| The
Del Close Messages (part 2) Go back to part 1. |
| re:
Thank you, Del Brian Stack |
9:37 pm |
| Unfortunately, I didn't get to
study much with Del. When I was at Improvolympic in '89 and '90, my only real exposure to
him was through a few workshops. He was on "hiatus" much of that time because he
just wasn't interested in teaching that much. I admired him for not simply going through
the motions if his heart wasn't in it. Anyone who's had the opportunity to study at length
with Del should consider themselves lucky. While I'll always wish I had known him better, I did have a brush with him years ago that I will never forget. In the summer of '86, I was between college and grad school. Mick Napier had told me about Improvolympic and I took a class with Charna. I was immediately hooked from the first class on. I remember thinking, "Why the hell am I going to grad school when there's this stuff going on in Chicago?". I never got to study with Del that summer since he taught the more advanced students but I did get a heavy dose of his point-of-view one night. I was working as an intern at a suburban cable company and one of my "assignments" was to interview an "interesting person" for a community access show that I doubt anyone every saw. Del was nice enough to be that "interesting person" for me. He said that, rather than an "interview", he'd prefer to just speak to his class and let me videotape what he said. It was great. He talked about what he loved about improv, he emphasized agreement, and he described what he considered Harold to be. Being a total beginner, I was clueless about some of the terms but it was fascinating to hear him talk. Incidently, due to my technical incompetence, the footage came out completely in black and white--a mistake that my boss at the cable company mistakenly described as "an interesting choice". I doubt Del remembered me two years later when I returned from Madison to rejoin Improvolympic but I never forgot that night. I'm still grateful he offered his time and insight to a technically-inept and improv-illiterate stranger. I am also incrediby grateful to him for all his amazing ideas--ideas that hooked me that very first day. Brian |
|
| Del,
you glorious bastard Chidester |
9:05 am |
| I have a Del story involving
the Missing Fersons... I was living with Bob Ferson at the time when they were rehearsing for Del's new show, Night of the Mutant Harolds. One night for the lack of space (and because our apartment was big) the Fersons rehearsed at our place. Even though I wasn't in the show I was excited about having DEL CLOSE in MY apartment. All the guys were sitting around listening to Del speak when he went into a pretty violent and long coughing fit. He grabbed a tissue and hacked up pretty hard in it and then set it down on one of our end tables. He then excused himself and went to the bathroom. As soon as he left, Bob pointed to the tissue and said "Do you think if we smoke this we'll get high?". |
|
| King
of our Hearts Jim Steel Bennett |
10:01
am |
| Well now I know how little Harry felt when Diana died last year. I'm in Del's 5A class and all of us knew that we had reached THE CLASSROOM. Knowing his huge impact on me from two classes---I fee the tremendous loss. His presence connected me to all the people that made me want to do improv. I was learning from the same man who mentored my mentors! Life doesn't get much better than having Del Close tell you to trust your intuition, be yourself, have fun and celebrate the people up there with you. I will never yawn without covering my mouth again. | |
| King
of our Hearts Dave |
1:28 pm |
| Jim, I am very happy to have
that scene with you in that last class of Del's. It was honest, "straight"
characters having a conversation about unprotected sex. But, best of all, it made Del
laugh. Although we didn't know then that it would be his last class, I think we all felt our time with Del was fleeting, at best. I grew up wanting to come to Chicago and learn from the man that taught Belushi and Farley. The man I only knew from others' biographies. I didn't know anything about him other than that my idols idolized him. I feel so fortunate that I got two precious weeks with Del Close. |
|
| To
Del! Wayne |
10:03
am |
| The first time I met Del I had
just came to Chicago and was really excited about taking classes at IO from The Man. I was
in the lobby on a Saturday afternoon at the box office trying to sign up from classes,
when he came storming through the curtain and yelled at me for disturbing his class (I
guess I was talking too loud--at least too loud for Del). I had only seen pictures of him
so this was first time I stood next to him and heard his growl. He said, "Excuse me,
you're ruining my class." "I'm sorry," I said. "I was just trying to
sign up for classes." "Great, then at least you'll be ruining the class from the
inside." Another time during a Lindbergh Babies show we had a packed house and were really having a great show. We continued build until finally we hit the high mark, but the lights didn't drop. Everyone on stage sort of paused for a second because we all knew we'd never hit that again. Del walked out of the darkness in front of the stage and very calmly said, "Let's all just assume the lights went out there. Goodnight." The night of Ike's last show, Del came into the green room and said, "Let's focus on the show and save the celebrating for later." (Turning to Ike) "Goodbye Gus" Del was (is) (will always be) an inspiration to me. He taught me a lot about professionalism. I used to sit in class and write down all the little Delisms. I filled almost an entire notebook. One time he was giving me notes after a show that was contrary to something he had said in class and that I had written down. He told me that somethings are only true in the moment of their being and that the artist has to sense when different truths apply and how contradictory truths can exist. I guess that was Del. He was contradictory. He was enigmatic. He was abrasive, honest and direct. He was wonderful. He left his mark on all of us. |
|
| Del
Understood Jpoc |
10:11
am |
| Del knew what it meant to
teach. To spread his knowledge of the good and the bad so that we can learn from other's
mistakes. To pass the information from generation to generation of improvisers. Teachings
never die, they spread like wildfire. I just hope that someday far in the future, others
will be touched by Del's teachings as i was. Jay |
|
| Hello
and Goodbye IKE |
10:11
am |
| I am sorry that this is my
first posting since I moved. I had the pleasure of working under Del for the last 2 years. I can truly say that I learned so much from Del, and I will miss him. I loved when Del would come back and give the Lindbergh Babies notes, no matter how brutal they were. The guy was funny. I think my favorite moment with Del was when we first started doing shows upstairs. We had no light guy, so Del asked one of us to sit out the 2nd act and pull lights. I had a miserable 1st act, so I volunteered. The 2nd act was very funny, and it built towards an incredibly strong out. Unfortunately, I was enjoying the show so much, I blanked, and didn't pull the lights. Everyone knew that this was the out, Del knew, the actors knew, even the fat guy who parks cars next door knew. I just sat there, and Del stood up from the end of the bar and said in his loud voice, "I think we can assume the lights went out now." I was pretty humiliated, but it was really a great moment. Del will be missed. Greatly. Best wishes, |
|
Go on to part 3.
If you want to discuss this go to the thread "The Del Close Messages" at the IRC Message Boards.
Last edited on 01/25/01.