Steve Lopez's Opening Blog
The conversation begins. Pick your topic.
Music, medicine, friendship, happiness, sanity, public policy, books, movies. I'll answer questions about the book, about Mr. Ayers, about the inspirational work at Lamp Community and the generosity of several members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Music, medicine, friendship, happiness, sanity, public policy, books, movies. I'll answer questions about the book, about Mr. Ayers, about the inspirational work at Lamp Community and the generosity of several members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Dear Mr. Lopez,
My name is Shannon Johnson and I am a Music Education Major in Arlington, Texas. I was given the opportunity to read your book as a non-fictional work for my content area, and I must say I was struck with encouragement and hope. I was starting to feel burned out with all the pressures to obtain a degree in the music realm, but this book inspired me to love music as it is, not what the institutions dictate to us. No one recommended this book to me, it was the first appealing book I came across in the Card Catalog. Monday evening I am presenting a book report to my class over the Soloist, and I will also be promoting the movie. Thank you for not only inspiring me to help others in need, but to regain that passion for music and teaching I can soon pass along to the next generation.
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I went to John Hay High School with Nathaniel. I was wondering if they are going to have a premier in Cleveland for the movie? We had a combine class reunion August 23, 2008 and we recommended your book and the movie to the class members. Many asked about a special Cleveland showing of the movie.
I read your book and found it very engaging. It was an easy ready and it was hard to put down. Yours and Nathaniel's stories are so compelling. Your journey into his world and your courageous efforts to bring him back to yours was arduous and fascinating at once.
Hope to hear from you soon.
gail
Thanks in advance for your reply.
gail
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Dear Mr. Lopez,
I started reading " The Soloist" last evening. I have not been able to put the book down. I hope the movie does the book justice. I have read all your other books and my husband and I really miss your column in Philadelphia. We use to look forward to the days your column was in the Philadelphia Inquirer and loved to discuss your take on our local politics. From time to time I check out your LA times column, although not knowing the LA politics or players puts me at a disadvantage.
Take care and congratulations on this wonderful book.
Marci G.
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Dear Mr. Lopez,
Unfortunately, I am not an avid reader. However, I saw your interview on Tavis Smiley awhile back & was totally captivated by this story & this man's life. I asked my husband (who by the way is an avid reader)to order "The Soloist" immediately. And, like your other readers, I could not put this book down. I have been promoting your book ever since to everyone that I know & cannot wait for the movie to premier in 3/09. I can already sense Oscar Buzz for Jaime Fox & Robert Downey, Jr. They were perfectly cast! My thoughts & prayers are always with the extraordinary Mr. Ayers.
Congratulations & continued success!
Stacey H.
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I remember an article you wrote in the Phil Inquirer about our culture's overwhelming array of options using cereal as the example. If I remember correctly, the title was "Help! It's the Cereal Aisle!" and it compared our food availability with Russia's at the time (I believe early 90s). Is it available on-line for reading?
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Hi Stefanie.
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Thank you Jeff. I will check my files again. The article had an impact on me and I enjoyed the combination of heart, humor, and lesson. By the way, I took your advice and tried searching the Inquirer (for about the fifth time) and had no better luck than you. I hope it surfaces somewhere. It's worth a rerun - especially in light of today's efforts to pare down waste and go "green." Thanks for your efforts and response.
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Hi Mr. Lopez
I got "The Soloist" for Christmas and read it with great interest. I was with Jennifer at a meeting when she recieved the first phone call from you. She has been keeping me up to date, but I did not know all the marvelous details of your friendship with Mr. Ayers. In looking over the trailer, the different videos about him, 60 minutes, etc. I have cried so many times. Not just because I know Jen, but because of the depth, trust and time that your friendship has taken. The book was beautiful and I am sure that the movie will be also. Good Luck to both you and Mr. Ayers.
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I attended the film "Soloist" on Friday. I have to ask, does Mr. Ayres really talk that fast? I have also been corresponding with an individual with schizophrenia for over 10 years and he does not talk quite as fast and does not take his meds. He prefers to be left alone. I thought Robert Downey did a fantastic job depicting you, but I'm not sure about Foxx. He seemed more like an Autistic Savant ("Rain Man") than an individual who suffers with schizophrenia. However, I am glad that the film has brought the disease out in the open once again (i.e., "A Beautiful Mind."). My dream is to raise funds for the disease through a concert and I see that your dream has come true, perhaps mine will also.
Best wishes.....
Leah
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I have been out of the country and upon my recent return picked up "The Soloist" after seeing the ads for the movie. thank you for your perserverance and brilliant writing in bringing this story to the public. I have been involved in various outreach programs in my life and like yourself realized that i gained much more by giving. In our present day, this lesson will become of the utmost importance. Your journey was on a much more personal level and through your writing i traveled and learned with you. the emotion and joy i felt upon completing the book prompted me to write. i hope to read more of your and Mr. Ayers journeys in the future. again, thank you
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Dear Mr. Lopez,
Last night my sister, believing the film to be about homeless musicians, invited me to see The Soloist. (My son has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and has been ill for over 12 years.)
I sat through the film but by the time it got to the point where your character brought Nathanial's sister to see him --- I was sobbing madly and had to leave the theatre.
There are so many facets of mental illness exposed in this film --- the herding of the ill in such inhumane conditions, medication, individual rights. The point where your character went nuts trying to find him and threw the phone --- I can certainly relate to. It was so right on -- in showing what we who are not suffering from this form of illness can and cannot do.
I hope that many see this film and/or read your book. Even though my sister knows my son --- she still had no idea the extend of his illness nor what he had been going through. While he was first ill he had been missing --- I can only imagine if he had or had not been in the kind of street environment depicted in the film.
There is so so much to do --- how to treat and house the ill, rehabilitation, education, stigma --- if the use of this language is familiar, it is because I am a member of NAMI and education was the only thing that made me brave enough to come out from under my metaphoric bed -- out from hiding to face this.
I hope that your colleagues will continue to cover this and be just as humane and compassionate as you have been.
Thank you for presenting a forum for my family to finally get it!
Sincerely,
Karen Gormandy
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I too was greatly moved by the movie and the story, and look forward to reading the book ASAP!
I thought it's depiction of mental illness and the related issues such as homelessness, treatment, family strife, etc. were all thought-provokingly portrated, and the open-ended nature of the end of the film kept it realistic and educational.
As someone who suffers from mental illness personally, has dealth with it within my own family, have provided services for mentally ill individuals, and work with NAMI, I feel the film is a good start at helping increase understanding and awareness of the many issues faced by both those suffering from illness and those who care for them.
When Steve Lopez questioned whether or not he had actually helped Mr. Ayers or not, I found it particularly moving. It is difficult to know what to do when faced with such and illness, it is so easy to feel helpless and so do nothing or force medication upon the sufferer. However, I feel that perhaps the most humane thing that we can do to support those who are living with mental illness and those who care for them is to just be there for them, be a friend as Mr. Lopez was to Mr. Ayers.
For obvious reasons, it is difficult for a sufferer to maintain good relationships, patience is required, but relationships are essential to the effective managment of such illnesses. Isolation is what kills so many of us. I hope that this film helps to bring that point home, especially to all of the well-meaning people who do thier best to help. Don't give up and feel helpless, just be there, be a friend. Sometimes that is all you can do for someone. Don't discount this simple act of kindness.
Many may feel like Mr. Lopez could have or should have done more to get Mr. Ayers on medication and working, etc., but sometimes these are simply not realistic expectations. I hope that this film will help people to better understand that we don't have all the answers or completely understand mental illness, but there are other things besides medications that can be done to help alleviate the suffering and destuctiveness of the mental illness. It is a complex problem with many complicating facets, and the more accurate information that is available to the public to help decrease stigma and increase awareness, the better methods we will be able to develop to help manage it.
Sincerely,
Laura Eckard
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Dear Steve:
I was wondering what has become of Nathaniel. Did the music studio ever become a reality, did Nathaniel ever give lessons there? Did he ever consent to taking medication again, did he choose to go back to the streets? I would appreciate any update.
Thank You,
Sandee Tyler
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Watched the movie and will go and guy the book. Superb story and I think you have showed with your efforts that its not just a story, it was an adventure. One I'm sure you feel good about. Big thanks from Scotland.
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Dear mr Lopez
I appriciate your work and gifts you have produced.
I would really appriciate if maybe you could direct me to a journalist to help me find out about what happened to my brother and to find out if we were the only victims or if there is more out there.
Again thank you for your heart and your motivation.
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Steve, Welcome to the web. Any thoughts on the comparisons of your story with the Ressurecting the Champ? I thought they compared favorably. I had a few other questions for you, if you follow the website link. thanks for making the effort. Congrats on the book & film.
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Esta pelicula, me trajo recuerdos, mi trabajo para Caritas,muy real, buen trabajo!!
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Hi there. I was watching the Soloist for the second time and I was wondering if, in your time with Mr. Ayers, you found the unique similarity between genious artists/musicians of mental illness? It seems to me that the most outstanding of artiss seem to have an inherited "crazy gene"?
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Почему так редко блог обновляете?
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I want to know if it is a spanish traslation of The Soloist. Congratulations and thanks.
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Hi Steve, what a compelling sotry. And I look forward to reading your book! I'm a novelist and am writing a novel and want to research information on the homeless situation in the 1990s-present in LA. Could you recommend any good, accurate nonfiction reads? AS my daughters would say about your passion: "way to go you!"
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@milissa buckles rn "Crazy gene" just took the fight for mental health rights and the people effective by such back 30 years; you also do an injustice to Mr. Lopez and his work.
Thank you Mr. Lopez for showing the human as well as the humane side of those with mental health issues.
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Mr. Lopez,
I just watched "The Soloist" on HBO. Wow! Very moving. Your relationship with Mr. Ayers has changed many people now.
Tammy
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I've been wondering whether or not Nathanial Ayers has been able to share in the profits from your book.
I am a community activist on behalf of folks with psych disabilities, and I have a disability myself. We do not condone the use of the terms "mental illness" or "schizophrenia". These terms are pejorative, dehumanizing, unscientific and inaccurate.
We are also find stories regarding folks with a dx of "MI" highly suspect. Such stories unquestioningly accept stereotypes perpetrated by pharmaceutical companies.
Therefore, my question to you: Has Nathaniel Ayers received any of the royalties from the book?
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Thank you, Mr. Lopez for such a wonderfully full story. Mr. Robert Downey Jr. and Mr. Jamie Foxx did an unbelievable job of making one feel connected to something greater than themselves. I loved the movie. I understand "Grace", more than ever. The music was very well done also.
Thank You,
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