Waiting for Speedway Fowler

I just found out Ryan Larkin died last week.

Here's the story: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2007/02/16/ryan-larkin-obit.html

I always looked for Larkin whenever I was walking the streets of Montreal. I never ran into him, but he was known for hanging out along the sidewalk outside the granite headstone company across the street from Schwartz's deli.

Larkin was one of the greatest animators of the 20th century. I saw his famous short film "Street Musique" when I was in junior high.

His body of work was sparse. His career was cut short by drug addiction and mental illness. He was more or less homeless.

If you've ever been cable surfing late at night, you might have caught the 2005 documentary on Larkin, "Ryan". It's one of my favorite documentaries.

Larkin was a unique talent. He seemed to be a guy who was just born too weak for a hard world.