The Irrepressible

The world is full o' complainers. An' the fact is, nothin' comes with a guarantee. Now I don't care if you're the pope of Rome, President of the United States or Man of the Year; somethin' can all go wrong. Now go on ahead, y'know, complain, tell your problems to your neighbor, ask for help, 'n watch him fly. Now, in Russia, they got it mapped out so that everyone pulls for everyone else... that's the theory, anyway. But what I know about is Texas, an' down here... you're on your own.

[opening narration, "Blood Simple" (1984)]

The great M. Emmet Walsh passed away recently at the grand old age of 88. The creation of his (arguably?) most memorable character was quite the collaboration between the pen of the Coen Brothers and the talent & moxy of this exceptional character actor. He gambled on these fledgling movie makers, and with incredible self assuredness, developed a distinctive Texan drawl and demeanour in his portrayal of Private Detective Visser - even more impressive coming from one raised in the great Anglo-Saxon state of Vermont (albeit of Irish lineage).

You know, you know, a friend of mine a while back broke his hand and put it in a cast. Very next day, he falls, protects his bad hand, and he breaks his good one. So he breaks it too, you know. So, now he's got two busted flippers. So, I says to him: "Creighton," I says. "I hope your wife really loves you, because for the next five weeks, you can't even wipe your own god damn ass." [laughs]

Now at this point, I would normally be inclined to draw parallels between my subject and software development. I might compare this exceptional professional to the exemplar in an Agile team environment - a phenomenal supporting actor to his peers, possessing an undeniable knack for making each project a success, and thereby making everyone look good. Or, I might digress and ramble on about the entrepreneurial feat that the Coens pulled off here to kickstart a remarkable career, and how it reminds us of some of those in the tech space. How much is pure luck and pure genius? Hindsight usually does not lie (too much).

Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple.

[Gene Wilder's Wonka (I mean, is there really any other?), while making a mysterious formula]

But let's not digress here...

This post is about celebrating the life and works of a great American actor.

This link was the first thing that popped up on Google.

M. Emmet RIP.