Dr. Morbius (Bill Weber) RIP

fp-ing and moving on

Just saw this. I'm a sporadic poster and had few if any direct interactions with him, but I knew he was dealing with cancer and was glad that he'd gone to be with family — was glad to know that he had family who'd care for him! Always sensed the world had really changed in a profoundly dispiriting way for him, as Alfred suggests, and admired his sheer persistence despite it. I read the occasional review he did on Slant and would be kind of surprised by how smart and sensible he sounded when here he seemed so much to be a needle in people's sides! But he was a quintessential presence on this board, and I'm particularly sorry to hear of his passing for all of you who've been close to him over the years. RIP.

fp-ing and moving on

― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson)

otm. neither the time nor the place for that kind of thing.

I knew he was dealing with cancer and was glad that he'd gone to be with family — was glad to know that he had family who'd care for him!

We commiserated a couple times on how our nieces charmed and exasperated us as gay bachelors.

Alfred, your tribute was lovely. Slow curtain. The end.

I detest cheap sentiment.

Thanks, Eric. It's you and me now, kid.

Killer to killer.

I remember us throwing back G&Ts at Julius', and very shortly after that seeing Julius' major supporting role in "Can You Ever Forgive Me" and realizing CYEFM is as much as a Bill Weber New York Fever Dream of a movie as I've ever watched -- it's utterly within his universe. That stubborn tenacity of being the kind of aging New Yorker who writes Tallulah Bankhead biographies no one reads and chats with the bartender as the afternoon light streams through the window of the battered old gay haunt.

Was happy when he finally started The Sopranos (library copy) and for once had nothing snarky to say about contemporary television, since he knew and recognized the New Jersey terrain so well. Good to see a different side of him in those threads.

i really looked up to him in spite of having a few bad interactions with him over the years. i thought of him as one of a few parental figures on the lgbtq threads. i'm sadder than i thought i would be just because i didn't apologize or connect with him beyond the bullshit. weird how someone can approach being 'family' even when you don't make enough of an effort. really nice to read all the tributes.

gb I was thinking about Morbs and that movie when I was lying awake last night contemplating the end and feeling isolated, provincial, ungenerous, and unambitious. xxp

Underneath the Morbs persona he was truly a scholar & from all accounts an IRL gentleman. He was one of my few almost-peers back in the classic ilx day, we bonded on vintage NYC anecdotage and didn't agree on much else but I respected his perspective. I knew he had health issues from his discreet FB posts, but hoped he was on the mend. So his loss is a sad shock. fuck 2020

I wish I had talked to Dr Morbius more about Jack Benny

xp map

don't feel too bad, map. sometimes just continuing to be there (here) says a lot. i think it definitely said a lot about bill, over the years, that he kept coming back too. around the time i joined ilx, it seemed like he was battling half of the board (sometimes the other way around, too). i think i probably said some mean or unfair things to him then, a couple of times, almost as a rite of passage. he never mentioned any of that stuff to me (and i hoped he had forgotten). he really was familial, in that way, and i'm sure if you would have met him, map, he would have been the same way toward you.

Pseu Braun giving a very sweet tribute to Bill right now on WFMU.

lol she just shouted out ilx and "Dr. Morbius"

RIP Morbius. One of my favorite posters ever here.

thanks km

RIP Dr Morbs

Always true to himself.

It's good to see so many of you got the chance to spend time with him in the real world and have such great memories.

Aw man, this is such sad news. I always loved having an unabashed leftist like Morbs on the politics threads. This place will be diminished without him.

one of the more remarkable things about him hanging out with me at DJ gigs was that I was often playing Ableton techno/house sets to crowds of drunk 20-somethings like myself, and he didn't care much for the music I was playing...but he hung out with me anyway.

lol just remembered when he came to a DJ night i did in brooklyn - i played this house-y edit of "you make loving fun" and he came up to me and said "what are you DOING to fleetwood mac??"

hahah

lol

that's great

finally had a chance to read all of this, very touching

ahaha, excellent.

of all the ILXors to be a dependable supporter of various ILXor DJ nights, he's not the first person I would've thought of.

"what are you DOING to fleetwood mac??"

:D

What a loss.
Rest in peace, Morbs.

Terrible news. RIP Morbs.

I didn't interact all that much with Dr Morbius on ILX, but one of the threads we would both post on was the "fuck cancer" thread, a sentiment that remains as true as ever. RIP Morbs. Fuck this year.

it was only a few nights ago that I found myself looking at ilxor.com for the first time in a looooooong, loooooong time, and thought about dr. morbz; mentioned it to gr80 and he told me he wasn't well. then 36 hours later, this news.

we never really got along and it is clear to me I never really "got" the guy the way so many of you did, and I regret that. I think there was one time, maybe in toronto, where our paths almost crossed and he invited me to join some folks for drinks—all I could think was, I thought this guy hated me! why would I join him?

of course, like so many moments in my life I can think of... I was being an idiot.

loved reading everyone's remembrances. hope you are all reasonably well and healthy in this harrowing time.

Without going into much personal detail, my family and I just spent an agonizing five days awaiting some test results which, thankfully, came back negative. Got to spend the following day elated, and then this news came through. Fuck cancer.

The Salon headline about Pauline Kael has been floating in my head all day -- "A gift for effrontry." Morbs, more than just about anyone else here who wasn't an out-and-out troll, had that.

One of the greats!

I have many photos of Bill, but I ain't in them. But I love this one taken last year:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs36FvBH-nytYV77XjOvAmXqsSTMXR4Q2ZZ0AM0/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs36FvBH-nytYV77XjOvAmXqsSTMXR4Q2ZZ0AM0/

Private Account! (I don't even own an insta!)

I thought I did it right this time. Hold.

It might be easier sharing them via twitter, Alf. There is no sign in requirement like with insta.

Right. Here's my little obit to him, with said photo. It's not so fresh because I used a few lines here.

I wish I had talked to Dr Morbius more about Jack Benny

― all cats are beautiful (silby), Friday, 23 October 2020 3:18 AM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

This is reminding me to good look for those threads where he talked about old radio shows. There’s some absolute gold in there.

This has really ambushed me emotionally. I regret never meeting him in person, but Bill was one of the most fun people to argue with. I am going to miss his wit and crankiness. I had to post this here because you all are the ones who are going to understand.

I want to post a heart emoji here but I can feel his disapproval already

haha yeah i've been alternating between feeling mushy and rolling my eyes at myself all day.

I’m not much of a poster but have been lurking for 10+ years. He was among the most distinct and singular posters on this board, his voice was strong (and funny!) and he’s leaving a big void. I will miss him very much.

That's a really beautiful obit, Alfred.

I haven't been to the fuck cancer thread in awhile.

Reading his posts over there and, whew. Definitely not the same guy who once asked me how much I ejaculated whenever Obama gave a speech.

did he ever completely get through The Sopranos to the end? I used to think it very amusing that in the era of the binge-watch, that even years after acknowledging he liked it - he still seemed to be on season 2 or 3, bless him!

this is sad, I'm sorry to see this. I had no idea what his real name was, but I saw Ally post this on Twitter and I just now made the connection. Awful.