| The
Del Close Messages (part 4) Go back to part 3. |
| Del ...Say-Zar |
2:16 pm |
| Wherever Del is now, there
must be a PC. And I'm sure he's reading all these postings and smiling. I'm sure there is a very long list of people who want to thank Del for everything he taught them and did for them. I'd like to add myself to that list. Del really meant alot to me. I wanted to thank him for everything he did for me and for believing in me. I did thank him. And I'm glad I got the chance to do that before his 'ride home' came along. Right after I had my 'last' little talk with him, he squeezed my hand, looked into my eyes and said, "It was fun." ...Yes, Del. It was And again, Thank you for everything. ...Cesar J. |
|
| From
a Father and Son Scott |
3:33 pm |
| So much has already been
written about Del. We all have a million anecdotes and stories about him and I don't think
all the forums on the internet could possibly contain all of them. So here we go. I will miss Del as much as we all will. So will my Dad. When my Dad first found out that I was studying with Del Close he finally seemed to get excited about Improv. Dad used to go see Dell perform at places like the Tradewinds and Mr. Kelly's and of course Second City. He always preferred a drier and subtler wit which Del had in spades. "How to speak Hip" sat in our record collection nest to the Brooks and Reiner, Lenny Bruce and Dick Gregory albums. It was a tremendous thrill when I first met the man in person. And an even bigger thrill when I took my first toke with him. It's truly amazing when an artist can reach across the generations as Del did. See ya Del and thanks for the years of
laughter, |
|
| sean |
4:41 am |
| I have a feeling that Del
liked to creep people out their first time in his class. I remember my first Del day, I
had done a very shitty scene earlier that day and was in the middle of a great one. Right
as it was peaking, Del got up and went to the bathroom. I totally lost my focus and we
were edited at a bad time. After the edit we all just stood there, a couple people onstage
in post-edit form, and someone said "Um, should we wait till he gets back?". We
pondered this for a minute, and Del came back. Del said "Why aren't you
improvising?". I told him it was because he left in the middle of my scene (yeah I
said it like that, I was a real smart ass). Del said "Oh, that doesn't mean your
should stop. Those scenes were going fine, it's just that I had seen that one you were
doing before so I opted to leave". One time I did a scene that Del loved, and that was a fonder memory, because then he went into about seven "Del stories" involving famous people and doing illegal things with them in an awkward place. He created pretty much everything I love in improv, and I hope I can still learn as much from him as possible by following his insane vision of doing "interesting bullshit on stage". -Dan Telfer |
|
| The
first person I met. eric stonestreet |
7:27 pm |
| When I moved to Chicago from Manhattan Kansas, a mutual friend put us in touch. He called me and left a message. (I think I kept the message for a week.) I called him back and left him a message, he called me back and said, "phone tag. you're it...from now on." We finally hooked up and he welcomed me to the city and bought me a cup of coffee. Del Close was the first person I met in Chicago! He gave me a little piece of paper with the words, "let in for free to any show any time" Del close. He told me to use it until I started to take classes. He also invited me to watch any of his classes I wanted. There are many things I remember Del saying, but the one that makes me laugh every time I think of it is; "If you are on stage and you are doing something you know to be bad and/or useless...STOP! Drop it! Get away from it! It's like farting in public...you just want to walk away. So do it. | |
| Don't
Deny My Reality! Steve Scholz |
7:51 pm |
| It's amazing how many
different things Del taught me in the two short years I knew him. He taught me how to be
more real in performance and enjoy "slow comedy." How to listen with my heart.
How to connect with my partner and peel back the layers of a two person relationship. How
to illustrate the life of a real person and have those scenes resonate with that person.
How to ask the question, "What ails thee, brother?" How to open a door into
another world and fearlessly accept the impending journey. How to create rich characters
and explore them as if in a mosaic. How to draw from my life and inspire my monologues.
How to play a "form" while doing great scenes within it. How to embrace the
depth and pain of a scene that sparks something very real in us. All this while getting
great stories and insights from a man who'd lived it all, and still kept experimenting
with new ways to play right to the end. When my parents visited me last August, I introduced them to Del. He couldn't have been nicer when he said, "Thanks fo letting us borrow your son." Thank you, Del, for letting us share your life and spirit. Steve Scholz PS. The quote for this message is from a t-shirt I once saw Del wearing. |
|
| professional baldo |
8:05 pm |
| the word i think of to
describe Del, just one, is PROFESSIONAL. Del wouldn't hesitate to tell you that you had
just killed a scene. at the exact same time, telling you with his tone, that it wasn't
personal. We could all learn so much from that. you and i don't matter, it's the thing we
do together that matters. in my very first experience with Del, he kept calling me "male patterned baldness". after class he approached me and told me "nothing personal. it's the truth. use it." a true profesional. what you feel personally will kill you professionally, learn to separate the two. thanks Del smokin a hog leg fer ya |
|
| Mr.
Close Brendan |
9:15 pm |
| I'm not sure that I have any
right to post, but here we go. My one and only face to face meeting with Del was when the first issue of Wasteland came out in '88 or '89. I was 15 or 16 and a regular at Shaun Landry's comic store and one day in walks Del Close. A man who had actually written for DC Comics. Wow. How very impressive. And I left that day uplifted that I had my copy of Wastland #1 signed by one of the authors. It was not 'til later that I learned he was in Ferris Bueller and The Untouchables. And that he had been a guinea pig for NASA's LSD tests. And not 'til much later that I learned about his side gig as an improviser, etc. So I did not know the man; but I know very well that in being able to perform "Chicago-style improvisation" in fucking Holland of all places, I owe Del Close a tremendous debt. For those blessed enough to know him, work with him or directly learn from him, I offer you not stern condolenses, but heary congratulations. Brendan |
|
| re:
Mr. Close Shaun Landry |
1:52 am |
| Brendan...I remember that too.
I was 23 or 24 then. Damn I'm old. Del used to come into the store and buy copies of his own book. In bunches. I used to ask him..."Why buy this book here...when you can get a ten percent discount at DC?" He just smiled and said "Why the hell go to them when I get a fifteen percent here by being a PFS member?" The memorial was a joy for me. It was like a Thursday at Hep Cat Comics. Kim Howard Johnson was there. John Ostrander was there. I felt like I had put down my Merlot and grab Kim's subscription service books. And of course Del was there in spirit. Such a lovely memorial...Grand Job Charna! I'm so fucking old. Shaun Landry |
|
Go on to part 5.
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.