The Soloist — a movie

The real story behind the movie:

I’d like to know why this guy is still running around with a shopping cart and apparently homeless when a journalist has made both himself and his subject famous with multiple articles, a book and a movie.

The journalist sounds sensitive to his subjects needs and his journey through what was clearly abuse by the psychiatric system, but I’ve got to wonder if there is not some level of exploitation happening.

Anyway I’ve done no research and haven’t seen the film. I do hope this man is handsomely rewarded for his gifts and talents as well as for inspiring big Hollywood bucks.

I just sent this letter to Steve Lopez the journalist:

Dear Steve,
I just saw a youtube video in which you speak of the movie about Nathaniel and give him an award at a Beethoven party. I could not help but wonder why when you’ve clearly made a fine living writing about your relationship with this man through articles, a book and now a movie with heavy duty star power, is Nathaniel still pushing around a cart and apparently homeless?

Has he not been compensated for his inspiration and integral part in the making of this industry of his life?

I hope so. I certainly hope we are not celebrating a homeless man who should now have at least as much as you.

I hope I will find out he is acting with agency and it is his choice to be pushing about that cart.

thank you,

Gianna Kali

5 thoughts on “The Soloist — a movie”

giannakali says:

April 26, 2009 at 12:31 pm

Mary,
I’ve not seen the movie though it’s been released. From what I understand Nathaniel does indeed choose to remain homeless. And that is his right in terms of self-determination.

I will send you the journalists email as well.

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mary maddock says:

April 26, 2009 at 12:23 pm

Well done, Gianna, could you give me the journalist’s email address please? I would like to send him an email as a musician who has survived and is now thriving despite the psychiatric system!!!

Love,

Mary. xx.

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giannakali says:

March 2, 2009 at 2:26 am

I got no response from the journalist which probably means that, yes, the guy is being brutally exploited.

Silence does not bode well. If he were acting with integrity I think my email would have been answered.

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kim says:

March 2, 2009 at 1:54 am

i’m too sick to watch the video right now and it probably won’t make sense in my current state. however, coming from someone who works for hollyweird, i am so happy you sent that letter. let me know if you get a response. i love robert downey, jr., as you know! and really wanted to see the film but i’m not a fan of jamie foxx and knowing now what you’ve posted here, i’m not giving them a penny.

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Sloopy says:

February 27, 2009 at 11:08 pm

That’s a strangely familiar story. And exploitation is exactly the word for it. There was a recent documentary about a British TV news anchor who also fell on bad times.

Through alcoholism and mental illness the man lost his £1m-a-year job and apparently lives today in a shelter on the beach at Brighton, a seaside town on the south coast of England.

The TV crew trailed their former colleague around for weeks, offering us an “exclusive insight” into his tragic life. The nation watched in horror as this once familiar face on our screens drank himself crazy and vomited in the street.

As the series unfolded, he managed to book himself in to a detox unit, but was soon booted out for carrying on with drink.

And so he returned to his beach shelter to drown his sorrows once again in the booze. And that’s where his former TV colleagues left him – homeless, filthy dirty, and lying in his own vomit.

WTF? Is that what they call entertainment these days?

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