Didn’t it feel like Paul Reubens would live forever?
I was so shocked when I heard he’d passed away — not because he’d been quiet about his illness, but because I don’t think it had ever really occurred to me that he could die someday. A world without Pee-wee? Unimaginable.
Several years ago, I got the chance to tell Paul how much his work meant to me. On the day we were scheduled to meet for an interview, I received the shock of my life when he arrived wearing the full-on Pee-wee getup, red bow tie and all.
Many children — maybe you were one? — don’t grow up knowing artists. The adults they see are teachers, postal workers, nurses, firefighters, mothers, ministers, military members. With Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Paul Reubens brought artists and creativity into millions of homes. Like Mister Rogers, he treated each viewer as his neighbor and let them know they were welcome — and the weirder they were, the more they’d fit in.
Paul Reubens’ influence cannot be understated: If everyone who bought the first Velvet Underground record went on to form a rock band, then everyone who loved Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and Pee-wee’s Playhouse went on to pursue a career in the arts — or at least realize such a thing were possible. The last time I saw Paul, I told him I wanted to ghostwrite his memoir. “I’m already working on it,” he said with a smile. Indeed, he finished a draft before he died.
One of my favorite scenes in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure happens early in the movie, when Pee-wee wakes up with a chuckle, jumps on his bed, and makes breakfast on his Rube Goldberg machine.
Hours before I heard Paul died, I jotted down a thought — that maybe the key to life is as simple as that one scene: Find something or someone that makes you wake up happy every single day.
I’ll try to remember him in this way, and by creating things, and by welcoming all the loners, rebels and oddballs — maybe you are one? — and sometimes screaming real loud, even if there’s no secret word.
Also in my head:
** Nuggets 50th anniversary concert **
Recently I attended an all-star show celebrating the golden anniversary of the Nuggets compilation album curated by the great Lenny Kaye (who also put together the concert). Guests included Patti Smith, Peter Buck, Bob Mould, Richard Lloyd, Juliana Hatfield, Tony Shanahan, Tammy Faye Starlite, Vicki Peterson and so many other blow-your-mind talents, and I didn’t take many photos because I was too immersed in the evening’s guitar-heavy glow.
A deluxe Nuggets box set came out this year, and/or you can hear it on Spotify. It’s essential!
** Barbie **
My 10-year-old’s review: “That was the best movie I’ve ever seen in my life.”
(I’ve had a longer life, but I will say it’s probably the best movie I’ve seen all year and am currently embroidering a flag with Greta Gerwig’s face in the center.)
** Oppenheimer **
I loved it as much as Barbie, and just typing that sentence reminds me of how fantastic movies can be.
** The Flash **
My favorite DC flick* since Wonder Woman wasn’t at all what I expected and combines elements of Back to the Future, Freaky Friday and Tim Burton’s Batman into one trippy blender.
* I forget who it was — he’s probably reading this — but years ago, a guy wrote something mean about me just because I used the word “flick” in a movie review.
** The Thief Collector **
This documentary follows a sorta-ordinary couple who may or may not have committed art crimes on their exotic vacations. If you like Quirky Niche Docs like Marwencol, King of Kong and Gates of Heaven, you can rent it on Amazon.
** LaserWriter II by Tamara Shopsin **
Shopsin’s delightful first novel takes place in a ‘90s Mac repair shop and will likely remind you of a former job and all your oddball co-workers who drove you bananas, and yet you deeply missed them after they (or you) were fired.
** The Odd Woman and the City by Vivian Gornick **
This slim memoir was right up my alley: Gornick, a lifelong New Yorker, shares snapshots from her walks around the city as well as thoughts on friendship, lovers, loneliness, cities, class and family. At the center is her older friend Leonard, with whom she has seen movies, eaten dinner and walked with each week for more than 20 years.
** Office Hours Live (podcast) **
Tim Heidecker has been on fire lately with guests including They Might Be Giants, John Early, Marc Maron and Natasha Leggero.
Recent work: Read my piece about The Smiths on HiLoBrow, hear me on Songs My Ex Ruined, see my diary comix on Patreon, enjoy my children’s books by searching my name on Epic, watch my short films Denny Barracuda and Continuity Errors, stay tuned for the book I am trying to finish.
That’s it, thank you for reading, reach out at whitmath@gmail.com.
Everyone I know has a big “but,”
whit
A very well written tribute to Mr. Reubens. I wish I had met him, too.
A beautiful tribute! Really admire the way you connect the dots, la la la-la :)