I’ve heard the news today that Patrice O’Neal is no longer with us. I’ll admit, I followed him very much from afar, and he was by no means one of my favorites, but I’ve known who he was and I’ve known he was a funny, funny man and I’ve at least liked him for several years. I’ll make this post laconic because I don’t want it to seem like some skinny white guy is jumping on the bandwagon of sorrow over his death, but just know, it does affect me. Not nearly as much as Ryan Dunn’s death affected me, but Patrice O’Neal was as well, now that I look back, actually another one of the reasons I initially started making Youtube videos back in the formative years of 7th or 8th grade, and as we known, beginning the Youtube videos is what catalyzed what I will be doing for the rest of my life. In fact, as evidence, I’d like you to read this excerpt from a post I made on this very blog on July 29th, 2008.
Would you guys like the hear a little known fact? Originally, I created “Everybody Loves Chad Wick” [My first video ever] in hopes of someday being on Web Junk. This was of course, far before I knew how crappy the show was. I guess you could say, though, that even though it is the worst show ever, Web Junk is essentially responsible for Reubnick.
This came from a whole post, eloquently titled “Why “Web Junk 2.0″ sucks completely,” about my disappointment towards how awful that show had become written in a typically exclamation mark riddled, overdramatic manner of an 8th grader. I remembered, even at the time, always watching Patrice O’Neal’s Web Junk on VH1 and wishing so badly I could wind up on there so he could make fun of me. This is the truth, so stick a needle in my eye.
I will miss him. I knew very little about him other than Web Junk, the Office and some stand-up specials so I won’t claim I was much of a dedicated fan, but I will admit, I am sad about this.
For whatever contributions he made to who I am now, I thank him.
