Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Gilda Radner

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: 

Gilda Radner

In my own personal big gay church, there is a wing dedicated to the Ladies Of Comedy. Theses are the gals who made us laugh and, on occasion, brought a tear to our eyes. They are visionaries, capturing aspects of the human condition while holding up a mirror to the world. Their characters, style, and phrases have helped form our daily vernacular in ways we are not even always aware of - but that is the power of comedy and the magic these ladies all possess. 

One such heartbreaker?

Gilda Radner.

She was America's sweetheart. In many ways, she always will be.

Her smile and laugh could light up any room. 

She was smart. Cute as button and knew how to develop a character and write a skit.

We were introduced to her thanks to SNL. 

She became a superstar overnight and an instant icon to many would-be comedians.

While conquering Broadway and the Silver Screen... she found love.

And theirs is a love story unlike any other. 

We lost her too soon. The world's loss.

But thanks to her many sketches and films, she lives eternally.

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The topic? Delicious Ambiguity

"It is so hard for us little human beings to accept this deal that we get. It's really crazy, isn't it? We get to live, but then we have to die. What we put into every moment is all we have. You can drug yourself to death or you can smoke yourself to death or eat yourself to death, or you can do everything right and be healthy and then be hit by a car. Life is so great, such a neat thing, and yet all during it we have to face death, which can make you nuts and depressed. It's such an act of optimism to get up every day and get through a day and enjoy it and laugh and do all that without thinking about death. What spirit human beings have! It is a pretty cheesy deal - all the pleasures of life, and then death. I think some people just can't take the variables; they just can't take the deal - that is why they drink themselves silly or hide away or become afraid of everything. Sometimes I feel like I couldn't take the deal - it was just too much. Cancer brought life and death up close."

 

"There is no real security except for whatever you build inside yourself."

"There are no guarantees. There are no promises, but there is you, and strength inside to fight for recovery. And always there is hope."

"Don’t look for perfect endings, but allow not knowing to lead you to a deeper appreciation of life, so that you get your joy back on the way to an outcome that remains to be revealed."

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.
Delicious ambiguity."

Smoking/Roseanne Roseannadanna - Gilda Radner

Dancing In The Dark - Gilda Radner / Steve Martin

The Judy Miller Show Live From Her Bedroom - Gilda Radner

And one last parting shot...

 "I can always be distracted by love, but eventually I get horny for my creativity."

"While we have the gift of life, it seems to me that only tragedy is to allow part of us to die - whether it is our spirit, our creativity, or our glorious uniqueness."