Paul Newman lived his life to the fullest
Posted Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at 10:26 AM Central
by John Couture
"It's better to burn out than to fade away"
- Neil Young, 1978, "Hey Hey, My My"
"It's better to burn out than to fade away"
- Kurt Cobain, 1994, Last line of his suicide note
"Is it better to burn out or fade away?"
- Barry, 2000, High Fidelity
This weekend was certainly a sad one for the film community. We lost a legend with the passing of Paul Newman. And yet, when I combed the Internet, I was shocked to see a disturbing trend among the younger generation. Many of them expressed an indifference towards Newman because they weren't sure who he was.
Of course, they immediately pictured him when you said, "he's the salad dressing guy."
I'm not sure how this makes me feel, but I do know that it is a critique of the central question that Neil Young first posed in 1978 and quoted in 2000's High Fidelity, "Is it better to burn out or fade away?"
Paul Newman faded away and lived a long life. His illness at the end of his life was well publicized and we all knew that it was a matter of when, not if. And yet, if you ask the average American to talk about James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Newman or even Kurt Cobain, they would probably have the most trouble placing Paul Newman.
The others obviously all died young, or burned out as the saying goes. More recently, we can compare Newman's death with that of Heath Ledger's untimely demise. Thanks to his haunting performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight, which was released posthumously, Ledger has arguably reached a higher level of awareness in death than at anytime while he was alive.
Meanwhile, most people will first recall the salad dressing or the race car team Newman owned before remembering him as Luke, Butch or Reggie Dunlop.
But whose crime is it anyway? Is it the fault of a younger generation with too much ADD to go back appreciate movies before they included such phrases as CGI and special effects? Is it the film community as a whole for catering to the youth movement by not coming up with fresh material for aging stars? Or is it society's morbid fascination with unfulfilled potential over the stately airs of a long and prosperous career?
The answer may elude us forever, but one thing is for certain. The central thesis posed by Neil Young will be debated for just as long.
I don't know if it's better to burn out or fade away, but I do know that it's important to embrace a zeal for life everyday because it is far too short and we have countless stories of stars burning out before their time.
This weekend, I challenge you to watch a Paul Newman movie no matter how old you are. Relive a favorite memory or discover a new side Paul Newman that you weren't familiar with.
Whatever the case, support a great actor who faded away and will still go down as a Hollywood legend.