Esquire story on Todd Marinovich

They all got laid off.

 

On the first day of my new job I brought in doughnuts.

 

Once agian...



The whole arch of the story builds toward what you think will be redemption, Todd finding a better place and realizing he has only himself to blame for his demons, but in the end, it's just more sad despair. He still thinks it's hereditary, or whether he's lying to himself or lying to the writer. The ending is ambiguous for a reason. There are no lessons here, no attempt to excuse or spin a happy ending. Just a long silence of Marinovich staring out the window as California goes by.

 

This is a helluva story.

 

Outstanding story. Hoping for the best, one would hope that turning himself in after that relapse is a good sign. But one never knows with drugs and addicts.

 

I've always been on the fence about legalizing drugs and when it comes to heroin, cocaine and meth, I'm against it. But when somebody seems as hell-bent on wrecking his life that jail or the threat of jail can keep him clean, what's the point of locking him up?

 

Keeps them from hurting innocent people, for one thing. Behind the wheel of a car, for instance, or committing robberies and thefts to finance their addictions. Very often a junkie's own life isn't the only one he wrecks.

 

And it keeps them from, um, doing drugs.

 

Obviously not for long.

 

Well, as long as he's locked up. But I agree it's not really much of a deterrent. The addiction is definitely more powerful than the threat of getting arrested.

 

At the moment, Marv is sitting at the back of the Chiefs gathering, resting his bum knee, eating an organic apple. Nearly seventy, he has bull shoulders and a nimbus of curly gray hair. His own pale-blue eyes are focused intently on his son's performance, as they have been from day one.

One of the worst things I've ever read.

That asshole never learned how to love a son.

 

Not necessarily. They don't do it because drugs are illegal. They do it as a means to obtain the money to buy drugs.
Legal drugs would be cheaper, yes, but there would still be people in this world who lack the money to purchsas them.