It is my professional opinion that now is the time to PANIC! | | | | The gods found someone crazier. Blake Krikorian showing off his new toy to his new friends. Kenya, 2014.
(David Sze) | | | | | | “It is my professional opinion that now is the time to PANIC!”
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| | rantnrave:// "My best friend is the man who in wishing me well wishes it for my sake." - Aristotle
Hard to believe that it's been a year since my best friend BLAKE KRIKORIAN left early to set up heaven for his friends. Not a day goes by where I don't think about him. And it hits me at random moments. Still sad, but with smiles now. Because memories of great people turn to stories which turn to smiles and laughs. Below were my feelings the day of his memorial last year. I feel every bit the same now. Today would have been his 49th birthday. I'll be with his friends and family celebrating him...
"I met Blake 12 years ago in a place where most people meet their future best friends. Vegas... I had heard about a device that let you watch your TV wherever you were on your computer or phone. THE SLINGBOX... So I was in VEGAS for CES and we went to breakfast... I loved the guy right away. The biggest, most infectious smile I’ve ever seen... A personality and way that lifted a room... No ego. Huge balls. And most importantly, an amazing sense of wonder... We kept in touch over the next year and he kept prodding me to leave my job and join him and Jason at Sling. His final pitch may have been the worst ever. But Blake understood people. And motivations. And he got me right away... We both loved being the underdog... Those awesome unfair fights... The ones we were supposed to lose. Like DAVID AND GOLIATH... He loved taking on Goliath... So this was the final conversation:... “C’mon dude. We’ll have so much fun. But one thing though, we’re probably going to get sued by every cable company, television network and sports team.”... “So you’re taking a stream of video that one can argue doesn’t belong to us and all those companies are going to sue us. You think we can do this?”... And like TOM CRUISE in “MISSION IMPOSSIBLE” he looked me right in the eye, with that s*** eating grin and said:... “Oh, we’re going to do this!”... That was quintessential Blake... And that was it. I was in... The beginning of an awesome friendship... Many know Blake from the tech and media circles. But to know Blake was to know his family. Because they came together as a package. Blake, CATHY, LAUREN and EMMA. Within weeks of joining Sling, BEN WHITE and I went over to their old house... And I can remember Lauren and Emma coming to the door. Just munchkins. No taller than 2 foot 7 in top hats... If you were a close friend, you were family... Blake loved his family... The secret to Blake is Cathy... Together since they were 17... Every crazy person has a straight person... That’s how they succeed... Cathy, the love of his life, was his rock... I never saw them fight. Never saw them argue. I just saw unconditional love. The kind of relationship that any of us would strive for... Well, to be honest, I did see Blake argue. Not Cathy. Just Blake... You see, with the love of his life, he could be a 15 year-old sometimes... Earlier this summer I witnessed Blake trying to start an argument with Cathy over the phone about some inane house issue down in MALIBU... I listened for about 2 mins and said:... “Dude, stop being a jerk, just tell her you miss her and you want to come down for the weekend.”... And within a second, he admitted he wasn’t upset about anything and just wanted to be with her... At 48 years old, more than 30 years together. He was still just a little kid trying and (at first) failing to say something sweet to the girl he loved... That was quintessential Blake... Lauren and Emma. His babies... There are really no words that could describe the love he had for you both... Pure pride and joy. He talked about you every day... Every day... And never, ever, without a huge, huge smile... Lauren, he was so proud of the person you’ve become... The creativity. The curiosity. The sensitivity. Always insisting I read your scripts... The day he found out you got into USC Film school he was just the proudest Dad I’ve ever seen. And all of us are so looking forward to the stories you will create in the years to come... Emma, I remember him calling me from a big Volleyball tournament that you guys went to... “Dude, wrong sport, but it’s like BRING IT ON on steroids. Like hundreds of courts. It’s crazy. She’s good!”... You were his baby. I see so much of him in you... Looking at all the pictures in the last few weeks... Clearly a partner in crime and a lover of his goofy side. A healthy dose of fun, joyful sarcasm and kindness... And his bros... JASON, Blake had so much respect for you. He loved you, he depended on you. He’s told Cathy, me and others that Sling would not have happened if not for you... You were such a calming and loving influence in his life. And again, it comes through not only in all the stories we have, but in those amazing pictures you’ve unearthed. Those are memories I hope you turn to every time sadness overcomes you. They’ve helped me... ADAM, watching you on TV in the last few weeks and seeing you in all the coverage and sometimes I swear I see Blake. The energy, the positivity, the smile. What a source of love and pride you were for him. I see a little of his bravado and excitement in your son, JACK... GARY and JOYCE, I have to ask you..... What the hell did you serve for breakfast in that house that you produced these 3 stars?... Let’s face it. Bagels and bacon got me here, so I need some pointers. I want to be successful and happy like them... The legacy of your sons and grandchildren is beautiful and impressive. Blake loved you so much and I hope to get to know you more in the years to come so I can see where all this greatness came from... We shouldn’t have to say goodbye so soon to such a wonderful soul. But think about the gifts he left us. The memories. The stories. The laughs. The achievements. The lessons. The way he lived life. Even when down, he pushed through. Fun and hard every day... They aren’t replacements, but they are gifts... I think I speak for all of us. We miss him so much, but nothing changes in regards to his friends... You are family. And we’d like to be there for every moment you would have us. We have so many stories that we want to share. And we certainly want the same from you... And if I overstay in the poolhouse, Cathy, you promise to tell me when to leave. My radar is a little off... I miss him without measure. But, the endless memories and stories will keep me smiling when I think of him... Like Januarys... Since I met Blake, January is my favorite month of the year. Blake and I would meet Jason, MARQUEZ, DIETZ, BEDOL, BENNY, LANZONE, QUINCY and many others for the Consumer Electronics Show, again in Vegas... A bunch of man-children there to see new toys... I’d always get there a little late on the first day and without fail I’d walk into our suite and the television would be off the wall... He’d be rewiring or installing something for the weekend... Or reconfiguring the sound system... This was commonplace everywhere he went... He loved to tinker... The fact that it wasn’t his stuff was of no consequence. He was going to make it better... I remember once he must have ordered the entire room service menu. Mike Marquez was with us. The waiter rolled in about 6 carts and looked around the room and the mess that Blake was working on... He just turned to the waiter and said. “Dude, trust me.”... That was quintessential Blake... One evening, I had gone downstairs to gamble and when I came back up, the suite door was open... Blake, Jason and others were in their underwear playing ROCK BAND... God knows what song... Grown men... Blake turned around and looked at me and said: “Dude, I’m so pissed. We saw TONY BENNETT in the elevator but he didn’t want to come in and sing with us. Grab a guitar.”... Grown men. Vegas... Later in the month, Blake, Cathy and I would go to The SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL and see 4-5 movies a day... Well, at least Cathy and I would see 4-5. Blake a few less... Why?... He was in his hotel room nursing the drone he crashed into the side of the hotel. And this is when no one had drones... The table would have wires, parts, and propellers all over. It looked like he put an Xbox in a blender... But that was quintessential Blake... And when he did come with us to the movies. God forbid it was a documentary about some social malfeasance or oppression. He would just be set off... He would squirm in his seat... "No way dude! That’s so unfair! Those f***ers! We have to do something about this!”... Could have been political corruption, drug cartel wars or governmental conspiracies against THE BLACK PANTHERS... I swear to you, with Cathy as my witness, after one film, I thought Blake was going to join the Black Panthers... I guarantee you he was looking for black leather jackets and turtlenecks online that night... It was one of his many wonderful qualities... He felt stuff. He felt stuff deeply... A tremendously sensitive and empathetic man. He didn’t like bullies, injustice or cruelty... That was quintessential Blake... A very kind man... A great friend... A friend that knew when you needed him and never made you ask... A little over a year ago, after our friend GOLDIE passed away. It was Blake that pushed me to get a full check up... That prodding saved my life... The day I was diagnosed with heart disease he was the first person I called. He came to LA. He took me to every doctor. Asked questions when I couldn’t. He was the last face I saw before surgery and the first when I woke up... The first thing I remember was Blake saying:... “Dude, you made it kid. You did great.”... And I kept pointing my thumb down at him... “Are you ok, dude?”... When they took the tube out I said:... “Dude, I love you, but you have to keep it down. You’re so loud it sounds like you’re singing show tunes.”... My first words... He turned to my sister:... “Oh, he’s going to be just fine.”... And later I recuperated at his house in Malibu... He took care of me when I needed taking care of. And Cathy, Lauren and Emma were ok with that. For this and many countless reasons I love them so much. It was the greatest kindness I've ever known... That was quintessential Blake... A very kind man. With a very kind family... I spent a lot of time in the last few years with Blake in Malibu. He was like the town mayor... Everywhere we went, they knew him... The family’s favorite place to eat is BUI SUSHI... He loved it... Earlier in the summer, I witnessed Blake give an off the cuff speech to the manager on why one of the rolls had to jettison the peppercorn... 20 minutes to the manager... “Listen, I get the peppercorn for presentation purposes. But it ruins the roll. I’m saying this because I care. Look around the restaurant, everyone is taking the peppercorn off. You tried, It didn’t work. We iterate and we improve.”... This actually happened... Everywhere he went. He was always tinkering... And that was quintessential Blake... The last time I saw him was July 3rd. We spent the morning with CASEY WASSERMAN and his son EMMET talking about sneakers and drones. Just another day with Blake... Later he went surfing and I went for a ride. When I came back to the house. I got out of the car as he was just getting out of his... "Dude, can you believe it's been a year since the surgery? Look how good you're doing. I'm so glad you're here."... I'm so thankful that I got to hug him, say thank you and "Love ya Dude."... He was the happiest and most content I’ve ever seen him. He left nothing unsaid and was exactly where he wanted to be. That gives me a lot of comfort... That is the Blake I will think about every day and remember... I’ve had friends for much longer than I’ve known Blake... But I’ve never had a better friend... As many of you know his favorite movie was THE BIG LEBOWSKI. And as fate would have it the actor that portrayed him in the film passed away the same day Blake did... If there is a heaven. Blake is there right now. Rewiring GOD’s media room. Installing a webcam on the pearly gates. And hanging with Lebowski... He was 1 in 37,000,000... We have to leave this on a high note. One where he can hear us. So, with Cathy’s permission, and I checked…... Let’s, on the count of the three, literally as loud as you can, scream at the top of your lungs:... “We love you, Dude.”... And then cap that off with cheers, applause, and noise that will make this place shake... On the count of 3. One-Two-Three... “We love you, Dude.”... [over 700 people did this at enormous volume]... We love you, Blake"
Happy Birthday to BLAKE KRIKORIAN, JON LOVETT, CHRIS KELLY, CORINNA PIELOCH, and LAURA NELSON. | | | - Jason Hirschhorn, curator |
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