Gothamist: Spalding Gray, 1941-2004

Linus

Tue, 09 Mar 2004 15:52:51 -0500

I wish I had something other than sorrow to add; I was passing familiar with Spaulding Gray's works, and had seen him live a couple of times. It's not like I knew him, or anything. But this feels close, like hearing of a fellow traveler who took a bad step. Jake at Stiff Little Finger (at the predictable URL) said a nice goodbye: "keep on swimmin'," he wrote. (That's a different Jake, not the Gothamist one.) I'll echo it.

Marc

Tue, 09 Mar 2004 13:49:25 -0500

The pedestrian pathway along the south side of the Manhattan Bridge has a chain-link suicide barrier, installed just prior to the reopening of that side of the bridge in 2001. The installation of the barrier on the north side is not yet complete, and the pedestrian walk is not yet open. Perhaps Gray breached the construction fence on the north side (before the trains were even running there)?

jake

Tue, 09 Mar 2004 08:03:37 -0500

it seems like it would be difficult to jump off the brooklyn or williamsburg bridge, because the pedestrian paths are on the inside, and you'd have to cross two or three lanes of traffic to jump. that would be difficult during the day, or in the early evening, when gray disappeared. so it seems like the manhattan bridge is the winner. you could also jump off the queensboro bridge, which has a path on the north side that is on the outside, but then your body might end up somewhere else. the pulaski bridge over newtown creek might work- but you'd most likely not die, since it's only like 40 or 50 feet above the ground- and it would be horrible to drown in that putrid water.