THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

Not sure if everyone's watched The Wire, and obviously if you haven't then you should as it's the single greatest piece of telly ever made, but Michael K. Williams who played stickup man Omar Little has sadly passed away. Initial reports indicate an overdose.

I'm conflicted with drug deaths. Obviously he was an outstanding actor. The best actor in the best show making him the best actor ever! Well that's open to discussion, but I have zero sympathy for drugs. I had a close family member die of drugs, so I have some experience here. My attitude is simply this. Take drugs, die.

Only in his early 50's. What an astonishing waste.

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They say don't kick a man when he's down. Show me a better time.

Great Actor playing a great character in a very good show. Very sad news indeed. RIP

Probably not the right thread (or forum) to be discussing issues like this, but I have to say that I vehemently disagree on that oversimplification. I'm not normally one of the woke-brigade, but that's such an outrageously privileged thing to say.
Sure, there's a lot of times where you get your rich upper-middle-class banker that thinks "gee, you know what, I fancy a bit of coke to spice things up" and spirals from there, and it's hard to feel a great deal of sympathy. But there's so many other circumstances where you look at reasons for turning to drugs. You can't just ignore rough upbringings, the need for escapism, the lack of awareness, lack of good examples and role models, socio-economic factors, peer pressure, systemic prejudices pushing people that way etc. that all play a part. Such a blase attitude really doesn't help anything

In my family, I've had a member die of an overdose. They were in their house for two weeks before they were found. Their sibling died at 35 of liver failure due to alcohol abuse.

I'm not middle class myself, but they were. Came from a bohemian artistic background, where such nonsense was indulged. They're both dead now. Drugs and alcohol were directly to blame. In both cases.

I've worked beside two people who have committed suicide. Both big drug takers. Impossible to say if drugs were directly to blame, but I'd imagine they didn't help the situation.

Getting back to Williams. Philip Seymour Hoffman! Yet another talent snuffed out in exactly the same manner.

Do you know what the 27 club is? Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix. They could tell you. But they can't. Because they're all dead, and drugs or alcohol were involved in every case.

I like a drink, and by Christ it's gotten me into some terrible trouble over my 6 decades. I have one simple rule in life. Do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't affect me I couldn't care less.

Drugs are for the weak willed.

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They say don't kick a man when he's down. Show me a better time.