Sontag & Orbach
In addition to the mostly nameless 100,000+ dead in the tsunami, I've read a lot about Susan Sontag's recent death. Now, I understand that she was an important cultural figure, but I have to wonder how relevant she really was. I've heard whispers about her politics, which put her in the same cam as that other Susan (Sarandon). I understand that she was a writer - but I've never read anything she's written. In fact, the only point of reference I have re: her writing is from Bull Durham - the part when Crash makes his big, passionate speech to Annie and he says, "I believe that the novels of Susan Sontag are overrated pieces of crap" or something to that effect.
So, while her death is sad, I'm not particularly affected by it.
Jerry Orbach is another story. I found out he died while out to lunch with my mom and sister yesterday. We were at my parents' favorite Thai restaurant, watching tsunami victims on TV (the owners of the restaurant are Thai, but they're from Blacksburg VA and don't have any relatives anywhere near the coast of Thailand). All of a sudden, the anchorman said that Orbach died and I gasped. I knew he was sick...but thought he wasn't that sick, since he had a new show coming out.
My attachment to Orbach doesn't just stem from my Law & Order obsession. It began, as I'm sure similar feelings did for many girls my age, when I saw Dirty Dancing in the theater at 12. What a good movie- and what an impressionable age for me. At the time, I missed some of the nuances of the plot (my mom had to explain to me that abortion wasn't legal in 1963 - that adds something to the scene with Penny and Baby's dad). Regardless, that movie was an instant classic for an entire generation of pre- and young teens. And Jerry Orbach was just the epitome of a dad.
Plus, Orbach bears a striking resemblance to my grandfather - my dad's dad. And his character on Law & Order, Lennie Briscoe, is a little like my grandfather, too - gruff and manly - he just seems tall. My grandfather died seven years ago and since then, my memories of him have increasingly blended in with visuals of Briscoe.
Watching my three episodes of L&O last night was definitely a little sad...but it's nice to know that Orbach's characters will live on, in my house at least.
So, while her death is sad, I'm not particularly affected by it.
Jerry Orbach is another story. I found out he died while out to lunch with my mom and sister yesterday. We were at my parents' favorite Thai restaurant, watching tsunami victims on TV (the owners of the restaurant are Thai, but they're from Blacksburg VA and don't have any relatives anywhere near the coast of Thailand). All of a sudden, the anchorman said that Orbach died and I gasped. I knew he was sick...but thought he wasn't that sick, since he had a new show coming out.
My attachment to Orbach doesn't just stem from my Law & Order obsession. It began, as I'm sure similar feelings did for many girls my age, when I saw Dirty Dancing in the theater at 12. What a good movie- and what an impressionable age for me. At the time, I missed some of the nuances of the plot (my mom had to explain to me that abortion wasn't legal in 1963 - that adds something to the scene with Penny and Baby's dad). Regardless, that movie was an instant classic for an entire generation of pre- and young teens. And Jerry Orbach was just the epitome of a dad.
Plus, Orbach bears a striking resemblance to my grandfather - my dad's dad. And his character on Law & Order, Lennie Briscoe, is a little like my grandfather, too - gruff and manly - he just seems tall. My grandfather died seven years ago and since then, my memories of him have increasingly blended in with visuals of Briscoe.
Watching my three episodes of L&O last night was definitely a little sad...but it's nice to know that Orbach's characters will live on, in my house at least.
posted by Kit Pollard at
11:55 AM
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