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Eulogy for Glenn Shadix
Joe Openshaw September 12, 2010What a wonderful world. What a wonderful world we live in, and Glenn certainlymade the world wonderful for many of us.I havent know Glenn all his life like many of you, we only became friends after hereturned to his birth place in Bessemer a few years ago. But we quickly realizedthat we shared political views and religious views and that we shared a love of artand a love of sparkly things and a close friendship developed.Glenn was not pretentious and was a little bit put off when the local Bessemerpaper outed him as a Hollywood Star and pointed out the historic home he hadpurchased without even contacting him about the story.Glenns Victorian home in Bessemer burned in 2008 and his reaction a monthlater reveals how he handled a lot of the stress he encountered. Wheneverything is looking bad and you feel things cant get any worse, just have amoon pie and an RC cola. Youll feel much better.Glenn grew up during the 1950s and 60s, and that was a turbulent time and hewas in a turbulent place. He was playing with some buddies in a Bessemer livingroom in 1965 when President Johnson came on the black and white tv and calledout the names of the men who had killed Viola Liuzo after the Selma toMontgomery march. One of the boys heard his fathers name called and juststood up and walked out of the house. Glenn knew then that the world was notall good and that some of the bad was really close by.But he was not going to let that deter him from his destiny. Glenn was destinedto be an actor. He had been an entertainer since the age of 6, when he wascaught, he wrote, skipping through the hallways of church wearing an availablechoir robe and headscarf pretending to be Loretta Young.Not long after that Glenn was California dreaming and his dream came true.
 
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estiny allowed
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avid Kaplan to cast him as Gertrude Stein in 
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r. Faustus Lightsthe Lights in 1986 and destiny allowed Tim Burton to be sitting in the audience ata production of the play. The rest is history.And Glenn adored acting. Last year as he was anticipating the filming of FindingGauguin his final film, he said God help me, I do love making movies. Themovie is scheduled to premiere later this month in Hollywood. I wish I could bethere.And he apparently knew the business very well. A couple of years ago hewatched the Oscars at our house and came with a list of predictions. Heaccurately predicted every winner except one, Best Foreign Film, and braggedabout his prowess on his blog.Glenn also loved art. He lost a lot of art during the fire in 2008, but he salvaged afew pieces and he began collecting new. For weeks last year all we heard aboutwas a Big Bird that he was waiting on from Los Angeles. As it turns out, it was abeautiful photograph of a bird of paradise flower by photographer Jane ONeal.When the framed poster sized photograph arrived and he had hung it in hiscondo, it was the first thing he would point out when guests would arrive.But it didnt have to be expensive art from a posh gallery in La Brea. He had apainting by his nephew Sam hanging in his Victorian home that was heavilydamaged by the fire. My brother was able to restore the painting and reframe itand he and I returned it to Glenn while he was staying at his mothers house.Glenn was so proud to have the painting back, and it went on display as well.Glenn often spoke of Sam and was very glad that there would be an artist in thefamily.Im not sure that Glenn had a favorite nephew or niece but if he did, it could wellhave been Sam. Until Brook came along last year. Whenever he would have theopportunity to baby-sit or spend time with Brook, he would call all beaming andexcited, and he was determined, he said, to spoil her. Im sure that he loved all hisnieces and nephews; its just not easy to spoil someone in Alabama when you areliving in California.
 
But he actually spoiled all of us. People who did not get to meet Glenn are tellingme they wish they knew him. They do know him. We all know him through hisfilms and his TV appearances. I mean, Glenn was pretty much the characters heportrayed.Glenn was not afraid of death and he often commented on the deaths of others.At one time he had to speak at the funeral of a friend and he was somewhatuncomfortable doing it. Glenn, I now understand your reservations about thatmoment.After the unexpected death of actress Natasha Richardson last year Glenn wroteabout just how fragile our existence is. He wrote I feel awkward in making acelebrity death seem more or worse than the constant circle of life and death thatgoes on around us every day. Its just that her death brings into such sharp focushow vulnerable we all are.Glenns death brings that vulnerability into focus as well. But he wouldnt wanthis own death to be blown out of proportion either. But he would want thisservice to be entertaining, I believe.
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uring the years I knew Glenn, we took part in several events that promoted gayequality. He rode in the Alabama Stonewall
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emocrats truck in the Pride Parade.He took part in a protest against an ex-gay ministry that attempts to pray the gayaway. And he spoke at some gay-straight alliance meetings. After the ex-gayprotest I think he really realized that kids are still suffering and being put throughmental anguish, something he had dealt with in the past, but had not reallyrealized was still going on, until that day. He wrote, An image that will alwaysstay with me is that of a young teenager being driven by what seemed to be hisparents, (to the church). He slowly raised his hand and, hidden from those in thefront seat of the car, waved at us as he was being driven into the all day seminar.His sad face haunts me. I have been there. My prayers are with him.Glenn often spoke; and wrote; about the love that his family members showedhim; his grandmothers and his mother and his siblings. But he would also talkabout his love for them and his concerns when there was a problem, large or
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