David Carradine: 1936-2009
David Carradine has passed away. When I heard the news, and how it might have possibly happened, I was incredibly, almost weirdly sad. Carradine could be a handful (and his recent appearance at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica after a Bound for Glory screening proves as much). But he could also be a superior actor -- in Martin Scorsese's Boxcar Bertha (co-starring one of his famous partners, Barbara Hershey whom he had a child with, named Free), and then that bloody, drunken cameo in Scorsese's Mean Streets (shot by brother Robert), Walter Hill's The Long Riders (alongside brother's Keith and Robert), Kung Fu, Paul Bartel's Death Race 2000 (I love that movie), Ingmar Bergman's The Serpent's Egg (a great, intense performance), Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill (his speech about Superman was especially memorable and more heartfelt and soulful, moreso than was probably written) and Hal Ashby's wonderful, lyrical Bound for Glory, in which he played Woody Guthrie to many viewers' surprise.
Through the passage of time, and especially with all the scandal, many forget the more sensitive side to Carradine. Yes he was Kwai Chang Caine and Bill and maybe even kind of a "weird-o" whatever that means (and god bless the real weird ones, not the pseudo eccentrics). He was a man who walked his own path (which makes nothing strange, only more exceptional -- damn all the rest). He was also something of a hippie (for a time) and his own man, a one of a kind -- probably for good and for bad. After all, as Tammy Wynette sang "he's just a man."
Hailing from an acting family, he was born right here in Hollywood, California, the son of Ardanelle Abigail and famous American actor John Carradine, "the voice" (a favorite of John Ford). He was also the half-brother to Bruce, Keith (who is the most famous, acclaimed brother -- "I'm Easy" -- so great) , Christopher and Robert Carradine. His dad was something of a hell-raiser, he witnessed quite a lot, I'm sure, and Hollywood families are often problematic units to grow up in. But then, a lot of families are.
With all of these salacious stories scuttling out like fiending cockroaches -- classless ex wives declaring Carradine kinky (yeah...so?). He rode his horse clad only in a Speedo (what's wrong with that?). He used to tie himself to calm down (big deal...) etc. and so on; Carradine is getting more press than when he walked among us. And then there's the lame jokes (please no more Bill has been killed jabs) and the alleged sexual nature of his death, which will be Hollywood Babylon material for years on end. People are always curious by sexual deaths because, I believe, they wonder these things in themselves, and then after that moment of self reflecting fright, some (not all) start throwing stones. As such, Carradine is not being treated most honorably and I think even Beatrix Kiddo would be pissed off by this. I only wish she could walk into that ex wife's house with all that beautiful fury and start some serious hand-to-hand combat in the kitchen -- a heavy duty, pots and pans, Kaboom style tangle. But that's the movies.
And yet, Carradine, whose career spanned so many years and directors and genres and quality, was the movies. The actor who struggled as a B-lister (I hate saying that -- I hate using letter grades, but this is how Hollywood viewed him) -- a man who made some bad and great exploitation pictures, as well as some genuine masterpieces and some memorable television along the way, got his Hollywood ending. His big screen, mysterious, exploitation/art-house finale -- an ending Abel Ferrara or Joseph Sarno or Gaspar Noe might have directed. Which isn't bad company, cinematically speaking.
And which leads me to...so what? So he might have been a little freaky. So he might have been playing a dangerous game (the death remains tragic -- for his family, his loved ones, anyone not expecting such a quick exit for a man who appeared pretty damn healthy at 72 -- no matter how many chemicals he's surely consumed). But...who the hell are we to judge? David Carradine was a talent, a personality, an icon all his own (and in an almost inscrutable way), and a force of nature. Tell all the stories you want ladies, laugh at his alleged curious ways of getting off you hypocritical finger-wagging moralists, break him down and park him in the darkest corner, but nothing will take away what he could bring to the screen. To borrow from a Woody Guthrie song, he may have been going down a dusty old road but he "ain't gonna be treated this way" -- not by me. Rest in noble, crazy and enigmatic peace David Carradine.
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Thank you for this-- it expresses my feelings perfectly. I've never been hit so strongly by the death of an actor-- I just can't shake it. In a weird way, I feel like I was a little in love with him. (Not in a creepy stalker fangirl way...well, maybe a little.) I didn't discover Kung Fu until a few years ago (the show ended almost a decade before I was born), but thanks to the miracle of DVDs, I've seen them all now. My boyfriend, who is quite a bit older than me (and bears an uncanny resemblance to Kwai Chang Caine), introduced me to the show, and I was just gone.
David Carradine was a beautiful man-- an almost frighteningly compelling presence as an actor, a gorgeous voice for both speaking and singing (he ROCKED Woody Guthrie), and a true renegade. I'm unspeakably relieved to hear that he didn't commit suicide-- not that I really believed it. I've seen the man interviewed enough-- narcissists don't off themselves, and David Carradine REALLY liked David Carradine. I'm sick of people judging him for his so-called "sexual deviance"-- it's a tragedy that he's gone, but I don't believe he or the family have anything to be embarrassed about!
Final thought that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere: Does anyone else think that the man had the most perfectly shaped lower lip in the history of mankind? No? Just me, then.
we are all the same...different.
Much appreciated.
David caradine was cool. He inspired a character I created for an in-progress comedy album I'm writing.
Thanks for the inspiration, David !
Those of us who have been fans of Carradine since back in the day, long before "Kill Bill" or any of that (doesn't anybody else remember Circle of Iron?) were sad but hardly surprised. The guy was an adventurer of the outre pathways. His discussions of LSD back in the day, someone who clearly knew those ropes well and deep and didn't just "dabble," for people like that exploring the strange roads can become a dangerous habit. It happens, there are casualties. Most of the people making a fuss about all this have little idea who he is beyond a couple of recent movies and will forget in a week when the next Octo-whoever or goofy starlet opens her mouth or does something tepidly weird. Those of us who have loved the guy like a fellow traveler will remember and salute him, but we'll be sorry that he didn't make it and might have gone too far down the wrong alley.
Great photo gallery, very nice, thanks so much. Elegantly posted and expressed. Considering the nature of his life, I think he did well and I am sorry for his suffering at the end for whatever cause. he was a rich character who enriched my life with his spirit,inspiring and a little scandalous in a treasured way, we need more rebellious artists like this, I am sorry they have to pay the price put on them but the uptight keepers of the parking meters.....RIP .....
Dang straight. Well done.
This is the best article I've seen on this tragedy, and the only one worth reading. I never saw his films, only Kung Fu, but that sent me off on an exploration of Asian religion and philosophy that has enriched my life. Mr. Carradine did me no harm, and much good. I suspect his karma for this go-round came out on the positive side of the balance sheet.
Thank you.
Beautifully expressed.
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R.I.P.
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Great post and tribute to an interesting & unforgetable soul.
" Rest in noble, crazy and enigmatic peace David Carradine."
I guess this is suppose to mean something??
Which word is giving you trouble, simple guy?
well said grasshopper
I agree. He was just a man. Who are we to define eccentric? People do their best to appear normal but what is normal? As a society, we draw the line at TMI and going into too much detail about our sex lives but just about everyone has one fetish or another. Its kind of unfair that Carradine's privacy closet was thrown way open to the world because he died for one of his private fetishes but that's the way it is. As decent human beings, its up to us to close that door and not look. Not because of sexual repression or anything like that, but because we respect this man and if we were unlucky enough for something like that to happen to us, we would want the same respect and consideration from the world, too.
My son lost a friend who was all of thirteen years old to a very similar scenario. I took him to the visitation and the funeral. Unfortunately, kids do experiment with these behaviors and all too often they end in tragedy. And that is the basic problem with 'closing the door and not looking'.
I couldn't agree with you more, Ms. Morgan, and what I've blogged under another thread is far more appropriate here.
There is nothing more disgusting than watching all the ghouls come out of the woodwork when someone famous dies under mysterious circumstances.
We've seen this with Bruce Lee, Sal Mineo, Natalie Wood, and now, David Carradine.
In the final analysis, what does it matter?
An exceptional person has passed, it is a tragedy that he is gone and his work will live on forever.
That's all that matters. The rest is meaningless.
I'm so with you, Kim! I loved that guy and I feel terrible that he is not walking this earth. His work will keep him alive and he will also live on through his fans, who remember him well. He touched a lot of people.
I loved the way he made fun of himself on MADTV. He was awesome!
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