Ray, Robby and John's Reaction to Jim's Death

[Stuart]

Vince, From what you can remember when you saw ray, robby and john the first time after jim had passed away in paris, what would you say was their individual reactions to jim's death? did they say anything about it to you?.

[vince]

Each person involved in the groups and the support team found their own way of dealing with the news. We did not discuss this very much. Ray was perhaps the most talkitive, mostly speaking of Jim's face and physical attributes. It was in this period that the Dionisys complex began to appear. Perhaps Ray needed this to deal with the impact.

I can't really speak for others. We did not have any discussions about it. When they heard the news most everyone took a leave and tried to deal with the event and the consequences.

It is like going to this French cemetary. Why bother - to stare at a stone and say, "Gee, Jim is here..." How far from the truth. Jim is not there. There are some bones and remnants of clothing but Jim is not there.

We all knew that his part on our lives, for better or worse, was over. There was little more that could be said or done. When a person you know, to a greater or lesser extent, dies, you are sad. Sad that someone you knew is gone, someone you talked to, someone you saw performing from the spectacular to the mundane and to the depths of bad

Still he was human, had feelings, joy and sorrow, anger and calm. You knew he was tortured by incidents from his past. He was boxed in by "friends" he did not really like and a gorl who was an albatros and he felt he had no excape. I suppose one could rationalize all this by feeling that all this torment was over and he no longer was consious of anything. Suddenly, he was not there and would never be there again. It bothers you because there is nothing you can do. No way to change things. A finality that is absolute.

You cannot talk about that. You cannot bring anyone back by long winded discussions about "Gee, Jim this or Jim that",

Jim is present for anyone today. He has recordings, there are movies, there are several books of his writings. That is where jim is. Not in some hole in the ground, something out of Poe.

That was it. No discussion. I didn't want to. there was no need. There could be no changing the situation. We each had to deal with it as best we could. No matter what, Jim was dead and there was no turning back.

It was not quite the end of the music but it certainly was the end of an era and the productive life of a talented man.

[Joriki]

[quote="vince"]Each person involved in the groups and the support team found their own way of dealing with the news. We did not discuss this very much. Ray was perhaps the most talkitive, mostly speaking of Jim's face and physical attributes.

Vince thanks for the whole post, it was insightful and sad. Could you elaborate more on Ray's reaction?