Friday, June 5, 2009

David Carradine 1936-2009

Like many people, I have my browser of choice (Safari) set to use the CNN website as my home page, so that every time I boot up Safari, I see a dozen or so of the latest headlines. Sometimes -- as when Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment last year -- the news is about someone famous shuffling off this mortal coil in a fashion which is seemingly so very random and unexpected.

So it was when I went online last night and found out that David Carradine had been found dead (from hanging) in a hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand. My first reaction was something along the lines of "What the -- ??!!" It just seemed so bizarre.

I was a big fan of David Carradine's portrayal of Caine, the Shaolin monk, in the TV series "Kung Fu". I think echoes of the influence of that show can be found in certain aspects of TMNT.

I offer my condolences to Mr. Carradine's surviving family and friends. -- PL

9 comments:

GreenWillow said...

Indeed, this passing seems random and bizarre.
I loved the old Kung Fu show, and yes, I knew exactly where Raphael's smug little, "You have done well, weedhopper," came from.

Farewell to another cultural icon and a fascinating man.

~Donna

PL said...

" GreenWillow said...
Indeed, this passing seems random and bizarre.
I loved the old Kung Fu show, and yes, I knew exactly where Raphael's smug little, "You have done well, weedhopper," came from."

I'd forgotten that one, but you are absolutely correct. I was thinking specifically of a short story Kevin and I did, the title of which escapes me (and I can't remember exactly where it was published) which had one of the Turtles helping out a young kid and giving him martial arts advice, including the classic "avoid rather than check, check rather than hurt, etc." philosophy from the Shaolin monks. -- PL

Splinter's Iroonna said...

Blogger GreenWillow said...

I loved the old Kung Fu show, and yes, I knew exactly where Raphael's smug little, "You have done well, weedhopper," came from.


Followed by "I just have to get Splinter to say that!" (or something to that effect)-- I think that's how I remember it.

Yeah, I had gotten to school, set up my laptop, started getting my lessons together, scanned foxnews.com as is my wont, and the breaking news banner about knocked me back!

NOT that I was his fan or anything, and I never could stand "Kung Fu"-- but wow-- simply wow!

Cynthia

Vaughn Michael said...

This is a very odd death indeed, they (the media) are saying it might have been of a sexual nature like INXS singer Michael Hutchence.
But now one can really know i don't think.

& Pete I'm pretty sure the story your thinking of is called "New York Ninja" I remember it being in one of the Role-playing books as well as in the collected short story trade Shell Shock.
-Vaughn Michael

~ tOkKa said...

-->> .. Carradine also should be noted for his work in the ' NEXT GEN - ' Kung Fu series, Kung Fu : The Legend Continues and his work with the legendary Brandon Lee.

The S said...

Hearing about this completely floored me, and I was so depressed for the rest of the day. Even though I had never met him, Carradine is the reason that I practice Tai Chi daily.

I know there's some bizarreness and so forth regarding his end, but as I said in my own blog: "It is important not to focus right now on his reported cause of death, but rather, his legacy."

Bookgal said...

And call me old fasioned, but if it was some kind of sexual thing, then I really feel that its no-ones buisness. Everyone has their own way in the bedroom, as the case may be, and that ought to be respected as a private matter.

~ tOkKa said...

-->> yeh but you know these stupid gossip pages, Sarah. Those bastards don't stop !!

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