Stories of boys.
Whether a favourite actor, or somebody you knew dies it seems that a part of you goes with them.
The Sopranos defined an era, put HBO on the map, & reinvented the DVD boxed set. Above all James Gandolfini brought a tenderness and vulnerability to the role of a mafia psychopath.
Tony was a boy. Watching James playing Tony was a cross between looking at a 6 year old boy denied his toy, and a violent dangerous thug.
How did he do this? Apart from the support of a good cast and brilliant writing. He managed to tap into other sides of himself. As a bar tender and club manager he must have seen stuff which would have seemed natural to put into Tony. An impoverished background in an urban environment usually means a life on the borders of crime and violence.
It was also in the era before play it again. We all watched it in real time. Staying up to watch the latest episode with everyone else and feeling tired at work the next day was part of the experience.

Felix was a boy. Like all 6 year old boys full of bravado, cheekiness and endless energy. Boys want exercise and intellectual stimulation which creates a life force that ‘s expected to go on and on.
To see it stopped is a shock.
That dynamo energy propelled him into a love of climbing. Stimulating in two ways. Physically so demanding that your life depends on the fitness and stamina of your body to extreme. And dealing with the psychology of focusing of staying alive, the fear,and the excitement. It must have felt addictive.
Boys.
Today I remember as a boy my father taking me out walking in the hills. Happy Birthday.
Usually these stories would demand a fancy interpretation or comment.
Today the sadness does not allow it.

Copyright Adrian Scott North London Counsellor Blog 2013
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Disclaimer: This weblog is the view of the writer and for general information only.
This article is designed to provoke argument and critique.