Hoffman

At a charity silent auction today we bid on a lot that included a dozen lollipops and an animated figurine of Alvin (well, one of the Chipmunks) that plays their “Christmas Song.” My son thinks has been playing it over and over and over since we unwrapped it. Which had me thinking about Almost Famous and considering watching it tonight...

It’s on now. Actually the extended “Untitled” version, which inspired some scrambling for the remote because it doesn’t have audio over the Dreamworks bumper. All to relive my initial introduction to Philip Seymour Hoffman,  whom I previously called “one of Gen X's most celebrated actors.” Which might not be clear if you follow that link, since I intentionally left his name out in order to avoid spoilers for Catching Fire. I have since been informed that it was actually perfectly well telegraphed that he was manipulating the events there, so it’s not nearly as much of a spoiler as I thought.

The man is dead of a drug overdose tonight. I’m shocked and dismayed, and clearly haven’t been paying attention to his life, since evidently he’s been in and out of rehab since graduating from NYU in 1989. And I’m not paying attention to what I write, either, as it practically goes without saying that Mister Most Celebrated would end up burning out - that seems to be What We Do.

And, sure, it’s not like GenX invented drug overdoses or dying too young. We do seem to be the group that burns out at the peak, more than fading away.

Here’s what I remember of him, though, after that great portrayal of Lester Bangs in Almost Famous:

• The attendant in Magnolia. Don’t quite remember anything about it, but remembered him.
• Gust Avrakotos, the guy “working hard” on an Afghanistan strategy in Charlie Wilson’s War, and later pointing out what a big mistake was being made by not following up 
• And of course the aforementioned darkly manipulative Plutarch Heavensbee in Catching Fire

One of the cool things about Untitled is that you get more of Lester, complaining about everything about Rock and Roll in 1973. “Take drugs?” “No.” “Smart kid...”