Dear Tony Slattery, I've got to get something off my chest....

[pigamus]

It's the "partner of 35 years" bit I find shocking. I assumed he lived alone.

[Sony Walkman Prophecies]

Something from that interview raised a question:

A psychiatrist once said to me: 'Bear in mind that some things are so deeply buried there is nothing to be gained by an archeological dig. Keep it buried,'" he says.

Is that good advice? Would it be better to air that stuff?

Depends whether your goal is functioning day to day or some sort of Jungian self-reckoning. If the former, then it's probably good advice yeah.

[lankyguy95]

I can't be the only person here who saw this thread being bumped and assumed he'd got Corona and died.

Almost - I assumed he'd got Corona and hanged himself.

That must be the third or fourth worst thing I've ever said.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Would it be fair to say he's kind of like the George Best of comedy?

[Captain Crunch]

Probably fairer to say George Best is the Tony Slattery of darts.

[Cerys]

Dead and in the wrong game?

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Tony Slattery returns in Game Of Death

[Tony Yeboah]

Follow-up interview with the Slat Man https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/may/11/tony-slattery-this-terrible-thing-still-weighs-on-me-why-after-all-this-time

[Replies From View]

Would it be fair to say he's kind of like the George Best of comedy?

Or the George from Rainbow of comedy.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

A reminder that this starts tonight at 9pm on BBC Two. It's a tough watch.

[MinnieTimperley]

CHRIST!?!

[Mrs Wogans lemon drizzle]

Very sad.  Seems like his well meaning partner is enabling him.  And he could do with quitting the plonk.

[the science eel]

He HAS to quit the booze. It wasn't addressed.

The woman therapist really pissed me off when she said 'well now hm isn't it strange that you managed to quit cocaine so easily yet this is eluding you?' - and he sat back and rubbed his face and went 'wow...yes...I hadn't thought of that...' and she sat back smiling smugly.

We're talking about two very different things. In every case.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

And he could do with quitting the plonk.

D'you think?

[sick as a pike]

...Oh, I gave this a go, but it's too hard to watch.  Maybe I'll revisit.

[daimoniac]

apropos of nothing - here he is with the Suggestibles improv crew in Newcastle

https://youtu.be/SMYsZRCBmh8

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Lovely shirts.

[the science eel]

Did you get the two laughs?

[Mrs Wogans lemon drizzle]

D'you think?

Yeah I reckon he'd be a lot more chippa without the plonk.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Yeah I reckon he'd be a lot more chippa without the plonk.

You're probably right.

[daimoniac]

Did you get the two laughs?

alas, this level of improv is way above anything i can muster. i might go back for a second try when all this lockdown shite is done with. the suggestibles are pretty good live, as are the spin off group spontaneous wrecks.

when i saw this i was shocked to Tony him doing the circuit - i knew nothing of what had happened to him and just kind of thought he'd gone off to either do something else or got a production gig or something

[the science eel]

alas, this level of improv is way above anything i can muster. i might go back for a second try when all this lockdown shite is done with. the suggestibles are pretty good live, as are the spin off group spontaneous wrecks.

sorry! I meant in the Slattery doc

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

The woman therapist really pissed me off when she said 'well now hm isn't it strange that you managed to quit cocaine so easily yet this is eluding you?' - and he sat back and rubbed his face and went 'wow...yes...I hadn't thought of that...' and she sat back smiling smugly.

We're talking about two very different things. In every case.

I got the impression that, although he's very honest, Slattery was being polite in that scene. I find it difficult to believe that this has never occurred to him before, but as you say, just because you've managed to give up one form of substance abuse doesn't mean you can easily give up another one. It's not as straightforward as that, which is something you would expect a qualified therapist to be aware of.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

" ...which may have caused some brain damage."

FUCKING HELL.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Did you get the two laughs?

I'm not sure what you mean. I liked Tony's story about getting The Lord's Prayer wrong as a kid ("How are you by the way?") and the bit where he fell over in the corridor before pointing at the camera in a "Ha! Fooled you, I haven't actually collapsed" way. Were those the laughs you're referring to?

[the science eel]

I'm not sure what you mean. I liked Tony's story about getting The Lord's Prayer wrong as a kid ("How are you by the way?") and the bit where he fell over in the corridor before pointing at the camera in a "Ha! Fooled you, I haven't actually collapsed" way. Were those the laughs you're referring to?

Yes!

And the very last bit, where they asked him a silly question as he was sat in the chair, alone. That was sweet.

So three, then.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Ah! Of course. And yeah, the last line was rather lovely.

I thought that was a very well-made programme. In lesser hands it could've come across as voyeuristic, exploitative, sentimental and patronising, but instead it was very sensitive and honest.

Slattery worrying about coming across as self-absorbed was something most of us can relate to?

[ImmaculateClump]

Aw man, poor Tony.
Lots I could relate to in that. I'm gonna try and stop drinking.
Man, you could just feel the pain, it was exhausting just looking at his face sometimes.
I'd been worried about him since I heard that radio interview Iain Lee did with him. Hope he's in a better place now.
He seems like such a kind, gentle bloke.
I know exactly what he means about those fucking forms where you have to turn emotions into numbers. It's so hard, I used to dread doing those!
Was nice to see his boyfriend stuck by him through everything. He could have been long gone without that kind of support.

Very sad.  Seems like his well meaning partner is enabling him.

Yeah, I did think that too, he could be doing as much harm as he's doing good. Complicated.

[Dewt]

that destroyed me

i think more than anything that he is worried about getting help being a self-indulgent thing but that it might be okay if somebody who isn't him is helped as a side effect

i know exactly how that is. that it can't be anything real or important that is wrong with you, it's other people who deserve that.

there was maybe a five minute break in the entire thing where i wasn't shaking with tears

[the science eel]

Ah! Of course. And yeah, the last line was rather lovely.

I thought that was a very well-made programme. In lesser hands it could've come across as voyeuristic, exploitative, sentimental and patronising, but instead it was very sensitive and honest.

Slattery worrying about coming across as self-absorbed was something most of us can relate to?

Yes, I think so. Notice how often he used the word 'self-indulgent'? and a couple of synonyms (so maybe he was aware he could be repeating himself)?

Did they call him an alcoholic at any point during the show? I don't think they did. It was all this talk about 'cutting down', which is a bit like telling a self-harmer that they can just slap themselves a bit. Unhelpful.