Gabriel Byrne’s review of “What Fresh Lunacy is This?: The Authorized Biography of Oliver Reed, by Robert Sellers(August 03-Books-Book Reviews),” is such a phenomenal review with such rawness-that I am amazed so many just seem to go on disregarding Gabriel’s writing from experience, from the heart and soul and disregard him as a person thinking something to the extent: oh he’s just an actor, what does he know, or that he just writes to get attention! Well, I think Gabriel has several good points that people should be reminded of the next time they go to judge anyone-especially an alcoholic. “As a society we must begin to view this deadly illness not with condemnation but with compassion, and cease criminalising or romanticising the suffering of the addict. Let’s stop the prurient and voyeuristic media reporting of their sad travails(Lindsey Lohan, Amanda Bynes, Paul Gascoigne).” I mean, Gabriel is just so right-voyuerism one of the main demons of the world as a whole.

There is something out there-an article by Jack Solomon-an English professor at California State University in Northridge, who wrote an article about Voyuerism and how interconnected it can become to Sadism. Jack Solomon says “In between, there is the drawn-out agony of choosing the losers.” He also goes on to say “Rather the desire to watch others in their most intimate struggles.” Which can easily lead back to Gabriel’s idea. As I said in my English midterm about Voyeurism and Sadism: Not because of sadism do we as a society watch reality shows(or indeed anything about the mistakes of actors-drinking or drinking and drugs etc.), but because of voyuerism-our obsessiveness to watch others struggle, so that we in turn feel normal and part of the crowd, if we see others struggle like us too. Though sometimes(actually a lot of times!) we do so at the expense of the person on the reality based television show(or other media) struggling worse or ending up being humiliated in front of millions on television. In the end, we could consider ourselves as both individuals and as a society as slaves to both voyeurism and sadism.

I think Gabriel deserves more credit than he is given a lot of times. I think people should be less harsh on Gabriel-I mean he writes every now and again reviews that he does not have to. I mean, I am sure Gabriel at this point-at this stage in his life can give a toss who reads or does not read what he writes or whether or not people go see or do not go see films he is in or watch the television shows he is in. Or for that matter what people think of him after what he said on The Gathering even though he did not say it himself he quoted someone else as saying it was a joke(yes I have listened to it several times, and no where does Gabriel himself say it’s a joke/scam etc.). I think the world could do with more kindness towards one another and I s’pose for myself, I just hope/wish to work with Gabriel on some project-and to get to interview him. I think Gabriel as far as so many actors go-I think Gabriel is one of the greatest…and I hope he just keeps on shining!