tumblr page counter

Mike Starr

Posted by Whoppixian on Monday, 22 August, 2011, 1:36 AM

mike starr

A writer who observed the heroin-tortured musician during his 'Rehab' shoot sees there are predictable consistencies in the behavior of the addicted.

Share |

Mike Starr

Posted by Whoppixian on Monday, 22 August, 2011, 1:36 AM

3/13/11 at 7:00 PM Comment Why the Death of Celebrity Rehab Veteran Mike Starr Makes Laughing at Charlie Sheen HardBy Chris Norris Facebook Twitter ShareThis Counter Email Last Tuesday afternoon, the Celebrity Rehab reality show suffered its first certified death: Mike Starr, Season 3, dead at 44. While it's unclear how this particular reality will affect the show's tenability and ratings, even obituary headlines seemed to recognize the milestone, identifying the deceased as ?Celeb Rehab Rocker? or ?of Alice in Chains/Celebrity Rehab,? ? epithets reflecting Starr?s dual role in public life during his last two years alive. Decades ago, Starr would have been a former rock star who died a rock star. But today, he?s a low, single-note counterpoint to the merry melodies of Charlie Sheen, his passing marked not by candlelight vigils or teary radio-show call-ins, but those cursory, dot-dot-dash micro-eulogies of the multitasker, tweets. ?R.I.P. Mike Starr!! Such a sad day!? ?Drugs and alcohol aren?t a joke.? And from Dr. Drew Pinsky, Celebrity Rehab?s creator, host, and chief medical officer: ?Devastating to hear of Mike Starr succumbing to his illness. So very sad. Our prayers are with his family.?

If nineties rock has a sadder story than Starr?s it?s hard to find. Kurt Cobain died instantly, the world wept, his music was enshrined, and the spotlight moved elsewhere, which was more or less the same trajectory following the overdose deaths of Sublime?s Brad Nowell, Mother Love Bone?s Andrew Wood, Blind Melon?s Shannon Hoon, and other musicians whose fans, friends, and families were left to grieve offstage. Even Alice in Chains singer-songwriter Layne Staley ? whose much longer, grislier demise ended with the discovery of his body still upright in a chair, two weeks after his death and six years after his band?s last studio album ? got off easier than his former bandmate Starr did. Nobody laughed at Layne Staley. Nobody laughed at any of the famous victims of that strangely nineties rock syndrome, heroin addiction, because none of them lived to see the media culture that drafted Mike Starr?s epilogue. And I get the sense none of them would have been quite so wounded by indignity as Starr seemed to be when I saw him.

In early June of 2009, I had been assigned to write an article on Dr. Drew Pinsky and spent a few days at the Pasadena Recovery Center to observe Celebrity Rehab as it was shooting its third season. I sat with the director and various crew members in a small, dim, gear-packed inpatient bedroom that served as the production?s control center, where a wall-spanning grid of closed-circuit TV monitors carried static shots from different rooms. As the crew steered coverage of the unfolding events, they gave the kind of running commentary any sleep-deprived surveillance team does sometime after their 36th hour in front of a screen. In this, the lumbering, ponytailed Mike Starr played like a character from some John Cusack?helmed comedy about aging Gen-Xers, stuck in a grunge time warp.

His life story provided a steady supply of one-liners: Here?s a guy who managed to get himself kicked out of Alice in Chains ... for drugs; a guy who walks around with earphones blasting nothing but Alice in Chains songs; a guy who, word is, now plays in an Alice in Chains cover band ? ?playing for, like, 82 people a show,? a crew member marveled as Starr sat in one screen, seemingly staring right through the camera at the peanut gallery running the show.

He knew we were there. Starr was probably the most camera-conscious member in that season?s cast and frequently complained about their intrusions. ?I mean, I?m sound asleep, I wake up, and there?s a fuckin? camera on me,? he said at one point. ?What the fuck is that?? (Many more such complaints came than would ever make final cut.) Starr?s endurance for it all finally broke on the third day I was there, when, to provoke a dramatic moment whose therapeutic merit I?m unqualified to assess, the producers flew in Starr?s main using buddy, who also happened to be his father.

Not long after the staff informed Starr of this meeting, he gave what was probably his most memorable on-camera performance: He got up and began an ominous, silent, relentless patrol through the facilities, armored in a black leather jacket with black sunglasses perched atop his bandanna-encased head, headphones audibly blasting him into oblivion, and his slitted, unseeing eyes like a Great White?s. As camera operators followed he stared right into their lenses at point-blank range ? none too concerned about breaking the "fourth wall." He was, Pinksy told me, in a psychotic state, which required him to give Starr a gluteal injection of Ativan. As Starr received it, he stared at the camera the whole time, adding, in fractured speech, ?Not too dignified. On TV. In the butt.?

If four seasons of Celebrity Rehab have proven anything, it?s that while opiate addicts may make great rock music, they make terrible TV. There?s no Sheening with them. They don?t give the audience hilarious roller coasters of pressured speech filled with headline-ready pull quotes and imaginatively egomaniacal imagery. They?re comatose when high, asleep when crashing, and cranky, abusive, and insufferable in withdrawal. They may throw something or assault someone, but they?re not going to give you any fun moments to share at the water cooler. Former Grease and Taxi star Jeff Conaway may have stood out as the most unbearable cast member on two seasons of Celebrity Rehab, but his behavior would hardly distinguish him in the larger population of opiate addicts. As Bob Forrest (Dr. Drew's Panama-hatted right-hand counselor and the subject of the SXSW doc Bob and the Monster) told me during one lunch break, they all act exactly like he does. The audiences watching Conaway hurl epithets from his wheelchair, we weren?t watching an irascible TV character, we were watching a syndrome.

After having seen Starr and others endure some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives over hours of raw, unedited live feed, I can?t say I?m finding Sheen Season such a blast. If you?re new to the species, lots of addicts really are fun to watch. They?re tweaky, grandiose, arrogant, melodramatic, emotionally labile, and, at first, unpredictable. But only at first. To anyone who has lived with one, they aren?t wacky, outrageous characters but an unmistakable collection of behaviors, assumptions, thought habits, speech patterns, and even syntax. The most surprising thing about them is how unsurprising they are, how perfectly they conform to the boilerplate. Even with all his wealth, career, and media access, Sheen does and says nearly the exact same things every other one does, give or take a warlock.

By far, the saddest moment I saw during Starr?s time at the PRC was when, after his on-camera benzo shot, he finally did sit down for that meeting with his father, a rangy, ruggedly handsome career junkie of some 60-odd years, who seemed to show genuine concern for his son. In the presence of this man, with whom he had smoked crack and shot heroin for many years, Starr, the brooding, ursine figure who had just menaced the entire facility, quickly, and quite audibly, became a child. He spoke like a 10-year-old just back from a field trip, recounting moments from his current rehab stay with the eagerness of a bounding, face-licking puppy ? all while his half-dad half-listened.

There?s no use, or even merit, in chiding tabloid shows, gossip sites, pundits, T-shirt-makers, and everyone else drinking from the gushing tap of found comedy that Charlie Sheen's providing, for now. But if we start to feel a bit like we're laughing at a quadriplegic?s attempt to go down stairs, that?s understandable. Sheen?s main appeal as folk hero and rock star probably rests on his loud, lively resistance to the warm, enveloping hug of Oprah. His new fans are as sick as he is of the dopey rhetoric and tidy recovery arc of pop culture?s addiction narrative. But as Mike Starr has shown, the reality behind this reality narrative is usually a much longer, downward arc, with few twists and turns, and a very predictable ending.

Thursday night, at the end of VH1 News?s hour-long special Charlie Sheen: Winning ? or Losing It? With Dr. Drew, the host shared his optimism for Sheen?s recovery and, as an example of the success that could be Sheen?s, cited Starr?s castmate on Celebrity Rehab and Sober House Tom Sizemore, now apparently prospering in sobriety. Watching Sizemore at the PRC ? sweating, grizzled, glassy-eyed, and shaking through what he estimated was his hundredth-odd rehab stay ? I?d have said the smart money was on him predeceasing Starr. But neither death would have, or should have, surprised anyone. This story is old. This record needs changing. It doesn't play anymore.

Photo: VH1 Top Stories Breaking Bad?s Giancarlo Esposito Is Coming to Community Rem Koolhaas to Build Marina Abramovic?s New Museum of Performance Art ?Get Used to Me,? Warns Chris Brown ... But Can You Forgive Him? 63 Why After 40 Years, the Influence of ?A Horse With No Name? Still Reigns 25 Watch Vulture?

You must be logged in to commentYou will be prompted to sign in before your comment publishes.COMMENT0 out of 2500 characters allowed.» User guidelinesType your comment here...Markers:Tags:

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemBoobookityThis man should have never been on camera and in this type of situation that the reality show placed him in. He felt the need I am sure to "act" and at the same time with limited ability and resources to be "nice". He was too far deep into his mental issues and drug issues to be exhibited like a fossil on television, it was like watching someone take their own life. His eyes were often lifeless, and empty and it easy to see that he wasn't going to do well. He was burdened with guilt, neglected by parents and abused by his father, and exploited by television.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemBoobookityI watched the rehab shows and I was mesmerized by Mike Starr, because of his anger, his empty eyes, and his neediness. I was upset that Dr. Drew and his team didn't see that besides his need for "withdrawal" from drugs that he had a significant mental health problem and should not have been on camera at all. The cameras exacerbated his behaviors. He needed to be alone and in intensive therapy. I have great pity for anyone that lost and anyone whose father was a part of his addiction. He obviously also had a alot guilt about the death of his friend which he talked about a lot. Should someone this broken and needy be on television? It was sort of like watching a person with a tendency to self mutilate cut their arms on camera and do nothing about it. it was grisly and course and almost heartless to watch him go down and to hear the voice overs talk about him being "psychotic" hell yeah he was psychotic, I would be too if I was withdrawing and had camera's in my face. He was human and he had feelings and he was in incredible pain. RIP to him.

after a fight with Jerry! He did however, want back in the next day, telling the band he had made a mistake and didn't want to quit the band but from what Mike told me,Jerry didn't want him back in because Mike slept with his girlfriend while on tour in Japan!

Sorry Mike... for telling this secret but I'm so SICK of people saying you were kicked out over DRUGS!!! JUST NOT TRUE!! It was over a WOMAN!!!

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemRonedel555I missed the news that Mike Starr had died. I'd watched him and others on the show. Initally I was very interested in the show having experienced getting sober. Halfway through the season I got tired of watching the infantile behaviors, (maybe reminded me of my former self. )and repeated threats of "I'm outta here !"

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemizzy1220I have watched all the seasons of Celebrity Rehab and to be honest, I had never heard of Alice in Chains, but I hurt for Mike Starr and the emptiness that I saw in his eyes duing his time on the show. To put any blame on Dr. Pinsky or anyone else for that matter is wrong. I have had my own demons that to this day I have to deal with and I just like any other addict know that me and only me is responsible for my actions. It is easy to cast blame and their is plenty of that to go around, but when we become adults we need to make the choices and not continue to blame our upbringing, surroundings, etc...

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemderickwadeAs the politically incorrect cliche goes,"You can't rape the willing." Comparably, can you really, truly publicly exploit a narcissist? Doc Drew certainly exhibits his own narcissistic bent, but he HAS shone a light on addiction and the mental illness that is often an underlying, substantially contributory factor. Given the social stigma inherent in being labeled an addict and even more so, mentally ill, this show in some measure may help to humanize the shadow many Americans struggle to integrate. As someone who has struggled with similar demons I know personally that an addict will blame anyone and anything for his relapse, except the one person truly responsible, Himself.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemmsalexhillAs we now know, the world has also lost Jeff Conaway. I hadn't heard about Mike until yesterday. I had watched the shows and truly learned so much about myself, my family. And yes sometimes I laughed while watching these folks at their most vulnerable. We laugh because it's painful to look at those parts of ourselves. When have we not, at some point in our lives, felt psychotic? A lover walks out, a job is lost. I learned from Mike and Jeff and most of all from Drew Pinsky.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemHeatherMThis article is pure and simply wrong. Guessing someone either acting immature or is immature.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemEntropyFor starters, anyone throwing stones about writing abilities should be sure that their writings are word perfect because if they aren't you sound like a jackass.... that beling said, I think that people who assume that this writer is trashing Mike Starr missed the point entirely. In fact I think that this article did exactly the opposite. By displaying Mike's addiction on screen for our entertainment we are doing mike starr an injustice. He deserves to be remembered for what he made and what he did well, rather than his mistakes. I have never been to a wake in which they recounted someones failings rather than their accomplishements. Mind you it is important to remember why he died, I believe it is disrespectful to focus on that fact so soon after his death. We need to remember that "Dr." Drew Pinskey is doing this to MAKE MONEY... If he were doing it to help he wouldn't be displaying peoples dirty laundry all over the television for ratings and he wouldn't be going after celebrities who have resources beyond the average person, he would be content just to know that he helped. He is out for ratings and that is it. PERIOD! I don't think this article is disgusting I think that capitalising on someone's problems is disgustion and that is what this article is about. Maybe some reading comprehension classes would help people to understand.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemhellfire69@Entropy - Beautifully said!! What an amazing musician, exploited at the expense of human entertainment. We who suffer some type of addiction, embarrassed, humiliated, and find no way towards self satisfaction are not being helped by any VH1 reality T.V. show. We all harbor some type of emotion, we are all carrying bags of unintended misery, with no sight of reckoning within our own heads. Although I have cleaned up, their is not a day I don't battle my head for just one drink to take me to a place I want to be. Rest in peace Mike, I know in my heart you tried, I wish you could have found that place... we'd all make killer Alice in Chains music!

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemJon_SargAll the over-sensitive, entitled comments are really missing the point. The idea is that a story like Starr's is the reason why it's NOT just innocent comedy to make fun of someone like Sheen, because clearly, it is the result of a deadly disease--a disease that claims lives every day, and from which no one can be "cured", only in remission. Mike Starr's disease was in "remission", suppressed for the time he was engaging in treatment. I find it hard to believe that he was high when he was on the 4th season of Celeb. Rehab..in fact, being in recovery myself, I know that someone would notice and I myself can tell pretty easily.

The point is, the article is saying something much more poignant than most post-mortum articles will say. It may not be the best written or most concise, but what I took from it, is that the behavior we see on TV of all the "celebrities" on a downward spiral is nothing new or entertaining, it is simply a view of a very sick person in their illness.

It's really sad the Starr died--however, my hope is that his death, like so many other deaths from the same cause, can motivate someone to get clean, and can expose them again to the harsh reality of their condition--that is it very much life threatening.

I've had people I've known through treatment overdose before. It is incredibly sad. However, as sad as it is, it's not that surprising. To pretend that this disease is not incredibly deadly and cunning, and easy to slip back into even after treatment, is risking your own sobriety. This disease is horrible, and if the Celeb. Rehab show keeps going season after season, I have no doubt that more of it's members will end up with the same outcome as Mike. I fail to see what is so offensive about this article, because to me, it is just a reminder that no one is exempt from this, and the ultimate fate of a using addict is death or institutionalization.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemwestiesrusYour article is obtuse and very hard to follow. And I so agree with others that it is completely offensive to Mike's family and loved ones. Mike was a very close friend in highschool... I tried reaching out many times after seeing his struggles.. but he was so lost to the drugs and his feeling of fame. Also knew that he wasnt in recovery at all and Dr Drew was only trying to protect his reputation at the expense of Mike's health. The ultimate affront was having Mike appear as some recovered hero on this last season... you could tell he was high!!! I hate it when people who dont know people write about them like they were their BFF! Take some writing courses!!! And leave people to rest in peace-- he deserves some peace at last.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemStarrStaleyWow... I haven't read anything this horrible since Rolling Stone's 1996 interview with Layne Staley. This is just ridiculous. I would imagine Mike's family wouldn't be too happy to hear what you have to say about him. Why don't you just let him rest in peace? He had a hard enough life as it is. Maybe if everyone just shuts up about Charlie Sheen, he'll find something else to do. It's called "feeding the fire". Ugh. I am just disgusted by this entire article.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemklg19Personally, I've never laughed once at the "Charlie Sheen show." The people who do laugh at him feel to me like grotesque Fellini extras in The Satyricon: hungry and soulless and screaming for entertainment at any cost.

Listening to Sheen's rants--who can avoid them? they're everywhere--I don't even think he's "only" an addict. I think he's a mentally ill person who's been self-medicating with drugs and alcohol through much of his adult life. His megalomaniacal pronouncements sounds like the rantings of a schizophrenic.

His loss that he ended up in one of the few businesses where that kind of illness is actually rewarded. In any other walk of life, he'd have been in psychiatric therapy for years.

So, let the screaming harpies get their fill of Sheen's self-destruction; I've had enough. Shows like Celebrity Rehab just feed the harpies' own addiction for others' self-destruction. It's a sickness.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemMataharDr. Drew has said that Sheen is in a state of hypomania, and is destined to crash. I wonder what the timeline is. I'm not buying tickets, but I'm wondering at what point in his tour Sheen will start crashing.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemmrsmurgatroydI agree with two points of view. Dr. Drew has helped some addicts and that is just the way treatment for addiction works. Look at "Willis", now recovering over 18 years. It does not matter how long, every day is a struggle. Not everyone can be helped. There are success stories and failures. In addiction failure usually means death. Some of the deaths are unrecognized suicide. Janis and Kurt and the long line of 60's,70's and ongoing deaths are to be expected whether they had money or not. Keith Richards looks twice his age and maybe he conquered the addictions. Money does help and Keepers help too if you can afford it. But basically it's sad and predictable what the end will be unless the addict accepts his reality by himself or herself.

Depression and Bi-Polar and Schizoid behaviors are contributers to the addicts behavior. Narcissistic tendencies make them expose themselves as Charlie does.

AA and other day to day programs help so do not put them down. But bottom line is that if you have a early exposure and so-called addict friends encouraging you, you are doomed.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemmrsmurgatroyd@mrsmurgatroyd - Forgot to mention that John Barrymore was a full blown alcoholic and so was his son. J.Barrymore Sr. was wealthy enough to have a full time Nurse-keeper when he was at his worst. He managed to drink himself to death anyway. He used to escape from Karl his nurse and his friends helped. What nice friends to have. Usually addicts have "friends", who do it for the money or the status. Mike Starr sounds like he was that way and he was determined to use although he knew the end result. It is still a sorry story.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemsarahothompsonTo say that the show contributed to Mike Starr's death is pretty out there. I think he lived longer because of the show. Starr's death is a sad but no uncommon with long time addicts. Sometimes you want it bad enough and make it. Sometimes you let the addict voices take over and give in. It is a horrible disease. In my opinion Dr. Drew is only trying to make addiction more aware to the people about how dangerous and tragic it is. Mike Starr died because he was an addict. It's sad, but his point is made very clear when he tells Leif that it's sad when an animal dies... but he keeps putting people in the ground.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemkanzus9194This is real life we're looking at here. as real and sad as it gets. It is not funny or something that should be judged. We should be praying for him and all of the still sufering addicts.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemmichelles11I'm not laughing. I watched Starr on Celebrity Rehab and was rooting for him. No, I'm not surprised at all, but that doesn't mean I didn't wish him well or hoped that he could live a good life without drugs. His friends and family are in my thoughts...hopefully he really is resting in peace now.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemTheCrushinatorI disagree with the anti-Dr. Drew sentiment here. Yes, a significant amount of his calculations for doing shows like Celeb Reb undoubtedly comes from his desire to make money and increase his fame. But, in addition to this, he legitimately wants to help people--and often does--and he, more than any other public figure, has educated masses of people about the horrors of addiction. One can't just take Celeb Rehab on its own. You've also got to consider Drew's years on Loveline and the various TLC programs he does educating people about health, sex, and addiction. The snarkiness here is unneeded and ignores all the positive work he's done, particularly in terms of public education.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemAprilduffno matter which way you look at it,once an addict always an addict i know this from personal experience even though i have been clean now for years,my prayers are with his family at this trying time.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemdivajordanThis is a terrific piece. Smart, clever and a point of view that I haven't heard lately in all of this mess. Thanks.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemLuccaKostaDr Drew helps these people for free and no one is forced into joining his rehab program. As for Mike Starr, as a fan, I am so sad.. and I think without rehab - Dr Drew's or any other program- he would have died even sooner. He tried but he succumbed, he was too sick with addiction. Reality TV is part of nowadays - we might not like it, but we can't change it. Dr Drew has a passion, he is not just cashing in his pop figure. He is sharing with the general public the struggles of addiction recovery. To me, that seems like a good lesson for kids tempted to do recreational drugs. It's all fun until there's no turning point.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemCharlene_RACFirst of all, there is a memorial service for fans to attend, it's on the 20th in the Seattle centre by the international fountain.

You paint a picture of Mike being laughed at by everyone, that I know is not true, yes there may be some like yourself who find the death of someone's son, brother and friend hilarious, but amongst the people I have come across, the grief displayed is anything but humorous.

The biggest irony of this piece is that you speak of "the media culture that drafted Mike Starr?s epilogue" was part of what made him such a laughing stock, but aren't you doing the same thing? At least Celebrity Rehab cut bit's out to preserve some dignity... but you've just published a written account of this on the internet. The public's interest in celebrity addicts is perpetuated by the media, the media like yourself.

This whole article refuses to acknowledge that he was more than just a drug addict, like his entire existence was there for our entertainment, then to rate and compare him with other addicts. Charlie Sheen isn't someone I can comment on with conviction, I must be the only person out there not reading what he's doing. But Mike was offered a chance to get help and get paid for it at the same time. I am uncomfortable with the idea that some producer somewhere saw TV ratings and money when he thought of addicts, and hated to watch those cameras stick their lens practically up his nose, but I understand why a guy who was down and out, heavily addicted for a couple of decades, took the opportunity to try and get clean (something he did do for a period before his recent relapse), make some money and give his career another shot. It is unfortunate that these two men have made headlines at the same time, forcing those who live by media gossip to put them in the same barrel, albeit as a counterpoint. (CONTINUED...)

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemCharlene_RACI'm not against someone having an opinion, but it should be written as your subjective opinion. If you want to remember Mike as "a low, single-note counterpoint to the merry melodies of Charlie Sheen" then you are free to do that, but to suggest that is how the world will remember him couldn't be further from the truth. His fans, and I mean his fans of his music and not of his stint on Celebrity Rehab, are absolutely devastated for the loss of a musician who was a vital figure in Alice in Chain's early success. But I guess you have to be an Alice in Chains fan to understand that. His attempt at living the life of sobriety and his confession to Layne's mother that he was in fact there on the day his good friend Layne passed away, endeared him to the newer, younger generation of fans the band's current line-up have attracted. His facebook page was always covered with loving messages from fans, and if you visit it now, you'll see a endless string of posts, some sharing their fond memories of their friend, others simply saying goodbye to a much loved rock star. There are many gossip-laden stories out there of Mike's shenanigans whilst on drugs, but no-one is all good or all bad.

The picture you paint of Mike just doesn't add up with the majority of those who had even the slightest interest interest in his musical career. He wasn't a celebrity rehab participant to us, just to those who don't know or remember him from Alice in Chains. I can assure you, the candle's are lit, the tears are flowing, and the Vigil is on Sunday.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemjoanimal@Charlene_RAC - well said and thank you for saying it! This is a sad tragedy and shame on anyone who tries to make it into anything else.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemCharlene_RAC@joanimal - Thanks Joanimal. I totally agree and I think those who share the opinions of this piece are judging him through the eyes of the media and based on his appearance on Celeb rehab. Some of the information isn't even accurate.

He gossips about Mike Starr telling us stories that contain incredibly personal things about Mike, that will end up all over the web thanks to him, and then he condemns the "chiding tabloid shows, gossip sites, pundits, T-shirt-makers, and everyone else drinking from the gushing tap of found comedy that Charlie Sheen's providing, for now." Stinks of hypocrisy to me.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemdlys14@Charlene_RAC - I don't think the author meant to make fun of what happened to Mike. He's drawing a parralel--saying while what Charlie is doing SEEMS funny now, he's just a heartbeat away from becoming like Mike. And the merry melodies vs low note comment wasn't an insult to Mike. I think he's comparing two very public, drug related meltdowns--Sheen courts the camera, Mike didn't like them; Sheen is acting like a god or a rock star who is invincible, Mike knew he USED to be a rock star and was in immense p ain because he lost that status due to his addiction. But in the end these guys are two sides of the same coin and Charlie could become Mike in the blink of an eye. That is what I got from the article...

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemlichi1244evaThis was one of my favorite pieces I've read here in a while, and exactly why I refuse to find any humor with the Charlie Sheen media circus anymore.

Thank you for alerting us to a possible problemicefan13I have a friend who works in rehab who says that the Celebrity Rehab show is a very accurate account of what goes on.

You must be logged in to commentYou will be prompted to sign in before your comment publishes.COMMENT0 out of 2500 characters allowed.» User guidelinesType your comment here...Markers:Tags:

Daily Intel / The Cut / The Sports Section Grub Street & MenupagesGet restaurant menus and deals, as well as the latest food news.

Copyright © 2011, New York Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. Vulture® and Grub Street® are registered trademarks of New York Media LLC.

Share |