I was talking about heroes with a friend the other day.  She admonished me for mentioning someone that I admire (Steve Martin), saying that “he’s an asshole in real life.” I said I’d have to kick loose most of my personal heroes if I went by that criteria; you have to always put your trust and respect in the art itself, not the artist.

Brave words. But a little hypocritical.  What happens when you meet someone you look up to and it turns out they’re a total toolbox?  It’s terrible.

But conversely, it feels fantastic when you find out that the person is actually a bit of a hero.  Such is the case with Roger Ebert.  Oh, I don’t necessary like the guy for his critical taste.  For God’s sake, he gave Garfield: The Movie a thumbs up, while dissing two my favorite movies of all time: Brazil and Blue Velvet.  They should issue fatwas for having those kinds of opinions.

But even when I wanted to drop kick him into the nearest reservoir, he always gave his reviews with intelligence and humor. I’ve watched him on and off for nearly my entire life.  He made movies seem exciting and fun, and made the process of thinking critically about them inviting and positive. When I was fourteen years old, my friend Donovan and I filmed a really terrible parody of his show (which at that time included co-host Gene Siskel).  Our jokes sucked.  For example, we’d get in a fistfight with a 12-year old kid who was sneaking into our theater to watch the trailer for a PG-13 movie.  (That was topical humor, by the way; that was in the year the PG-13 rating first appeared.)

Recently, Ebert got in a war of words with Vincent Gallo, who directed The Brown Bunny.  Ebert called the film the worst one he’d ever seen at Cannes.  Gallo fired back in the press, calling Ebert a “fat pig with the physique of a slave trader.” Ebert responded in Churchillian style: “It is true that I am fat.  Yet one day I will be thin, and Vincent Gallo will always be the director of The Brown Bunny.”

At that moment I totally forgave the Brazil and Blue Velvet thing.

Ebert’s been absent from his show because of complications from cancer-related surgery.  He can’t talk right now, and his appearance is haggard and rather startling.  But he decided to venture out into the public and attend his annual film festival. He recently posted a picture and an article to his web site, explaining his reasons for doing so:

“I was told photos of me in this condition would attract the gossip papers. So what? I have been very sick, am getting better and this is how it looks . . . We spend too much time hiding illness. There is an assumption that I must always look the same. I hope to look better than I look now. But I’m not going to miss my Festival.”

Is there anyone who is more of a badass?  When life knocks the cards out of my hand and threatens to make me cash in my chips, I am going to remember his words. 

Rog, sorry about the parody we filmed.  Not because you’d give a rat’s ass about being mocked.  But given that you were the target, it should have been a lot funnier. Get better.