Studs Terkel, 1912-2008

Oh fuck.

@nojo: Agreed.

Aw, man! (That is what I actually said when I saw this.)

Like Gore Vidal, he lived (in Gore’s case, still lives) long enough to have seen things we can only read about and talk and write intelligently about them. Sad day, but what a celebrated life.

No fucking fair. He should have lived to see Barry take it down on Tuesday.

God had better make some popcorn and give Studs a prime spot on the couch for the Election Night party.

A real character. Even old me in Canada City has heard about him and read a Terkel book.

Shit

@chicago bureau: Basically my first thought too.

So many Studs stories. Two quick ones:

-He spoke at the huge Nader rally at UIC in 2000. He compared choosing between Gore and Bush as deciding whether you would rather have a cold or influenza.

-He was inducted into the Chicago Gay & Lesbian Hall of Hame as a supporter several years ago. They never let the inductees speak because Da Mayor is always there and he gets antsy so they try to keep it as short as possible. But goddamn if Studs didn’t grab the microphone and give Richie shit about something (maybe about AIDS funding – I don’t remember).

May we take a lesson from him and all be as vital and alive and full of piss and vinegar for as long as we have.

@chicago bureau: @homofascist: But it’s Chicago, so he can still vote, right?

@Mistress Cynica: Like 4 or 5 more times…

Oh, man. He’s a friend of my advisor, and I always wanted to meet him. Sigh.

My idol, hero and muse. I hope to be as feisty and full of “fuck you” as Studs.

@chicago bureau: My thought precisely.

Tonight, we are all Studs.

@homofascist: Amen.

@AARPrick: Damn, he was another one of my piss and vinegar heroes. I think that Studs will find space on the the Community Organizer in the Sky’s election-viewing couch with Molly Ivins and Ann Richards.
@homofascist: Because he already did vote probably three times.

@SanFranLefty: You think only three? Well, then he may have 7 or 8 left then.