The RHLC!

[Muppet Newsgirl]

Had an excellent time, Skye. Went to the museum, went to Mass at St. Patrick's, saw a performance of "Spamalot" and nearly died laughing, did some running around Times Square...pretty much in that order, all on the same day.

From what Amanda's told us, it looks like Richard was a James Taylor fan, so that was probably one of the reasons why he chose "That Lonesome Road." But I definitely think that Richard was feeling rather blue when he selected that song. I mean, here he is, just turning 40, still quite young, and he knows he doesn't have much time left.

Let's see...Taylor and the other singers did it mostly a cappella, so I imagine Richard and the others did it the same way...and Amanda said Richard had a solo verse in the middle ("If I had stopped to listen once or twice...") which would have been Taylor's solo.

 

[Skye]

Aww, sounds awesome! I just gotta say, I love New York! It definitely does sound like you had a great time!

I know exactly what you mean. I'd imagine he felt rather blue selecting and singing it, too with those thoughts in his mind. Sounds like a great set-up they probably had while singing it, though. I do remember Amanda saying Richard had that solo verse, which is truly great. I would've loved to have heard him sing it.

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

Me too. And when I heard it for the first time, I envisioned Richard and his family up on a small stage in front of everyone, and Richard doing his solo, but with a far-off look in his eyes...and I'm going to bet that there were a lot of misty eyes in the room right then.

Oh, dear, that song's going to make me a little blue every time I hear it from now on. Oh, well, kinda anticipated that.

 

[Skye]

Aww, wow. I can imagine what you mean about Richard singing with a far-off look in his eyes, though. I definitely wouldn't be surprised by a few misty eyes in that room, either. Touching, and definitely a very sad moment, indeed.

Aww, I'm sorry the song will make you feel a bit down now. But just remember also that Richard was a fan of James' and probably liked that song a lot, too. And I think he'd want you to enjoy it!

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

Very true. I did enjoy listening to the song, perhaps because of its way of tugging at the heartstrings. But I think I'm going to visualize Richard doing the song whenever I hear it from now on.

Of the songs on the album, "That Lonesome Road" is probably my favorite. And I think I can credit Richard with causing me to take a little more interest in James Taylor's music.

 

[Skye]

Oh yeah, I definitely do understand why you'd feel down, imagining Richard singing it and everything. I will probably imagine him singing it as well, if I get a chance to hear that song someday.

I was never much of a James Taylor listener personally... I'm not really sure why. My mom was a big fan of his, though... because of course, that's totally relevant here! Hehe, I guess it never transferred to me. But that's awesome that Richard inspired you to listen to James more. He is definitely a talented guy.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I got to hear "Lonesome Road" a couple months ago too. I'm not a James Taylor fan, but the song is great, very real emotion. If you just read the lyrics, it could almost be a short story. You end up wondering what could have happened to this person to put them in such a position.

I especially appreciated the line, "Never mind feeling sorry for yourself, it doesn't save you from your troubled mind." I've been pretty lucky in my life, but I still know exactly how that feels. Sometimes it's easier to dwell on your problems (even though you should be facing them). But in the end, it doesn't make you feel any better.

I don't want to presume, but I imagine it's a heavy burden knowing before hand that you're going to die. I've had some special people in my life pass away in recent years, and that alone has been difficult. You really start to look for answers; first of all what happens when you die. And then, what is the purpose of our lives. I suppose it's sad that these questions don't come up unless tragedy happens. But that's the way we humans are.

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

Yeah, I'm not exactly what you'd call a huge James Taylor fan, either (I'm more of a power/prog-rock sort of girl), but I do like some of his tunes. One time, as I was walking back to my dorm from art class, I found myself humming "Fire and Rain."

In the article you posted for us, heralde, it's mentioned that when Richard learned that he was HIV-positive, "he became noticeably more spiritual, somewhat more solemn, and serene." Richard was known as the Muppet crew's resident joker, and he dearly loved working with the Muppets, making people laugh, and spending time with family and friends, so it must have been a real heartache for him (and everyone else) to know he wouldn't be able to do all of that for much longer.

But you notice the way he seemed to handle it, according to the other Muppet performers. He might have had a few blue moments, but it doesn't look like he was bitter about it. He kept on working with the Muppets, almost right up until he died. That really says something about him.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Actually yes, I was surprised to see he was still working on Sesame Street very close to the end. You don't normally think that's what a person in that situation would do. I think, at least I think, it would be difficult to continue with your normal routine, when you know things are not so normal. But on the other hand, it might offer some comfort as well. After all, "nevermind feeling sorry for yourself."

 

[Skye]

That definitely does say something about him, Erin... that he didn't let it stop him, he didn't let it keep him down. He learned how to live with it, and he learned how to deal with it as best he could. That's really admirable. And a great attitude that we could all use in different areas of all our lives at different points throughout time.