spalding Gray in 2005. That tree died and was removed in 2018. Okay, more depressing than fun, but I thought it was interesting.

[@TheCrooksandCastle]

RIP RIchard Lewis

[@TheSnowballEarth]

OMFG I took one look at him and thought "PATRICK MCGOOHAN!!!" RIP Mr. Gray. You are missed.

[@Las-yv5id]

This is EXACTLY what Guy Pearce looks like today. I bet he'd kill this monologue, also.

[@markrpatterson9717]

Is that Sam Rockwell next to S.G.?

[@killerpimp069]

Bukowski had talent, he knew exactly what he was doing, he built a character and almost everybody bought it, he was an artist not a drunk...

[@TylerMontana]

The best actors don't act.

[@emptynight6377]

I literally just discovered this dude. Looked him up. Boom. Killed himself. Damn.

[@sjpatrik2]

Yeah, very sad

[@JesusBehindtheWheel]

*pulling the tab on a cold one

[@TheSnowballEarth]

YANA :-\

[@jonahfalcon1970]

Spalding Gray doing a monologue commenting about other people's stories and talking about coming from New England? That's farfetched.