I'm sure much of America sat down and watched as Tammy Faye Messner went on Larry King Live discussing her lung cancer illness. The prognosis is death, but like so many in her case, she has decided to be a shining beacon of hope for those who suffer from the same illness.
Then, I saw her in the flesh.
To be blunt, none of it was attached to her face. I was terrified because I felt that at any moment, with excitable glee by CNN bosses at the ratings, her skin would simply melt off and leave her, literally, a talking skeleton.
If I were Larry King, given the fact that there is a faction of news watchers who hate him, I would pull a Ted Koppel or Ed Murrow and say that I don't wanna do this. With the money King makes, I wouldn't care if I was forced out of the industry. I'd chill in the background and fade into a peaceful non-active existence.
But not being King, I can't make that decision. Perhaps out of the millions of viewers who see his program every night, one of them should have called the network. I'm sure it wouldn't have stopped the interview from airing, or even give King a moment to pause at how disgustingly Maury Povich it was, but it would have meant people give a damn about something other than Paris freaking Hilton.
I was originally going to do a documentary on my caretaking trials looking after my father who has Lupus. The first question any artist should ask himself is whether someone really wants to see someone else at the lowpoint in their lives. If you were of the movie nerd/film school division and merely believed in telling a good story, probably yes. But in this instance, I agree with those who believe in telling all stories with a sunny side up — I don't wanna see that.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Scott Butki
Good piece, Matthew.
2 - Marc Huestis
I found the interview humanizing & compelling. I had seen
Tammy Faye in the KING interview before this and she seemed genuinely scared. She seemed at peace this time.
I think it's important for people to see what dying actually looks like- there is a stigma to it. As a gay man who survived the AIDS crisis I saw dmy dying friends either go tto a higher place or
drown in bitterness & fear. I think Tammy Faye showed people how t do the former . My heart went out to her and I was genuinely proud of her.
3 - Prairie Gourmet
Visuals always make a greater impact than words alone. I just buried my brother who battled pancreatice cancer for a year. He went from a handsome, athletic, kind man to a gray, walking skeleton. He never missed a day of work until the final week he was alive. He met with clients daily. He dragged himself to his children's ballgames several nights a week. He continued going to church,club meetings, and social events. He never hide his slow decline and was never embarrassed of his apperance. There were over 600 people at his funeral.
4 - marticly
I think this was an eye opener. People need to see what lung cancer can do to the body. My heart goes out to Tammy Messner. I feel that a lot of people needs to watch this and then maybe or maybe not, they would stop smoking and realize what they are doing not only to their lungs but also to their loved ones lungs. I am not sure if Tammy ever smoked, but I am thinking that she did, but bless her little heart she does not deserve this. Our prayers and blessings are with her.
5 - bliffle
We in the USA have been too protective of our own tender aesthetic feelings to allow ourselves to be frank about death and dying, and about the consequences of the aberrant behaviours we advertise on TV, such as smoking, overeating, war, etc.
6 - marjani ramla
Tammy is holding on to God's unchanging hand. She is very brave and her willingness to appear is commendable.
Godspeed.
7 - Temple Stark
"The first question any artist should ask himself is whether someone really wants to see someone else at the lowpoint in their lives"
YES. Those who can force themselves to go out in public and take the expected humility for something that is (let's say) not their fault provide a service to let others know what the face of cancer (or whatever) looks like.
This image will not quickly be forgotten by many, even those unaffected or without much of a chance of cancer.
you may have anticipated this next point, but I'll say it anyway - she dedicated her life to God and this is the thaks she gets? I read something like the above comment "Tammy is holding on to God's unchanging hand."
Tamme Faye was a tight-ass (with ass spread) for a great deal of her life; pious to the max and getting rich off the poor and hopeful. But she did change, got a sense of humor even and realized she was not a better person MERELY because of her belief.
It's too easy to rip on religion as something completely illogical. it's a part of humanity. But this idea that God is making examples out of molested children or cancer victims or rape victims or walking AIDS corpses or being a pigheaded narrow-minded ass or maimed by bombs while eating dinner (or pick your disease / circumstance ) so that they can be stronger and help others is completely off-the-charts wrong.
Did God make Catholic priests more prone to being child molesters as a test of faith? Or was it just the man-made social construct of abstinence that made idiots of true believers.
I believe that if you do go good (and not this more good than harm bull) in the name of your religion, then you are a true believer and worthy of your God. If you do good in the name of no-religion you are a better person for it, period. The world is energy and there is + and - .
-Temple
8 - Mimmsy
It was shocking. It was her decision. If you are dying are you now allowed to make your own decisions? Would you "allow" someone you know?
Allow?
9 - Doug DeLong
Larry King took great pains to tell the audience that "she reached out to us." It was as if he wanted to make sure that everyone knew that it wasn't his idea.
If that was true, then what was CNN supposed to do when she made her request? Should they have told her, "Sorry, we'd like to let you come on the show, but you look too scary and might upset people?"
Personally, I think she just wanted to say goodbye to her fans and I thought she handled herself with dignity and even humor.
10 - don
She doesn't have lung cancer, she has colon cancer, and if God is punishing her for being a wacko for most of her unbalanced, un- god like life so be it. It has nothing to do with "dying with dignity", and I am tired of hearing gay men proselytize about their empathy and comparing themselves to the victims of colon cancer.promiscuous sex has nothing to do with it, and neither does God. Life happens. get over it
11 - Sarah
If someone I loved were that ill and wanted to be on television, I would be totally supportive. I have cancer, and it seems it would be part of the healing process, or the process to come to peace with the illness. She wanted to reach out to others suffering, and that has always brought her peace.
12 - cathi
I think its unfortunate that people are so quick to judge. We are all human and for a disease like cancer to leave a person looking like that is unfair and tragic. If Tammy Faye had any wrong doing in her past she would have been legally charged, and she is in Gods hands now. He is the one to judge her. If she chose to be on the Larry King show that was her choice. We as the viewers could have quickly changed the channel. Thats why there are remotes. And for people to say that Larry King should have told her no, your too scary looking, is wrong. There is no doubt in my mind she knew what she looked like. Where is the humanity and feelings of some people? My mother died of cancer and weighed 65 pounds and I never saw her as horrible or say she looked like her skin was going to fall off! May God forgive all those remarks people say without really thinking and may something like this never happen to close to home.
13 - deanna
I think what tammy faye did was her own choice
im sure it brought some kind of closure to her
life .And she does not have lung cancer she has
colon cancer that spread to her lungs.Seeing her was shocking but that is life.
14 - Temple Stark
Dead she is now. She was ill, and Larry King Live was the place she was to be. I wonder (but not really) if Jimbo will have anything good to say about her - he's still a !@#$% evangelist, and suckers forgave him because, because, because, well eff if I know.
15 - Doug DeLong
Cathi: And for people to say that Larry King should have told her no, your too scary looking, is wrong.
Cathi, I think you missed my point, which was that, of course, CNN (Larry King) couldn't say that to her. I was defending her right to be on the show.
16 - Tari / Arkansas
My husband died w/cancer 7 1/2 yrs. ago, to this day the only kinda good thing I can say about this cancer thing is,,,we had 5 mons. before God took him home, for Jerry to get a closer relationship w/Jesus, to get things in order for his family and say goodbye. Oh yea'll, HIS past was not without faults either, nor is mine, you or yours BUT we will all leave this world one day. In reference to "looking scarey", when you know your time is near, EVERY day when you wake up, EVERTHING is beautiful!! I hope and pray that someday folks w/RELIGION will fall from that walk and start walking w/Jesus. By the way, Tammy Faye is probably saying thanks to all of you that are speaking negative about her, because, if we really are christians and nobody is talking bad about us then we are doing something wrong, RIGHT. For all you angered and bitter people don't forget, there is the eternal home in Heaven and the eternal home in HELL and we can choose which route our spirits will take when our time to go HOME comes!!!
17 - Mary Granata Smith
TAMMY DID WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO. SHE WAS BRAVE. SHE SAID GOOD-BYE THE WAY SHE WANTED TO. IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT SHE LEFT US MANY MESSAGES FROM HER LAST APPEARANCE ON LARRY KING. YOU JUST NEED TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES. STOW,OHIO
18 - Temple Stark
Tari, why do you think God gave your husband cancer? I'm curious as to your thought process. And I'm not setting you up to disparage anything you say. I acknowledge people's rights to believe anything they want when it comes to the afterlife, because it's all a great unknown. My basic, simple question is valid and goes to the heart of belief, as does my comment above.
Can you just say "God works in mysterious ways" and be happy with the hell on earth that people - many completely innocent people - go through?
Temple
19 - Rose Ann C.
My Goodness!
Whats all the fuss? The woman needed to free herself of what ever made her feel good at this time in her life. She is in pain and needed some sort of release. Let her rest in Peace. Give her some digniity.
20 - Lesley A. Johnson
I believe the reason that Larry King did the interview was becasue Tammy Faye knew that she was going to die and she wanted to try to reach as many people as she could before her death. She was using her last chance or last wish to try to let people know that even in the darkest of cirumstances that we need to not give up and keep going. Sure it was extremely difficult to look at, but there is alot of ugliness in the world. It would've been cruel to not give Tammy Faye the ability to reach the many people that she did to try to give their lives to Christ. She will be remembered as an image of what true strength is, not thinking of yourself but others instead!
21 - Glenda
People Tammy didn't have Lung Cancer she had colon cancer with mets to the lung. So many people just don't get it. Think of cancer like animals at a zoo. Lets call colon cancer a Lion, lets call lung cancer a zebra. When the lion(colon cancer) gets out of its cage and goes to the zebra cage(Lung cancer) it is still a lion but in the zebra cage. Just because it went to the zebra cage(Lung cancer) it doesn't make it a zebra(Lung cancer) it is still a lion(colon cancer) in the zebra cage. This really needs to be understood.
22 - D. Barbree
It took a lot of courage to set there with a smile and try to project what she used to look like. My mom died from breast cancer and with in months she went from healthy to skin and bones. I wasn't prepared to see her like this and it was the strength she had raised me with that kept me from hitting the floor when I seen her. Tammy is at peace now and in no pain and I know God welcomed her with open arms.
23 - Chris B.
Hot Off The Presses: Formerly known as Tammy Faye Bakker, the showboating televangelist who aided her husband, Jim Bakker, in hoodwinking millions of people out of millions of dollars, passed on peacefully this past Friday and quickly passed through the pearly gates of heaven to meet her Lord and savior. She promptly called for hair, make-up and wardrobe upon realizing she had been restored to a former face and body last seen in 1985. Let's face it, even the Lord must have His limits even if Larry King doesn't! Noticing that heaven wasn't as pretty as she had pictured it from below, Tammy Faye also called for a complete gold plated restoration of the pearly gates, 13 black velvet wall hangings, featuring miracles the Lord had performed during His time on Earth and all subtly lit from above with starbursts of Christmas tree lights. These would now adorn the walls of the silver lining cloud corridor she had heard so much about and lead members to a back-lit bleeding heart cross hanging at the end of that corridor depicting the suffering Lord speaking to the statue of a woman below who bore a strange resemblance to heaven's newest member. Tammy Faye next summoned Michelangelo Buonarotti from his daily afternoon slumber and ordered him to give the statue some color. Her preferences were duly noted as being Poppy Pink, Tartly Tangerine and Lemony Lime... or as she defined it; a double dose of P.T.L.!
I think it's time to curl up in bed, turn down the lights and watch The Picture of Dorian Gray...Hmmm, then again, maybe not!
24 - Karen
You have to give her credit. She knew the time was near and wanted to say her goodbyes. We are not to judge others. I for one never watched her much ,but it touched me to see her on the show. If it saved just one person then don't you think it was worth it? I for one sure do.
25 - don
Thank you Chris B! Everyone seems to have lost their collective nut on this one and wants Tammy to go into the light. Sorry, Heaven is for people who DID SOME GOOD in this world, and not a weeping willow who personally made Max Factor rich.She's not going to heaven people. she was a mean spirited, crass individual who helped bilk money out of the most desperate and needy people who wanted to believe in something precious,special,and meaningful. I'm sorry, but God has special place for people like her, And its a sure bet that Ken Lay will be there to help light her way. Are we wrong to believe this? I Quote.."Vengeance is mine sayeth the lord", and of course my favorite..Mat 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."