(Song not much related to the topic except the video seemed suitable. Great song though.)
UPDATE: They took the video down. Whatever.
I found out not long ago that Kirk Sorrell had died while traveling in Columbia. We hadn't talked for about 6 years after a falling out when we were traveling in Brazil but we used to talk on a more regular basis. After the falling out we grew apart and he wasn't the sort of person to rebuild bridges; instead I would hear what he was doing through mutual friends.
It would be wrong to say his death was a surprise. He was a complex person, prone to severe depression and moods of the darkest sort. He was also wonderfully funny and unique. And when in the mood he could be charming, kind, and generous. He was a fixture in my life for many years. We went to middle school basketball camp, played high school basketball together (he was pretty good, I was not), and did a lot of really stupid shit when we were in high school. Kirk was there the first time I went to a party in high school. Later we would realize together that they were bullshit and we would go out on our own with our other friends. He grew up to become far more savvy and world-wise than I will ever be, traveling solo to countries all over the world for months at a time, experiencing cultures in a way that most people never do.
Before he was a world traveler we cut our teeth in the suburbs of San Jose. One night someone, I'm not sure how, gave us directions to a party in Almaden. The thing was being put on by students from a different high school, which was good, because
1. They let us in.
2. It was CRAZY. Crimped hair and leggings and hard booze and a keg and all sorts. I remember turtlenecks. Z Cavaricci jeans. Guess everything.
3. 25 cent shots at the 'bar'. The house had a wet bar where the host set up a deal where you could take shots for 25 cents. I had never taken a shot before. I had certainly never tasted liquor like whiskey or vodka. We didn't even know what to do so we kind of caged the joint, tried not to get pummeled by the dudes in letterman jackets and bellied up to the bar. I got out a bill and laid it on the bar and said, "It's a five." And thus did I 'buy' shots for Kirk and me and whoever else was nearby. It was a good investment since Kirk and I laughed about it over drinks for many years thereafter.
He had been to Colombia at least once before this last trip and loved it. His death was officially described as a suicide with suspicious circumstances and that's about as much as you're going to get from them for a relatively poor gringo traveler in Columbia. Inasmuch as I knew him it would be crude to speculate. He's gone now, and he was a hell of a guy.
Kirk was 38.
4 comments:
Catfish's quick comebacks and sense of humor were undeniably infectuous and had me constantly in stitches. One of the few, if only, guys that I shared more laughs with than normal conversation. Hot Damn. You'll be sadly missed buddy. RIP.
He was one of the few people whose attire in 95 degree weather was the same as in minus 6 degree weather; dickie shorts, lo-top socks and long sleeve "Vandelay Industries" t-shirt. RIP
You know when I went to Cartagena on vacation a few months back, I learned about Kirk and it got the best of my curiosity on who this guy was. I just learned that he was only two months older then me and read his story on a Colombian local news web site. I stayed in the same apartment building where he was for 4 months and I spoke to his friends, the guys that he hanged around with and they told me the story on how it happened. Let me tell you that there wasn't anything suspicious about his death in fact he had mention about killing himself before. I asked one of his friends that if he had mentioned it before why didn't he do anything about it? He said that he thought that he wasn't serious or he was just playing around. I right of way understood that in a place like Colombia they don't have that kind of training or if they have any suicidal prevention places, if they do its probably for local people only. You see in the Military they teach us that once a person mentions that, even as a joke, we take it very serious and automatically consider it a red flag and we have to report it to our superiors. Anyway, all I can say that your friend drank and drank everyday and spent lots of money on going out partying and anything else you can think of. Not sure about drugs but I wouldn't doubt it at all since his friends consumed them all the time. His actions of how he behaved everyday was kind of like Nicholas Cage from the movie Leaving Las Vegas, and I'm not being sarcastic is just on how I pictured his whole last days scenario. I feel really sorry for your's friend loss and I thank you for posting your story, I know now something from this guy named Kirk Sorrel. May he Rest in Peace!
I was searching for Kirk online. I was sad to discover this post. I spent a lot of time with Kirk at school and at open gym. We both loved basketball and were very indifferent about being teenagers. We both had high hopes for adulthood. I know Kirk is in a better place, smirking and sharing his sarcasm and wit with his new pals on the other side.
Post a Comment