Re: [Leica] I missed it.

["B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>]

I hope that before I die I can make one image that could possibly be confused
with a Gene Smith - i know it will never happen. But Fer God's sake, Smith was
an amphetamine and alcohol abuser...read any book about him. It doesn't detract
from his worth as an artist, but given his belief in truth telling, anyone who
suggests that this part of his life is somehow off limits is the one who is
really showing a total lack of respect for who and what he was.

By the way, do we not acknowledge that Franklin Roosevelt was a cripple, as they
phrased it then? Do we not acknowledge that Abraham Lincoln suffered from severe
depression or that US Grant, one of the greatest military men in US history, was
a falling down drunk? How about the fact that a certain Dutch artist was a total
loon who sliced off his ear? Do we acknowledge that, or just gaze fondly and
blankly at the sun flowers?

This worship of the "greats" and all things Leica and Leica-related really gets
more than a bit weird...

B. D.

Claes Bjerner wrote:

> Eric wrote:
> > Actually, it was at least in part abuse of alcohol and amphetamines that
> > killed him. Although it was a fall in a convenience store while picking up
> > some cat food that finally killed him.
>
> Eric,
> Your total lack of respect for a dead colleague is quite surprising. Of
> course, you are often extremely opinionated in your writings, but
> nevertheless your frequent contributions tend to inspire a constructive and
> fruitful debate.
>
> > The Truth
> > was very essential to Gene! And it was his resentless search for the truth
> > that eventually killed him.
>
> With that I meant to emphasize the fact that Gene never really recovered
> from the very severe physical beatings he received from the Chisso henchmen.
> As you know Chisso was the company who allowed their mercury waste to
> pollute Minamata Bay.
>
> I have no reason to doubt your claim that Gene abused alcohol and
> amphetamines at the time when he died of a stroke. You have probably read
> that in a reliable book! But please keep in mind that Gene Smith was an
> ailing man full of physical pain as well as having several mental scars.
> Eric, I doubt anyone of us could get through a third of Gene´s experience
> without the relief of a painkiller.
>
> Claes