May 11, 2007

Update on Chris, May 11, 2007

Thanks for all the messages (especially Cooper's delirium tremens).

Chris is still in the hospital (5/11), but we hope he will be back at the house some time next week.

He really appreciates all the notes. Adrienne & I have been reading them to him, so keep them coming!

Thanks

Tim & Adrienne

7 comments:

Cooper said...

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to let you know I am coming up to Chicago on May 22-25. I am not sure how many of you are in Chicago, but I'd love to see you while I am there.

Michael

Anonymous said...

Good to talk to Mike Cooper and Mike Funkey and especially Chris Murtaugh on the phone the other day during Cooper's trip to Chicago. Murtaugh, we are all always sending our love and prayers your way. I know you had an awful weekend, but you were strong enough to pull through. It was good to talk to you briefly on the phone. Brought tears to my eyes to hear that deep Murtaugh voice.

Cooper and Funkey also told me they were listening to the infamous recording made in New Orleans in the early 90's and was then sent to Dublin to keep Cooper from being too homesick. If memory serves, the night included Rock and Bowl, a long diatribe from Charles Lussier, speeding grocery carts and some unfair indictments of boorish Irish behavior.

I got to thinking why we made that tape, and remembered it was a response to a tape Cooper had sent from Ireland. Lo and behold, after digging through my stately pile of mess that takes up the northwest corner of any apartment I occupy, I found the green "Cassette Post" (7.5 minutes per side) that Cooper sent us and that had somehow made the journey with me from New Orleans to Spokane to Missoula to Belize to Missoula to San Francisco to Berkeley.

It's amazing the range of topics that Mike Cooper, two Irish "lasses" (Anne and Edel) and many clinking pints of Guinness can cover in 15 minutes. I only have room for these highlighted exchanges:

"Irish TV sucks!"
-Michael Cooper

"You shut your $%#!! arse and go back to Texas and JR, honky-tonk boy!"
- Anne, maybe Edel

*****************

"No....not New Or-LEENS. N'awlins."
- Michael Cooper

"NEW ORLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENS!!!!"
-Anne and Edel, in unison, with unusual joy and verve

*****************

"One of the cooks I work with looks like Winona Ryder. She's really cool."
- Michael Cooper

No response from Anne or Edel.

****************
"Oh! I got mugged and lost 500 pounds. I've been through Dallas, New Orleans, New York and LA and end up getting mugged in Dublin of all places. Who gets mugged in Dublin?"
- Michael Cooper

Still no response from Anne or Edel.

*****************

"The second night I'm here, we have a party. I had to break up two fights. Anne only got involved when it looked like someone might break here telly."
- Michael Cooper

"It's me telly!!"
- presumably Anne
*****************

(Michael also gave the address: 103 Upper Rathmines Road, Rear Mews, Dublin 6, Ireland. In case anyone's interested.)

WE LOVE YOU MURTAUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Tom Molanphy

Anonymous said...

Chris,
Remember those "Crash and Burn" fish bowl nasty- dare I say - 'Ponchatrain gang green' drinks from Copelands? I believe Mr. Jason Price, you and I set a record that beautiful evening on the cusp of adulthood. We were celebrating our last college exam which somehow feels like yesterday now. If I could only fill up an IV tube with the memories of how much laughter and love you intoxicate a room with...I'm sure that would make you feel better. Just thinking of all the great times you have given me makes me smile. All of your friends are praying for you. Stay strong. XOXO Love,Suzanne

Unknown said...

Chris:

Got an email from Suzanne today and guidance to this blog.

There isn't a week that goes by quite frankly that I don't think back to the "glory days" of school in New Orleans and wish just for one day that all of us could go back to that time and place again.

I have to tell you that I have a wonderful life now, an amazing wife, a great career, and all the things that I dreamed about 15 years ago in school. But honestly, those days back then were the best times of my life and you were there to share that with me.

I know that we have lost touch with each other over time, and in the spirit of those fond memories from yesteryear that you were so much a part of, I sincerely regret that we lost track of each other.

I always remember the times that you and I would sit up in your room and play guitar...still to this day when I hear the "Singles" soundtrack and the song "Nearly Lost You" by the Screaming Trees I think of you as I remember that you really tried hard to learn that one. I laugh because I can recall a time when all I heard as I walked by your door when I'd come home from class is you practicing that song...time and time again. To this day, it sticks with me.

Chris, I know you are having a rough time of it as of late and I cannot tell you how heartfully sorry I am to hear that.

All of my prayers and thoughts are with you my friend. Stay strong and know that thinking about you and our times past has brought a tremendous smile on my face today.

Most sincerely - Jason Price

Anonymous said...

Chris -
It was great to see you last week. I know last weekend was a tough one. I was so proud to see that you had come off the ropes and landed some crushing body-blows to this horrible disease. You won that round! Your strength and courage have always left me inspired. And last week was no exception.

I just heard from Suzanne that you are going into Hospice Care and I want you to keep fighting! We are all praying for you. I know this is a difficult journey. I can not imaging what you face every day. I am reminded of those late-night, long-walks home from the Warren Zanes rent parties on Tchopitoulas. St. Charles seemed to go on forever. The streets were humid and foggy and we always seemed to be a few blocks behind, the distant hum of the street car. I would watch you put one steel-toed boot in front of the other and eventually Broadway would appear. Stay the course. Keep fighting!
Love,
Funkey

Anonymous said...

Yo Chris!

Ah-hah, Tim points out that I was mistaken in my last post. It was indeed the Stones, not the Whites who used to regal us with delicious family-appropriate pop each block party. Matt LaFramboise used to dance and dance and dance. Good times. I can still picture that silly St. Tim's Tiger in his sequins overalls and tap shoes.

Incidentally someone told me a band called "the Stones" (that I've never heard of) sold out Soldier Field recently -- couldn't be the same band could it?

Anyhowst, thinking about you and the many great memories of growing up on Morse Ave. Who can forget our ill-fated attempt at creating a juice company from the Smiths mulberry tree.

Listen, I'm still up for incorporating and giving "Morseview Mulberry Juice" a real chance at being something special. Because everybody knows there's nothing like the honest flavor of a freshly-pressed inner-city Mulberry! Yumma-dumma-doo!

Or Tim Smith taking a cr@pper in the gangway between our house and the Avignon's? God I can still remember (and smell) that like it was yesterday.

Or when you were the first on the block with Atari -- how many joysticks did we break? Good thing that video games never caught on after that or I could have wasted a lot of my time on them.

Be well.

John Glynn

Anonymous said...

Chris,

I was going through some photo albums last night and I came across some pictures from New Years Eve '95, Cooper's wedding and a day we went to the bar on Lincoln Ave(where they filmed The Color of Money - I can't remember the name of the bar, but I don't think it's there anymore). I thought you would enjoy seeing the pictures so we emailed them to Steady and she's going to put them on your blog.

Mike was so glad he was able to spend last Tuesday with you! It meant a lot to him to hang out with you, Cooper, Hoffman and to see everyone! You are always in our thoughts and prayers! We love you very much and we just want you to know how much you mean to us!

Love,

Lori